Im reading some mixed reviews about if fluconazole works on GHA
Good catch in the reading!!!
However, the question should not be if it works. It works.
All green algae seem to make their cell walls using ergosterol (like cholesterol), which is suppressed by the fluconazole
if used properly. That suppression means once those algal cells that are already in existence die naturally or are damaged enough to die, they cannot divide or repair. RIP.
Unfortunately very little is apparently known about effective treatment times or quantities...but even less is known about side effects that have been seen on coral and macro algae.
That is why there is a pretty high rate of need for 2nd, 3rd, etc retreatments as well as the other more harmful side effects as you read about occasionally. None of the major threads I've seen do anything to address or account for these situations, so you really have to do your own research and experimentation on if/how to use this safely.
It's worth remembering that every algae can be beat by natural methods...and hair algae isn't generally one of the harder ones to beat.
Most of the good feelings surrounding use of this medication is because people are assuming (based on what?) that nothing but algae uses ergosterol.
Clearly there is a tolerance level for the med by non-target organisms, but more than that cannot really be said IMO. The value of reef fungi is totally assumed to be absolutely nothing to the reef or other reef organisms since they ARE a target organism.
I don't personally feel comfortable with assumptions like that even with the apparent rate of positive results. The number of long term tanks that have been through this is almost zero in statistical number.
So that should be the question IMO....what side effects did people have during treatment (including everything) and were they able to deduce the cause of the side-effect(s)?
(I am always curious to find out if the initial cause of the algae growth was identified as well.
)
