I will chime in with my results from using the kent magnesium.I had a 75 gallon setup at the time of the out break,and my mag level was 1400pm and I raised the level 100 ppm by adding 16 oz. of kent magnesium to my tank.the bryopsis was white within 24 hrs and gone in 3 days.I did have some bleaching of some corals and my bubble tip anenome.after several water changes the color returned over several months,but there are a few zoas that just dont seem the same as before the dosing,they are opening and growing,just the color hasnt completely come back,but 90% of all corals that were effected bounced back within a few months.and its been atleast 6 months now since my ordeal with bryopsis.if it ever shows up in my tank again I will treat it with kent mag again,but this time I will remove the corals that I know will be effected.
Bryopsis Pennata
- Thread starter konrakva
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MarlinHooker
Member
my tank is on a chiller so the temp doesn't vary and besides running GFO & a fuge w/chelto I vacuum my sandbed every week during my PWC but don't ever see much detritus. I only blow it off the rocks once in a while and change the 200 micro filter socks on the inputs to my sump once a week. Apparently this is not enough however ...
I have some bryopsis growing in the center of a bunch of zoas... strands comingout all around the zoas. I think it came in on the corals, just one or two strands. there's more now. I keep pulling them, but, they just keep growing. I noticed in the fuge section of my sump (basement sump), that around where the chaeto is, is a huge clump of Briopsis growing close together. Will it act like a nutrient export in the sump? Do I let it grow? I keep my house around 67 degrees and my tank fluctuates between 76 and 78 with 2 x 300 watt heaters controlled by an apex.
My salinity is just at or a little over 1.026. (Calibrated refrac to 1.026 calibration fluid).
Curious, do I foster it's growth in the sump to promote the nutrient export. (If there's way more in the sump than in the display. a 3" inch bunch of it vs. a 1/2" Bunch of it. Will the chaeto and briopsis outgrow and kill what's in the display? Or will it go sexual and just eventually take over if I don't deal with it in the sump?
My salinity is just at or a little over 1.026. (Calibrated refrac to 1.026 calibration fluid).
Curious, do I foster it's growth in the sump to promote the nutrient export. (If there's way more in the sump than in the display. a 3" inch bunch of it vs. a 1/2" Bunch of it. Will the chaeto and briopsis outgrow and kill what's in the display? Or will it go sexual and just eventually take over if I don't deal with it in the sump?
I believe there are multiple types of Bryopsis as I have two different types in my tank and they respond differently. I also encountered some resistance to the "Tech M impurity" as it worked very well initially but lost it's potency with regrowth of the algae. For me, Bryopsis is extremely hard to get rid of, I've settled on just living with it and keeping it controlled. I spent a great deal of money trying various ways to eradicate it, but in the end it's still with me. It shows up periodically in a small area and I just cover it up with epoxy cement, done. 
if it's a small area I'd epoxy over it as it can and will spread to your DT
Yeah, I used the Kent Marine/claw hammer approach when I found some patches in my 75 soon after I set up the tank. The Kent Marine seemed to stop the growth and made it look unhealthy, but it definitely did not make it disappear. I pulled the affected rocks, dripped Hydro peroxide on the stuff and let it soak in a bucket spiked with hydro perox overnight. Could not see any effect. I then took the rock outside, knocked off the affected areas with a claw hammer, and no more bryopsis. But I will definitely try the cover with epoxy and or kalk paste if it ever comes back so thanks for the tips.
To not let it grow in the sump as a way of consuming nutrients
It will spread from sump to tank to tank so I would not let it grow anywhere in the system if I could help it..
my tank is on a chiller so the temp doesn't vary and besides running GFO & a fuge w/chelto I vacuum my sandbed every week during my PWC but don't ever see much detritus. I only blow it off the rocks once in a while and change the 200 micro filter socks on the inputs to my sump once a week. Apparently this is not enough however ...
It is hard to eradicate once you get it in the tank. Persistent removal along with keeping detritus to a minimum and PO4 and NO3 low should get it over time but unlike many other green algae it doesn't seem to need much PO4 at all and nothing we can keep eats it as far as I know.Elysia crispata will prey on it but these little lettuce slugs don't survive for very long in an active aqauirum,unfortunately.
There are many many species;it is unlikely all would respond to the same treatments in the same way. Bryopsis is a genus of algae with 55 known spieces
It will spread from sump to tank to tank so I would not let it grow anywhere in the system if I could help it..
my tank is on a chiller so the temp doesn't vary and besides running GFO & a fuge w/chelto I vacuum my sandbed every week during my PWC but don't ever see much detritus. I only blow it off the rocks once in a while and change the 200 micro filter socks on the inputs to my sump once a week. Apparently this is not enough however ...
It is hard to eradicate once you get it in the tank. Persistent removal along with keeping detritus to a minimum and PO4 and NO3 low should get it over time but unlike many other green algae it doesn't seem to need much PO4 at all and nothing we can keep eats it as far as I know.Elysia crispata will prey on it but these little lettuce slugs don't survive for very long in an active aqauirum,unfortunately.
There are many many species;it is unlikely all would respond to the same treatments in the same way. Bryopsis is a genus of algae with 55 known spieces
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stephenhall1987
New member
I just wanted to share my experience. I had an outbreak of bryopsis (don't know what species) in 3 separate tanks at once. Tank #1 had higher nitrates and phosphates, and tank #2 had very low nitrates and phosphates (almost zero). I dosed (poured) tech m each day for 2 or 3 weeks and it died off and disappeared. I have quit dosing and still no bryopsis.
Tank #3 however is just a coral frag tank. 0 nitrates, 0.01 phosphates (tropic marin test kit). Dosed tech m, didn't do a thing. Still growing like mad. Has a chiller with constant temp. I keep the Salinity in all 3 tanks at about 1.022. I have to manually remove it...
Tank #3 however is just a coral frag tank. 0 nitrates, 0.01 phosphates (tropic marin test kit). Dosed tech m, didn't do a thing. Still growing like mad. Has a chiller with constant temp. I keep the Salinity in all 3 tanks at about 1.022. I have to manually remove it...
stephenhall1987
New member
Doing weekly water changes, it didn't seem to affect the Salinity noticeably.
higorc
Higor
Not sure what kind of Bryopsis I have, but nothing I have done has even slowed it down. It has pretty much taken over my tank (just started a thread today to vent my aggravation- http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2357884) and I have come to the conclusion it's a losing battle.
I have decided to tear the tank down, kill all the LR, quarantine and treat corals... it will be a pain, but I don't see any other solution. Never again will I introduce LR to my tanks... this is how it all started! Only dry from now on...
Higor
I have decided to tear the tank down, kill all the LR, quarantine and treat corals... it will be a pain, but I don't see any other solution. Never again will I introduce LR to my tanks... this is how it all started! Only dry from now on...
Higor
MarlinHooker
Member
Did you try the Kalk paste method?
dkeller_nc
New member
Problem is, never using LR isn't going to help. If you purchase aquacultured or maricultured corals, introducing bryopsis to the tank again is highly likely, regardless of what rock you start with.
higorc
Higor
Agreed. Unless u quarantine and/or treat incoming corals.
MarlinHooker
Member
yep, I started my tank 1 1/2 yrs ago with no live rock and now I have some ...
higorc
Higor
Since my first Reef tank in 2007, I never had an issue with Bryopsis. I remember 6-7 months ago seeing a couple of little patches on some new live rock I put in my new tank along with the other live rock I transferred from my previous 72G (which I had for over a year with no signs of any Bryopsis) and thinking; "Look at that, the new rock has a little hair algae". Didn't think much of it since hair algae is ease to take care of...
Boy did I ID the algae wrong! By the time I realized that it wasn't going away and that none of my clean up crew was touching it, it was too late...
I guess there is a first time for everything.
Boy did I ID the algae wrong! By the time I realized that it wasn't going away and that none of my clean up crew was touching it, it was too late...
I guess there is a first time for everything.
I'd probably try manual removal, cleaning detritus and slowly slowly(no more than .001per day) elevating the sg to 1.0275 or so and keeping it there for a week or two before taking a tank down. .The sg idea offered by the OP may have some merit for some species that seem to prefer lower sg nuritient rich waters but there isn't much history with it in reef tanks. I run my aquariums at 1.026 +/-.001,occassionaly if it gradually slips close to 1.028 it won't hurt anything ,ime.
dkeller_nc
New member
Tom - This is definitely an intriguing idea (higher salinity causing issues with Bryopsis).
I've got this stuff in both my 20 gal nano and 50 gal display tanks, and nitrates are undetectable in both, and since I've been battling it, I've kept phosphate to below 0.03 ppm in both by frequently changing out GFO.
In the 50 gal, growth of this stuff is very difficult to control. I'm going to have to dissassemble the 50 gal almost completely today to scrub it off of the rocks, coral and clams and zap it with H2O2. And this is the second time in less than 6 weeks.
In the 20 gal, I didn't have an ATO until about a week or so ago. I kept up with evap with kalk drip jugs and a level mark on the sump. But since the drip jug would occasionally plug with kalk, the specific gravity in this tank could get as high as 1.028 before I caught it and slowly started adjusting it back down.
And in this tank, the Bryopsis doesn't go away, but it also doesn't grow very much either. To the point where removing it can be done occasionally and if I feel like it.
I've got this stuff in both my 20 gal nano and 50 gal display tanks, and nitrates are undetectable in both, and since I've been battling it, I've kept phosphate to below 0.03 ppm in both by frequently changing out GFO.
In the 50 gal, growth of this stuff is very difficult to control. I'm going to have to dissassemble the 50 gal almost completely today to scrub it off of the rocks, coral and clams and zap it with H2O2. And this is the second time in less than 6 weeks.
In the 20 gal, I didn't have an ATO until about a week or so ago. I kept up with evap with kalk drip jugs and a level mark on the sump. But since the drip jug would occasionally plug with kalk, the specific gravity in this tank could get as high as 1.028 before I caught it and slowly started adjusting it back down.
And in this tank, the Bryopsis doesn't go away, but it also doesn't grow very much either. To the point where removing it can be done occasionally and if I feel like it.
I've tried hydrogen peroxide on some fags and rocks in the past , the bryopsis comes right back. Red turf algae and other rhodphyta don't for a long while after out of tank peroxide treatments. I have a little patch of it her and there from time to time.
Bryopsis doesn't seem to be as sensitive to PO4 limitation as other green nuisance algae either. It does use some PO4 so at some level a lack of it would effect it but might effect other desireable organisms at extremely low to zero levels too. Not sure NO3 matters very much either; mine is usually undetectable to 0.2ppm.
Thanks for sharing the anecdote abut your 20 gal.
Perhaps some bryopsis species given their natural locations and biology have a more limited ability to manage homeostasis in higher sg than other isotonic organisms.Can't say so with any degree of certainty but if true it could explain some of the anecdotes tied to heavy magnesium dosing since it also raises the sg.
Bryopsis doesn't seem to be as sensitive to PO4 limitation as other green nuisance algae either. It does use some PO4 so at some level a lack of it would effect it but might effect other desireable organisms at extremely low to zero levels too. Not sure NO3 matters very much either; mine is usually undetectable to 0.2ppm.
Thanks for sharing the anecdote abut your 20 gal.
Perhaps some bryopsis species given their natural locations and biology have a more limited ability to manage homeostasis in higher sg than other isotonic organisms.Can't say so with any degree of certainty but if true it could explain some of the anecdotes tied to heavy magnesium dosing since it also raises the sg.
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