Anti-bubble algae dip

[Sasha T]

I grabbed some "Fauna Marin Cili Dip" at the KW show from the Aquariums and More booth. Marketed as a gentle anti-bacterial+anti-algae dip. Despite having a couple emerald crabs I've been irritated by bubble algae growing in the denser growth pattern coral (primarily birdsnest and a couple acropora). So I bought it and tried it out on a birdsnest chunk that just can't get enough water flow to keep it from getting clogged up, and a gorgonian. 15ml of the dip plus 300 ml of tank water for 3 minutes with an airstone for agitation, and <48 hours later the bubbles are completely clear, and a couple have lost their "filling" entirely and look like deflated balloons. I imagine the membrane itself is just dead tissue at this point, waiting to be turned into a crab or snail snack.

Neither coral seems any worse for wear, and I'm curious to see how long it takes the bubbles to be fully removed.

 

[TORX]

Very nice thing to add to the market. I am sure it will be a staple product for people. I see that this is a dip...is there any 'in tank' directions or do you have to dip?

 

[Sasha T]

Very nice thing to add to the market. I am sure it will be a staple product for people. I see that this is a dip...is there any 'in tank' directions or do you have to dip?

I assume treating the entire system would be a bad idea because there is no mention of full tank treatments in the instructions. No mention of what it would do to crustaceans or more importantly your biological filter however given that it's anti-bacterial I imagine dosing the system would be a good way to start a tank crash.

Given that there is still no harm showing on the two coral I tested it on, I went through the tank and dipped a couple hammers/'spawn that had bubbles near their crowns, a torch that has just lost a head, and two more SPS and another gorgonian, so we'll see how those do.

It's too early to say anything else about the dip, even if I was in a position to do so I would still come far short of recommending this product, but what I've seen so far does make me optimistic.

There are two caveats to its use just on the label:
One, it has a VERY high recommended concentration; 330 ml to 1 L of tank water. That means at best you can squeeze out two sessions of dipping at the recommended strength from one 500 ml bottle which costs $37 w/o tax. So iow I am dipping at <1/20th of the recommended strength, but with this new round I also doubled the recommended times
Second is that it has a 3 month shelf life, so this isn't something that can sit on your shelf or in the fridge for too long before you need to buy it again.

 

[Sasha T]

2 week follow-up:

Admittedly, should have taken some "before" pictures. My birdsnest coral has had an ongoing, persistent issue with bubble algae growing inside it. After using Fauna Marin Cili Dip, I put the coral back in the tank and did nothing else to it, and have not been dosing the system. The coral is now spotless, no bubble algae.

Credit where it's due, I do have blue hermits and emeralds, but I've ALWAYS had them, as well as bubbles on the birdsnest. All the other coral I dipped (gorgonians, montipora setosa, hammers, torch) are also algae free. The torch coral, which had been retracted for a couple days, is now fully extended and healthy.

So, for what my opinion and limited experience is worth, I'll definitely be using it as my go-to for treating problematic algae on corals, as well as a general "wellness" dip, because I felt fairly certain that the torch coral was going to kick the bucket, but it's now open and happy.

 

[Winks]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Sasha T]

Bit more of a test: one of my poor goldenrod mini colonies, being throttled by bubble algae.
1,000 ml of tank water + 50 ml of Cili Dip for 5 minutes with an airstone
Plucked it out and took these two pictures. I'll edit in new pictures in 24 hr intervals. Did not take any algae off myself, put the coral in the exact same spot in the system (in my Member Tank Update post, it's the colony between the setosa and the pink birdsnest in the upper left)

24 Hours - Some of the bubbles have started to turn white on one side

48 Hours - More "white" bubbles, and some clusters fell off as I was taking it out. 3rd shot to show a cluster turning white

Final update after 96 hours. The coral is getting pissed a bit, likely from me moving it and I'm currently not dosing ANYTHING, so experiment over. As you can see, a LOT of the bubbles have deflated and fallen off on their own, but I can't resist cleaning it anymore.

Again, well below the recommended strength for the mix. This honestly exceeded my expectations.