Cataclysm with Algaefix

[antigonus]

 

I had a fully stocked Biocube 32, and have been dealing with hair algae sporadically, I repeatedly trimmed it back, but have never been able to fully vanquish it, try as I might. My Nitrates have been around 10-15, and phosphate 0.002, which did not really seem to fluctuate all that much. Previously, I had good success treating my Cyano Bacteria with chemi-clean, so I decided to use API Algaefix Marine which was adversitised as totally safe for all corals and invertebrates. I followed the directions to a T, and was in fact a little conservative with the amount I used in order to account for space taken up by rock and sand. Over night, more than half my corals, my feather duster and brittle star died, with the rest closed up. I have not detected a spike in ammonia or anything. 

I know chemicals are always iffy, but I really was not expecting something this disastrous even as a worst case scenario for something advertised the way it was, I lost 600$ in livestock and a year of hard work. Even the most of the bad Algaefix experiences I read about online did'nt seem to be this bad. 

I feel furious and like a total failure as a reefer, part of me wants to just give up, but I still have the fish and suriviving invertabrates which need my attention.

Has anyone had a similar experience? 

 

[mcarroll]

I haven't heard any horror stories personally, but I seriously doubt you're the only one.   Sorry about the state of things.  😬

[seabass]

If not overdosed, people don't usually see such a dramatic reaction to AlgaeFix (or Vibrant, which is the same thing).  However, it is a biocide which can kill lower life forms, like micro brittle stars, pods, etc.  It can really throw off the balance of your reef tank.  And the kicker is, it usually doesn't fully get rid of all of your algae.

[antigonus]

11 minutes ago, seabass said:

If not overdosed, people don't usually see such a dramatic reaction to AlgaeFix (or Vibrant, which is the same thing).  However, it is a biocide which can kill lower life forms, like micro brittle stars, pods, etc.  It can really throw off the balance of your reef tank.  And the kicker is, it usually doesn't fully get rid of all of your algae.

I really don't dose much, just calcium. I knew there was a risk, but I was expecting at worst some die back, not a nuclear bomb going off.