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-   -   Back to back fluconazole treatments (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2676508)

DiverDave32 05/19/2018 09:05 AM

Back to back fluconazole treatments
 
Hi,

After fighting hair algae for a couple of years decided to try treating with fluconazole. Within 2.5 weeks the results have been great but there still remains hair algae in areas with less flow and light. I really wan't to get rid of this for once and all and was wondering if I could dose again. I started the skimmer after 2 weeks and started my daily 3% water changes yesterday.

My current parameters are:

pH 8.15
Temp: 79.6
No3: 0 (It is interesting that my nitrate actually dropped when I started the treatment and stopped doing water changes. I was previously around 5ppm). My thoughts is that the hair algae was trapping detritus or smothering some of the beneficial bacteria on the rock.)
Po3: 0
Alk 127 PPM
Ca: 410 PPM
Mg 1320 PPM

Based on the above, I was thinking of waiting until week 3 and then stop the water changes once again and re-dose.

Any risks to this? Should I wait longer or do more water changes prior?

All fish and inverts seem unaffected but unfortunately lost a red star fish. My one asterina that I have had for about 1 year is doing fine. Corals are also doing fine.

BTW, I dosed 1 200mg tablet per 10 gallons

Thanks,

Dave

Sk8r 05/20/2018 08:09 AM

I've been watching this because I am also interested in an answer with experience and you seem to be on the edge of unexplored territory, so I thought I'd give you at least my best guess---and understand, it is only a guess.

If I had a truly bad situation, this is what I would do: first be absolutely sure your ro/di is up to snuff. A bad filter can be an ongoing issue, so be sure the water you're putting in is good. Then if that's a sure thing, and you want to re-dose, I'd do a 30% water change, and after a few days, do another 30%. Then re-dose, but watch everything closely for reactions, and have another 30% water change standing ready in case you don't like what you see.

Mind, this is only guesswork, trying to give you SOME sort of answer, based on being pretty sure you're clear of the first dose and being sure your water is good. Running a little carbon after dose #1 wouldn't be a bad idea either, then stopping it if you re-dose. Go carefully. My instructions say turn off your skimmer for 3 days. In the interest of removing crud, you might let that skimmer run for a few days before trying this again.

Maxi 05/20/2018 11:02 AM

I used that medicine to get rid of bryopsis. It worked and it hasn't come back for months.

I fought bryopsis for 2 years. 2 YEARS.

Make sure your filter socks are good, and remove as much as possible manually. I'd do a 30% water change before starting the treatment, and a 30% when the 2 weeks are up. Don't forget skimmer off for the first few days.

Increase your flow to those areas if you can.

Mrs. Music 05/20/2018 07:11 PM

My best improvements were seen after one month. I turned my skimmer on after a short amount of time, not sure I remember exactly when. no water changes. I had dinos a few months later. I should have been better about water quality I think. There is a thread around here somewhere about it.

sde1500 05/21/2018 08:47 AM

I'd say go for it. Same thing I am about to do. I stopped water changes for 3 weeks while I dosed, but kept the skimmer running. Dosed vinegar daily as well to make sure I managed the excess expected nutrients. About to finish setting up my daily water change system and since all my corals are looking fine but algae is still present, though much much less, I'm going to do a second dose in a week or so.

Sk8r 05/21/2018 10:27 AM

Well, I tried it---and they say turn on the skimmer after 3 days. If I do, even wide-open, it's going to froth really way too much, so I'm delaying the skimmer and changing the clogged filter sock. Tank is looking a lot better, and some of the hard-green-algae that was impossible to move without a razor blade is turning loose from the glass.

DiverDave32 05/21/2018 08:02 PM

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies! I am quite amazed at the results. It has been almost three weeks now and the algae has taken a beating.

So I'll up my water changes to about 3 per day so will have 30% change every 3 days and wait till next week-end to start the second dose. Skimmer is running and am changing filter socks every 2 to 3 days. I am very surprised that my nitrates and phosphates are unreadable now. I would have expected an increase.

I will also add carbon as was only running GFO. I am so happy to be getting on top of this. Nothing was seeming to work prior to this treatment. I wonder what the half life of Fluconazole in a reef system would be and what degradation products would be created. The only information I found was related to metabolism in humans (20-50h).

I have a some diatoms but nothing major.

I changed my filters and resin at the end of January and just tested my TDS and got a reading of 1 so think the RODI system is working well. Perhaps I'll do another change just to be certain. I'm willing to do almost anything to get this to work.

The only negative thing that I have noticed is that some of my mushrooms have shrank considerably once I started the skimmer. Others appear unaffected. Could very easily be coincidence though. My Zoas on the other hand are doing great.

I'll keep you posted with my progress. I also want to knock the algae out completely as I wonder if we do not do so whether the algae could build up resistance to Fluconazole.

ryeguyy84 05/22/2018 08:00 AM

I did a back to back fluconazole treatment and it worked great for a stubborn piece of turf algae and a bit of GHA.

I did the first dose then after (if I remember correctly) 21 days I did two water changes of 25% 2 days apart and then did the second treatment. cheato was fine, GHA was gone and the green turf algae turned white and I was able to manually pull it out.

go for it, just make sure to do a water change in between.

Fourstars 05/22/2018 12:29 PM

I did a full treatment and now run a maintenance dose of 2mg per gallon. I plan to keep this up for a couple of months. When I do my weekly 10% I add enough to keep levels to spec. Tank is looking better than ever.

xabo 05/22/2018 01:16 PM

"I had dinos a few months later. I should have been better about water quality I think. There is a thread around here somewhere about it."


Anyone use this to treat Dinos?

sde1500 05/22/2018 05:40 PM

Back to back fluconazole treatments
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by xabo (Post 25441836)
"I had dinos a few months later. I should have been better about water quality I think. There is a thread around here somewhere about it."


Anyone use this to treat Dinos?



Not that I am aware of. They aren’t a beast I’ve had tame, shockingly, but iirc hydrogen peroxide is a tool of choice for them.

We dose our tanks with the oddest stuff lol.

xabo 05/22/2018 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sde1500 (Post 25442031)
Not that I am aware of. They aren’t a beast I’ve had tame, shockingly, but iirc hydrogen peroxide is a tool of choice for them.

We dose our tanks with the oddest stuff lol.

The owner of a LFS in the area recommended it. My research turned up nothing on it.

DiverDave32 05/23/2018 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sde1500 (Post 25442031)
Not that I am aware of. They aren’t a beast I’ve had tame, shockingly, but iirc hydrogen peroxide is a tool of choice for them.

We dose our tanks with the oddest stuff lol.

I couldn't agree more. Vodka, side walk deicer, peroxide, lime water and probably much more that I haven't heard of... at least not yet. It's amazing that anything can live in our tanks.

Will update once I begin my second dose on Sunday.

DiverDave32 06/10/2018 07:56 PM

So finished two weeks of the second dose of Fluconazole. Most hair algae is gone but some remains. I will start my daily 3% water changes which will hopefully give the fluconazole time to finish off the remaining hair algae. Didn't want to wait much longer without water changes despite having no phosphate and 2 PPM nitrate. Will wait another week before using carbon again.

So fluconazole did a very good job but didn't eliminate it all. It is really one stubborn thing to get under control. Hope time will take care of the rest.

sde1500 06/11/2018 07:26 AM

Nice, I'd say still give it time and keep watching. It will continue to die back. I think I dosed about three weeks ago, two weeks in started auto water changes again and the bits of algae that are left continue to wither away.

EnderG60 06/11/2018 01:55 PM

Ive done the fluc treatment 3 times now. First one was 3 weeks and it didnt kill all the GHA, but it did kill all the bryopsis.

Second one I did for 5 weeks and it seemed to kill everything. Nope it was back in a few months.

Third time I did 6 weeks. Again though it was all gone because I didnt see any GHA for a week then stopped treatment.

4 months later everywhere I had byopsis its back, GHA is gone but I assume because the bryopsis is taking up whatever nutrients are there.

Not going to bother doing it again as its $50 each time and I dont like not having a UV or skimmer on for that long.

DiverDave32 09/25/2018 06:16 PM

Just a quick update. My hair algae did return but then has almost died out. I am now battling what I think are dinos. The fight continues.


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