Will Flux Rx harm a sea hare?

ratzy82

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
90
Reaction score
20
Location
Arnold, MO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm trying to eliminate hair algea, as it's effecting some of my coral. My parameters aren't crazy. I realize some of this is a false reading due to the algae taking care of my nitrates/phos.
Was considering dosing flux but I have a sea hare. Heard this can effect inverts. Anyone have experience?
Parameters are
N04 5ppm
Phos 0
Alk 8.6
Calc 450
Mag 1450
 

Dburr1014

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
8,432
Reaction score
8,472
Location
CT
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm trying to eliminate hair algea, as it's effecting some of my coral. My parameters aren't crazy. I realize some of this is a false reading due to the algae taking care of my nitrates/phos.
Was considering dosing flux but I have a sea hare. Heard this can effect inverts. Anyone have experience?
Parameters are
N04 5ppm
Phos 0
Alk 8.6
Calc 450
Mag 1450
Have tried manually removing?
Lowering lights or blackout?
Upping your cuc?

I know gha is a pain. I went thru all the different ways to get it out and nothing worked. May I suggest you do the same. No tank is the same and some ways may work without meds.

Having said that, I did use fluconazole myself. I did 1/3 doses spread out over weeks. It did work with only 2 doses at 1/3 dose.
I think.... It works in micro doses because it's more of a time killing than the actual full dose with gha. It needs a couple months to work.
There are others here that have done 1/10th doses and that's all to kill gha.

To the question about the sea hare, I'm not sure. I wouldn't think so but it also might run out of food if you kill the gha.
 
OP
OP
R

ratzy82

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
90
Reaction score
20
Location
Arnold, MO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Have tried manually removing?
Lowering lights or blackout?
Upping your cuc?

I know gha is a pain. I went thru all the different ways to get it out and nothing worked. May I suggest you do the same. No tank is the same and some ways may work without meds.

Having said that, I did use fluconazole myself. I did 1/3 doses spread out over weeks. It did work with only 2 doses at 1/3 dose.
I think.... It works in micro doses because it's more of a time killing than the actual full dose with gha. It needs a couple months to work.
There are others here that have done 1/10th doses and that's all to kill gha.

To the question about the sea hare, I'm not sure. I wouldn't think so but it also might run out of food if you kill the gha.
I've tried pulling it out, it just doesn't work very well. It seems strong rooted and next to nothing is coming off. It's not very long gha, more like tufts. I have also tried weekly water changes, feeding less. Have not done a blackout, as I have coral and I don't want to lose anything. Borrowed the sea hare, but he seems to be a slow eater. I can always just return him to the original owner. I've done flux rx in the past and it never fully kills it. Maybe I need to do like you mentioned and try a smaller dose for a longer period of time.
 

Dburr1014

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
8,432
Reaction score
8,472
Location
CT
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've tried pulling it out, it just doesn't work very well. It seems strong rooted and next to nothing is coming off. It's not very long gha, more like tufts. I have also tried weekly water changes, feeding less. Have not done a blackout, as I have coral and I don't want to lose anything. Borrowed the sea hare, but he seems to be a slow eater. I can always just return him to the original owner. I've done flux rx in the past and it never fully kills it. Maybe I need to do like you mentioned and try a smaller dose for a longer period of time.

I miss spoke about a couple months to work. In the thread I said 20 days. Glad these threads don't die.
 

jhadaway

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 18, 2021
Messages
405
Reaction score
316
Location
Pasadena, MD
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Im 5 days in and it isn't bothering anyone. I have lots of crabs, snalls, sea slugs, sea serpents… no harm i can see. Well, the algae is turning white. Hell yeah!!! Finally winning that battle!
 

JoJosReef

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 27, 2021
Messages
7,208
Reaction score
19,496
Location
Orange County, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The Flux itself should not harm a sea hare or any animal in your tank. It affects cell wall development. Plants and algae have cell walls, animals do not (only squishy cell membranes). If the Flux treatment ends up causing swings in your water parameters, then that can have an ill effect on your livestock. If your GHA has bound up a bunch of stuff and then turns white and disappears, that "stuff" is now in your tank water.

My recommendation would be a quasi-rip clean prior to Flux treatment. For GHA, I drained the water halfway, started ripping GHA off the rocks with paper towels (better for gripping) and basically cleaned of the rocks for a "fresh" start. The Flux will kill off what remains and minimize the amount of "stuff" that gets released into your tank water. Corals will be fine while you do this--I just drip some tank water over them as I'm ripping away GHA patches. Hope that helps!
 

DaJMasta

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 3, 2022
Messages
791
Reaction score
913
Location
Maryland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Glad to hear it's not harming it, while not a lot is effected, inverts can definitely be effected subtly - I loose all my fertilized egg clutches - fish and inverts - when I dose it to my system.

That all said, you should be rehoming your sea hare. While the Flux Rx may not have harmed it directly, they are voracious eaters and will starve if the fluconozole is working on your algae.
 
OP
OP
R

ratzy82

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
90
Reaction score
20
Location
Arnold, MO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Attachments

  • 0.jpg
    0.jpg
    177.3 KB · Views: 50
OP
OP
R

ratzy82

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
90
Reaction score
20
Location
Arnold, MO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here is some of the algea. I don't think it's bryopsis but...
 

Attachments

  • 0.jpg
    0.jpg
    177.3 KB · Views: 56
OP
OP
R

ratzy82

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
90
Reaction score
20
Location
Arnold, MO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The Flux itself should not harm a sea hare or any animal in your tank. It affects cell wall development. Plants and algae have cell walls, animals do not (only squishy cell membranes). If the Flux treatment ends up causing swings in your water parameters, then that can have an ill effect on your livestock. If your GHA has bound up a bunch of stuff and then turns white and disappears, that "stuff" is now in your tank water.

My recommendation would be a quasi-rip clean prior to Flux treatment. For GHA, I drained the water halfway, started ripping GHA off the rocks with paper towels (better for gripping) and basically cleaned of the rocks for a "fresh" start. The Flux will kill off what remains and minimize the amount of "stuff" that gets released into your tank water. Corals will be fine while you do this--I just drip some tank water over them as I'm ripping away GHA patches. Hope that helps!
Thanks, I was thinking of letting the sea hare do some work on it for a bit then flux to try and finally win the battle.
 

PeterErc

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 15, 2014
Messages
653
Reaction score
916
Location
S Fl.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here is some of the algea. I don't think it's bryopsis
Is your sea hare eating it? If it is this I believe it is Chlorodemsis. Fox face , scopas, tuxedo and variegated urchins don’t eat it. Hermits and turbo snails may but would count on it. Cropped short to the rock it may get grazed but not sure. Manual removal near impossible to get it all. Flucanazole didn’t dent it, grew faster from nutrients of other algae die off.

Peroxide 3% injected into the algae in tank with flow off, didn’t kill it. Lanthanum chloride injection didn’t kill it.

I had broken down the tank to start over. Had invasive encrusting sponge, aptasia and other crud on rock. Removed rock and set in bleach bath waiting to hit it with acid. I stumbled upon some dry rock for a good price and took the easy route. Guy said it was covered in algae so he bleached it. Rock looked pretty clean enough to use. In the meantime from stirring the sand bed, cleaning out the over flows, dosing lanthanum etc etc.. The tank ended up with Dino’s. So dosing nitrate , silica, no water changes, no skimmer, you get the idea. There was some bryopsis in there as well and figured Flucanazole would clean it up.

So in a bleach solution, the tuffs of the algae turn white and slimy on the top. While underneath stays green. Clean off the slime to expose the green. The same, turns white and slimes up covering itself. Four days in bleach, acid wash, back in bleach, still green. Peroxide 3% sprayed on then into peroxide wash and scrubbed. If this crap comes back after that I am gonna find a new hobby lol.

There was some rock I left in the tank as well as frags that had the crud growing in it. Removal from water and straight 3% peroxide on the spots took care of it. They’re still some growing on overflows and glass that needs manual removal as nothing is eating it. This week hope to get rock back in tank. Will run Flucanazole after reset for safe measures.

If it was me knowing what I know now and it’s not that bad, I would remove the rocks and treat them with peroxide

Hope this helps and someone can chime in with a better alternative.

IMG_1986.jpeg
 
OP
OP
R

ratzy82

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
90
Reaction score
20
Location
Arnold, MO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Is your sea hare eating it? If it is this I believe it is Chlorodemsis. Fox face , scopas, tuxedo and variegated urchins don’t eat it. Hermits and turbo snails may but would count on it. Cropped short to the rock it may get grazed but not sure. Manual removal near impossible to get it all. Flucanazole didn’t dent it, grew faster from nutrients of other algae die off.

Peroxide 3% injected into the algae in tank with flow off, didn’t kill it. Lanthanum chloride injection didn’t kill it.

I had broken down the tank to start over. Had invasive encrusting sponge, aptasia and other crud on rock. Removed rock and set in bleach bath waiting to hit it with acid. I stumbled upon some dry rock for a good price and took the easy route. Guy said it was covered in algae so he bleached it. Rock looked pretty clean enough to use. In the meantime from stirring the sand bed, cleaning out the over flows, dosing lanthanum etc etc.. The tank ended up with Dino’s. So dosing nitrate , silica, no water changes, no skimmer, you get the idea. There was some bryopsis in there as well and figured Flucanazole would clean it up.

So in a bleach solution, the tuffs of the algae turn white and slimy on the top. While underneath stays green. Clean off the slime to expose the green. The same, turns white and slimes up covering itself. Four days in bleach, acid wash, back in bleach, still green. Peroxide 3% sprayed on then into peroxide wash and scrubbed. If this crap comes back after that I am gonna find a new hobby lol.

There was some rock I left in the tank as well as frags that had the crud growing in it. Removal from water and straight 3% peroxide on the spots took care of it. They’re still some growing on overflows and glass that needs manual removal as nothing is eating it. This week hope to get rock back in tank. Will run Flucanazole after reset for safe measures.

If it was me knowing what I know now and it’s not that bad, I would remove the rocks and treat them with peroxide

Hope this helps and someone can chime in with a better alternative.

IMG_1986.jpeg
When I dosed flux rx the first time it knocked it way back. Some of it remained and I thought by water changes and changing my habbits i would get rid of it, but its now on the rise again. I'm thinking I should have dosed a second flux to completely get rid of it. I'm not sure if the hare is eating it or not. He's only been in my tank a week. I'm going to give him the week. If I don't see any improvement im gonna flux it again.
 

PeterErc

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 15, 2014
Messages
653
Reaction score
916
Location
S Fl.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When I dosed flux rx the first time it knocked it way back. Some of it remained and I thought by water changes and changing my habbits i would get rid of it, but its now on the rise again. I'm thinking I should have dosed a second flux to completely get rid of it. I'm not sure if the hare is eating it or not. He's only been in my tank a week. I'm going to give him the week. If I don't see any improvement im gonna flux it again.
That’s good the flux is working for you, hope you get it under control and gone forever.
 

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,829
Reaction score
21,964
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
any input on this @brandon429
I'm not Brandon but ill give you an answer - its immoral, and impractical, and not in the best interest of society to use an antibiotic / anti fungal (that is used in humans) - to kill an algae that could be controlled without it.
 

PeterErc

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 15, 2014
Messages
653
Reaction score
916
Location
S Fl.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm not Brandon but ill give you an answer - its immoral, and impractical, and not in the best interest of society to use an antibiotic / anti fungal (that is used in humans) - to kill an algae that could be controlled without it.
interesting, one has no issues taking living animals, fish etc from their natural habitat and subjecting them to all kinds of torture, disease and death?

Are medications like praziquantel, ciprofloxacin, copper acceptable to use? Clearly all the parasites, disease etc could easily be controlled by not putting things where the don't belong.
 

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,829
Reaction score
21,964
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
interesting, one has no issues taking living animals, fish etc from their natural habitat and subjecting them to all kinds of torture, disease and death?

Are medications like praziquantel, ciprofloxacin, copper acceptable to use? Clearly all the parasites, disease etc could easily be controlled by not putting things where the don't belong.
In my post I meant to say 'in my opinion', and it is just my opinon:).. I never said I had 'no issues taking living animals, fish, etc, from their natural habitats, etc", let alone "subjecting them to all kinds of torture, disease and death?"

I do not have a problem using praziquantel or copper since if correctly used there is no risk. I would not personally use cipro. The reason I don't have a problem with treating disease in fish is obvious.

There is a possibility of resistance forming in fungi to an anti fungal (fluconazole)) which is used to treat human disease. For that reason I would not use it.
 

Reefing threads: Do you wear gear from reef brands?

  • I wear reef gear everywhere.

    Votes: 37 15.9%
  • I wear reef gear primarily at fish events and my LFS.

    Votes: 13 5.6%
  • I wear reef gear primarily for water changes and tank maintenance.

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • I wear reef gear primarily to relax where I live.

    Votes: 30 12.9%
  • I don’t wear gear from reef brands.

    Votes: 135 58.2%
  • Other.

    Votes: 16 6.9%
Back
Top