Should I Use Fluconozole for GHA/Bry

[pandaparties]

So I have a ton of GHA and a little bryopsis. My corals are mostly doing great but a handful of my smaller ones have GHA growing around them and I can tell they don't like it - retracted polyps, loss of color etc. I try brushing it but they like that even less. I have probably a dozen urchins and they are doing a good job but still plenty left over especially on the back wall. The rock is glued down and I can't remove it to scrub and scrubbing in place only does so much good. I'm not sure if I should leave it because most my coral is happy and maybe get a few more urchins, let it run it's course. Or should I dose fluc and run carbon after trying to get rid of all of it (also nervous about huge nutrient spikes initially). Before it popped up my nitrates were consistently 5-10 and happy corals. Now I'm 0 everything even feeding frozen 3x a day with a pretty large bio load (about 50+ corals, a stingray, shark, a 12 inch naso, 12 inch vlamingi, bird wrasse, soldier fish).
I run an 11 hour light schedule with reefi duos and t5s, par up top ranges from 300 to 150 depending on the area. Calcium reactor with reborn media. Macro Algae Reactor that's getting out competed

Salt 1.025
Temp 78-79
dKh 8.5
Calc 470
Mag 1330
Nitrates 0
PO4 0.05
pH 8.1-8.3 every day (morning-evening)

 

[pandaparties]

I also run an 80w UV

 

[Macdaddynick1]

If it is bryopsis you should definitely use flucanizole. I’ve had insane infestation and it wiped it out in one treatment. Like magic. If it’s hair algae then tou have wrong urchins. You need to get yourself holloween urchins. They’re gonna clean it up in a day or two.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Oh yeah, and you definitely need a yellow tang or three if you can fit them in.

 

[pandaparties]

Oh yeah, and you definitely need a yellow tang or three if you can fit them in.

Too bad the tangs are like 250 a piece! I'll try out the Halloween urchin, part of the reason I went with tuxedo was for my stingray so he doesn't get poked. The bryopsis isnt wide spread, only seen it on a few frag plugs

 

[pandaparties]

If it is bryopsis you should definitely use flucanizole. I’ve had insane infestation and it wiped it out in one treatment. Like magic. If it’s hair algae then tou have wrong urchins. You need to get yourself holloween urchins. They’re gonna clean it up in a day or two.

Also does it need to be Halloween or will any pincushion do?

 

[nereefpat]

Does Fluconazole kill regular hair algae, or just Bryopsis?

I would take a razor blade and siphon to that back wall.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Too bad the tangs are like 250 a piece! I'll try out the Halloween urchin, part of the reason I went with tuxedo was for my stingray so he doesn't get poked. The bryopsis isnt wide spread, only seen it on a few frag plugs

Before flucanizole bryopsis almost made me quit. After discovering it, it’s a walk in the park. See if you can get scopas tangs then, then add a Kole tang. For the glass you can add turbo and a bunch of trochus. Basically you’re lacking clean up crew since your algae looks very easily accessible to fish and it’s intact. I’m not sure if your stingray is that clumsy that he’ll poke himself on an urchin. I would try one and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
PS - you will need to treat your bryopsis at some point, because if you get the CUC to take care of all GHA , bryopsis will blow up.

 

[pandaparties]

Before flucanizole bryopsis almost made me quit. After discovering it, it’s a walk in the park. See if you can get scopas tangs then, then add a Kole tang. For the glass you can add turbo and a bunch of trochus. Basically you’re lacking clean up crew since your algae looks very easily accessible to fish and it’s intact. I’m not sure if your stingray is that clumsy that he’ll poke himself on an urchin. I would try one and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
PS - you will need to treat your bryopsis at some point, because if you get the CUC to take care of all GHA , bryopsis will blow up.

I unfortunately don't have much of a CUC for a reason. With sharks and rays in my tank urchins are really the only safe options since they seem to avoid them. Any other inverts get eaten practically on the spot

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Also does it need to be Halloween or will any pincushion do?

I only had experience with holloween urchins, and they’re one of the most overlooked CUC members. I never had any meaningful success with tuxedo urchins tbh. They’re just not that great. I also know black urchins with long spine are good at eating algae but they can damage corals

 

[Macdaddynick1]

I unfortunately don't have much of a CUC for a reason. With sharks and rays in my tank urchins are really the only safe options since they seem to avoid them. Any other inverts get eaten practically on the spot

Ohhh. Then your only options are , tangs and large urchins.

 

[pandaparties]

Ohhh. Then your only options are , tangs and large urchins.

I'll get another tang or two and I'll try some pin cushions. My tuxedos are small and they leave them alone if that doesn't work I'll try fluc to get it under control and start carbon after

 

[dvgyfresh]

I would get a pencil urchin - they eat anything and that includes some soft corals unfortunately but I would worry about the Ray with long spine / tuxedo pencil urchin will do the job and nothing will get damaged by the spikes

 

[pandaparties]

I would get a pencil urchin - they eat anything and that includes some soft corals unfortunately but I would worry about the Ray with long spine / tuxedo pencil urchin will do the job and nothing will get damaged by the spikes

I've heard of them eating lps/acro as well which isn't worth it, I'd rather just have the gha

 

[Reefrats]

I've heard of them eating lps/acro as well which isn't worth it, I'd rather just have the gha

I had one eat a large feather duster.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

I would get a pencil urchin - they eat anything and that includes some soft corals unfortunately but I would worry about the Ray with long spine / tuxedo pencil urchin will do the job and nothing will get damaged by the spikes

Holloween urchins are best of both worlds, they now down GHA but never touch the corals.