sherb
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Pacific Northwest Reefers
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I've got two small pencil urchins that have developed a difficult case of hair algae on their spines. The algae has also appeared in a few other places on my rocks and it's no problem to keep those spots under control with a toothbrush, but it doesn't seem like a good idea to use manual removal directly on fragile urchins. Using peroxide on them also seems like a bad idea.
Some research indicates mixed results with fluconazole and/or Vibrant at removing hair algae generally from a tank, but I'd prefer not to use medications as a first resort. Any other suggestions? Just keep my nutrients down and wait it out?
Other info: Tank is just over two years old and has a wide range of fish and inverts and soft corals. Lighting is AB+ for twelve hours a day (100% for 10). Phosphate is 0.05, nitrate is 16.9 (Hanna kits).
Here's one of the urchins hanging out with his buddy:
A sample of the algae elsewhere in the tank:
Some research indicates mixed results with fluconazole and/or Vibrant at removing hair algae generally from a tank, but I'd prefer not to use medications as a first resort. Any other suggestions? Just keep my nutrients down and wait it out?
Other info: Tank is just over two years old and has a wide range of fish and inverts and soft corals. Lighting is AB+ for twelve hours a day (100% for 10). Phosphate is 0.05, nitrate is 16.9 (Hanna kits).
Here's one of the urchins hanging out with his buddy:
A sample of the algae elsewhere in the tank: