Bryopsis Cure: My Battle With Bryopsis Using Fluconazole

[Antlrman]

We'll have to see how long Fluconazole actually stays active in our tanks or if wcs and carbon removes it completely. Who knows,it may still remain in the tank for 6 months or longer and just be hindering the Bryopsis from returning until the level of Fluconazole gets low enough. I hope this isn't the case.

Well, for me, as long as it doesn't affect sps, lps, or inverts then it can remain all it wants. If it stays in the system for long period of time and keeps the Bryopsis down with no harm to the tank then I say "who cares" right. Let it linger. [emoji38]

 

[NCreefguy]

I love the biology of algae!
Too bad the state said no to a degree in that so I got stuck with I.T.

I just wish that I would have been more interested in Biology at the time instead of the girls in my class but I can't go back in time.

 

[NCreefguy]

Well, for me, as long as it doesn't affect sps, lps, or inverts then it can remain all it wants. If it stays in the system for long period of time and keeps the Bryopsis down with no harm to the tank then I say "who cares" right. Let it linger. [emoji38]

This is true. Nobody knows what or if there will be any long term effects yet so we just need @twilliard to jump into this and fully dissect it from every angle.

 

[twilliard]

This will add great info to the thread!
Stevo is sending me out some bryopsis.

 

[NCreefguy]

This will add great info to the thread!
Stevo is sending me out some bryopsis.

Perfect!

 

[Sabellafella]

Everyone doesnt have to start bombing their tanks all at once. I am willing to jump on asap because I need to move these coral into the big tank. Ready to move on. But I want it gone 100% first.

Like @brandon429 would say. The only true way is rasping. The Bryopsis roots burrow into the rock. So this med here may need to be used more than once to fully irradicate. Hard to say as its so new.

Someone has ben bryopsis free since november, so fingers crossed =)

 

[MartyF]

I noticed this evening that a couple pieces of Bryopsis have come loose off the rock and are blowing around in the tank. A good sign and the fist time I have ever noticed this happening. Usually I have to tug fairly hard to get Bryopsis off the rock when manually removing with my water changes

 

[NCreefguy]

I noticed this evening that a couple pieces of Bryopsis have come loose off the rock and are blowing around in the tank. A good sign and the fist time I have ever noticed this happening. Usually I have to tug fairly hard to get Bryopsis off the rock when manually removing with my water changes

Definitely a good sign if it's letting go easily.

 

[rockworm]

Joshky, I dosed the fluconazale last night. You and I started using Vibrant about the same time (early November) to deal with similar issues. I had GHA, some bubble algae, a little dichtoya, and lots of bryopsis. I was aggressive with Vibrant for 6 weeks, dosing every three days. This wiped pout all algae except the bryopsis. I backed off to dosing every 4 days in mid December because of a significant occurrence of cyano. By the end of December, I was losing corals to an imbalance in chemistry and smothering by cyano. I stopped Vibrant the first week of Jan. I waited a week and hit my tank with Chemiclean. This eliminated the cyano within 48 hrs. It was in early Jan that I read about fluconazale impact on Bryopsis. I ordered it and last night dosed it to my tank.

I read that it will take a few days before any impact was seen. To my surprise, the tips of the bryopsis, after 24 hrs, are turning white. I believe that the Vibrant has weakened the bryopsis in some form and has accelerated the fluconazale effect. I, like you, have been losing motivation because of the bryopsis. It is too early to tell what will happen but I am hoping to see the same results that other fluconazale users are seeing.

Following along, I'd really love to stop dosing vibrant or back off of dosing it at the very least. I've been dosing vibrant for over 2 months now and so far I don't know what to think, it's working somewhat but if I had my nutrients where I'd like them to be I guarantee you they'd be more of a nuisance than they are now.... so is it really working?

Bryopsis has been such a problem for this tank that I've really just lost motivation and drive, I've lost a couple of acros because of it and my magnifica anemone has been ticked off ever since I started dosing vibrant and I've had to treat it for an infection again, I'm not sure that it fully recovered from the last treatment either.... I somewhat expect to see the deflation cycle start back up in a couple of weeks.

 

[NCreefguy]

Well we're 6 days in on the treatment and things are definitely looking good. I can't get over how quickly this is going considering how hard Bryopsis is to get rid of.Another weird observation is that my tangs seem to be a little more interested in picking at or around the dying Bryopsis. These are the same tangs that have never wanted anything to do with it before.There are also still some dark green stalks in there that I'm not sure if it's Bryopsis or another type of hair algae but we'll see if they turn white in the next day or so as well.



Day 6 of treatment...

 

[twilliard]

Well we're 6 days in on the treatment and things are definitely looking good. I can't get over how quickly this is going considering how hard Bryopsis is to get rid of.Another weird observation is that my tangs seem to be a little more interested in picking at or around the dying Bryopsis. These are the same tangs that have never wanted anything to do with it before.There are also still some dark green stalks in there that I'm not sure if it's Bryopsis or another type of hair algae but we'll see if they turn white in the next day or so as well.



Day 6 of treatment...

I am watching those hydroids too

 

[NCreefguy]

I am watching those hydroids too

Hahaha I can send you hydroid samples all day long and twice on Sundays.

 

[Rick.45cal]

Good news man! I love seeing your daily updates! They give me hope

 

[NCreefguy]

Good news man! I love seeing your daily updates! They give me hope

Looking back at day 1 and now at day 6 I still can't believe it. As good as it is to have the Bryopsis dying,It's also great not to have to take your corals/inverts or fish out for the treatment.

And it's just 1 dose!!!

 

[Rick.45cal]

I'm a believer that there is not really a safe way to remove and then replace inhabitants without possibly reintroducing the bryopsis. (I also have nowhere to put them, so it isn't an option for me lol). It's definitely exciting, the mail can't bring it fast enough here.

My bryopsis is definitely already weakend significantly from Vibrant, my CUC is eating a lot of it. I don't think they are a total solution to it though so I will be dosing the tank with the fluconazole to hopefully eliminate it completely. There are areas of the bryopsis in my tank that are clearly not as unhappy as the others.

 

[MartyF]

Well we're 6 days in on the treatment and things are definitely looking good. I can't get over how quickly this is going considering how hard Bryopsis is to get rid of.Another weird observation is that my tangs seem to be a little more interested in picking at or around the dying Bryopsis. These are the same tangs that have never wanted anything to do with it before.There are also still some dark green stalks in there that I'm not sure if it's Bryopsis or another type of hair algae but we'll see if they turn white in the next day or so as well.



Day 6 of treatment...

I am witnessing the same thing with my foxface. He has been in the tank since way before my Bryopsis outbreak and never once showed any interest in it. Now that it has weakened I have seen him pick and pull it off the rocks. I have not seen him actually eat it, but definitely pulling it off the rocks. Good boy!

 

[drawman]

That's great to hear so far! Great to hear that the tangs are going after it sounds a lot like the effects of H202. So you think 2 weeks will be a good point to determine total success?

 

[NCreefguy]

That's great to hear so far! Great to hear that the tangs are going after it sounds a lot like the effects of H202. So you think 2 weeks will be a good point to determine total success?

Yeah I think 2 weeks was about the longest that it had taken to clear someones tank. Judging by the looks of mine though,it won't be too many more days. (I hope)

 

[twilliard]

For some reason fish and inverts LOVES dying algae

 

[NCreefguy]

I'm a believer that there is not really a safe way to remove and then replace inhabitants without possibly reintroducing the bryopsis. (I also have nowhere to put them, so it isn't an option for me lol). It's definitely exciting, the mail can't bring it fast enough here.

My bryopsis is definitely already weakend significantly from Vibrant, my CUC is eating a lot of it. I don't think they are a total solution to it though so I will be dosing the tank with the fluconazole to hopefully eliminate it completely. There are areas of the bryopsis in my tank that are clearly not as unhappy as the others.

The Vibrant had done some damage to mine as well (mainly the fern/fan blades were curled)but it was definitely still growing.

.....But it's not growing any more.