WSPepsilon
New member
That's awesome, good to hear.
Building my Dream: It's a Miracles!
- Thread starter jt48
- Start date
Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
Congrats on being a new fish father. How is the clam coming along?
jt48
Member
Thanks lol but the clam didnt make it. But to point out how great my lfs is, the owner who had not known that the crown conch that he sold me was not clam safe gave me an ora deresa.
jt48
Member
Here u go jt48
A while back I posted on a method for bryopsis algae control, that involved using Kent Marine's product Kent Tech-M. And in that post, I also told you that one of the exhibits in my care was a 900-gallon reef tank with a persistent bryopsis algae problem, and that I was about to use this method to eradicate the bryopsis algae from my tank.
And . . .
Drum roll please. . . . . . . . .
It worked!
Yes, it worked quite well. Before treating the tank with the magnesium supplement (Kent Tech-M), we did the following important steps to prepare:
PREPARATION STEPS
Step 1: performed two 35% water changes to help up the magnesium level to the normal 1,300ppm and to lower the phosphate level;
Step 2: Manually plucked/removed as much bryopsis as possible while the water level was down (during the water change). We did this during both water changes over a period of one week.
Step 3: stormed the tank with a powerhead on a stick to help get as much detritus out of the tank as possible. We have 4 filter socks in the sump that catch it quite efficiently;
Step 4: Replaced the Rowaphos media (a.k.a. ferric oxide) in our chemical filter (Precision Marine SR55P Professional Series Substrate Reactor), which helps to insult and stress out the bryopsis algae.
Step 5: Began dosing kalkwasser (saturated solution of calcium hydroxide and R.O. water), which precipitates out phosphates so that the protein skimmer can remove them. It also elevates the pH to 8.3-8.5, which helps inhibit the growth of unwanted algae such as bryopsis and hair algae. And kalkwasser also helps to elevate alkalinity, which also helps inhibit unwanted algae.
Step 6: Turned off the activated carbon filter. This is just a hunch, but since the active ingredient in Kent Marine's Tech-M magnesium supplement is not known (that which eradicates the bryopsis), I certainly didn't want the activated carbon to remove it. Originally, people felt it was the elevated magnesium level that was doing the work, but after multiple methods of raising the magnesium level produced inconsistent results, it was concluded that Kent Marine's Tech-M product worked the best because of some mystery active ingredient.
Now that the preparation steps were completed we were ready to begin dosing the Kent Tech-M (magnesium supplement). The main instructions are to make sure that you do not raise the magnesium level by more than 100ppm per day.
So I went ahead with dosing the tank to raise the magnesium level by 100ppm per day until the magnesium level was between 1600-1800ppm, and in one week the bryopsis dropped to less than 50% of what it was before dosing. And by two weeks, 99% of the bryopsis was gone from the display tank. I was quite pleasantly surprised.
Overall it took 2 weeks and the Bryopsis is now gone. It is my feeling that the aggressive manual plucking/removal was a critical step to insulting/stressing the bryopsis. And remember we did this just prior to changing out the Rowaphos media (lowered phosphates to zero) and the subsequent dosing of the magnesium supplement.
We will see what time will tell. I have heard of the bryopsis coming back after a successful treatment, so the constant vigilence will continue "“ as it always does with a truly successful saltwater aquarium.
Please comment and share your experience with hair algae or bryopsis and how you went about it and what happened.
jt48
Member
I have tons of organizing to do but i finally completed my latest project. Water from the DT now flows into the 125 gal sump with skimmer. This is drilled and water gravity feeds the 60 gal fuge containing small amount of live rock, sand and 30 pounds miracle mud. The fuge will contain the usual macroalgaes. I may throw in a pair of shrimp to hopefully breed. This fuge is drilled and gravity feeds a 40 breeder for volume alone. This 40 breeder is drilled and gravity feeds another 40 breeder with sand and live rock to be used as a holding tank if need arises. This 40 is drilled and gravity feeds a 55 gallon resevoir tank(less than half filled and provides sufficient volume for power out drainage. The 55 contains mag to return back to 125. The 125 contains 80 watt uv and gfo/carbon filtration. As of now i am happy with results and do not plan on adding anything else. Hope u like.
rottloverr
Member
Controller?
Controller?
I'm curious as to why you do not have some type of controller as part of your system.
Love the thread.
Controller?
I'm curious as to why you do not have some type of controller as part of your system.
Love the thread.
jt48
Member
A combination of lack of funds and lack of trust.
rottloverr
Member
Funds I totally understand. There are dozens of stories of controllers saving systems due to the notifications they can send you if something is going wrong. You should check'em out when you get a chance.
jt48
Member
Today, 12:18 PM
Completed a minor although difficult plumbing upgrade this weekend. When tank was originally set up i configured the return lines up and over the overflow box in case i needed to change the flow without breaking anymore overflow teeth. Its been over a year now and know that i want to keep the flow as it has been. I cut out 4 teeth and lowered the standpipe. Cutting the standpipe was not an easy task as i placed my union up too high and had to make a cut below it using a dremel cut off wheel. This upgrade is in prep of my next redo of screen cover.
Completed a minor although difficult plumbing upgrade this weekend. When tank was originally set up i configured the return lines up and over the overflow box in case i needed to change the flow without breaking anymore overflow teeth. Its been over a year now and know that i want to keep the flow as it has been. I cut out 4 teeth and lowered the standpipe. Cutting the standpipe was not an easy task as i placed my union up too high and had to make a cut below it using a dremel cut off wheel. This upgrade is in prep of my next redo of screen cover.
jt48
Member
Ive always had a fuge, this is just much larger. If anything, tank may have suffered i little due to all the distruptions.
jt48
Member
Nah, no mysids and actually many of my pod population died off in changing things over. Im confident the pods will return though.
