half-astronaut Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 I've got a rescue Duncan that has some good-sized red hair algae growing on it. I've been reading about a peroxide dip to treat it, but nothing specific to Duncans. I assume a weaker, 5-10:1 mix would be safer and less stressful. I'm curious if anyone has experience with this method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Is the algae the only issue with the duncan? If it was me, I'd get a small dish of H2o2 and use a toothbrush to get to the affected areas. Any dipping of an LPS I tend to keep to iodine/lugols or revive. Bayer if I don't trust the source. This is just my experience... Not sure if others differ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burningbaal Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 I think I dipped my duncan in Bayer and then revive. I just did that with a homie and favia (though only 5mL in 2 cups of water of bayer)I imagine peroxide would be fine, but can't say for sure.I would always finish with lugol's/iodine, or bayer as they seem to also help the coral, kinda like methylene blue for fishSent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 Hmmm... I would do what Micah suggests, just because its the lowest risk. As Burningbaal mentions, lugols is good for zoas and I imagine LPS too. For what its worth, just another opinion weighing in Good luck, let us know in a week or so... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
half-astronaut Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 I should clarify this is just for the hair algae, otherwise it's doing great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burningbaal Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 Ya, if I were going to try any coral dip, I'd follow it with an iodine/revive dip to help it recover, that's what I'm saying.Should help minimize any harm the peroxide does. Though I don't specifically know if peroxide does any harm, or potentially irreparable harm, to duncansSent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 For sure, I was getting that. So perhaps in summary... Physically remove as much off as you can with tweezers or similar, toothbrush the skeleton with peroxide, seems like a decent action plan with almost no risk to your healthy duncans. I have done this to zoas plenty of times (dip in peroxide) and it is miraculous. Getting to the source of the GHA is the long term challenge though. All the best 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 @stylaster fixed my GHA problem. I was feeding spirulina flake food to my fatty tangs. They loved it, but it was filling the tank with phosphates. I switched to only frozen foods and nori, nothing else goes in. These last two years it's Nori only, one sheet every day. Algae problems are a distant memory and the tangs are still fatties, which is how I like em Oddly enough all the non tangs are fat too, so maybe they are eating my coral? 😂 Sharing in the hopes it helps someone out there with similar probs... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
half-astronaut Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) I also though maybe the iodine dip first to build up a slime coat on the coral then that can react to the h2o2. Sounds like it doesn't take too long to kill the algae. Micah's spot treatment is probably the way I'll go, just use a micro pipette with full strength peroxide. Edited September 24, 2020 by half-astronaut 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 They say algae is the number one reason people leave the hobby, so its good to get after it. I found myself considering leaving due to it years ago. First issue was 'used' rock, it was loaded with phosphate. Second issue for me was wrong foods. Even if someone would have warned me I probably wouldn't have believed it. I sure do now! Coralline is the only bad algae now, and only when its on the tank walls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
half-astronaut Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 Well aside from a couple rescue corals I don't really have any algae issues, but I only have a pair of juvenile clownfish and a few inverts in a 70 gallon. I'm extra paranoid about feeding, but I did pull some dry rock out of storage to 'scape the tank. I'm not a huge fish guy anyway so I'm taking my time on that front. I'll have to get a mandarin soon, my copepod population is off the charts 🥰. I love watching those little guys. I'm also going to admit I never, I guess, properly cycled a tank-like, months in the dark, [language filter]? I always got live rock (usually from Fl or Haiti (dating myself, I know) and live sand and sweated through a brief flare up of cyano or diatoms or whatever. This time around I bought a stocked biocube (that was 🤢 and I had to ditch the sand and most of the rock) then had to move it to my current tank. This Duncan is one of those corals I found under a cyano mat in the biocube and the hair algae is tenacious. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
half-astronaut Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 Haha, language filter for w t f? THAT'S PRE-FILTERED. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.