Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!

[Morn]

As my last post says, the copper element of this is merely in the form of trace containments. I doubt that the copper level could creap to a fatal level using this product.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12071930#post12071930 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TWallace
Mike, I think you're making too big a deal of the copper listed in the ingredients. If there was any significant amount of copper in it, there'd be a lot more people on this thread mentioning dead inverts (not just snails).

I myself only had trouble with snails and Tech M when I boosted the level in my QT very quickly (like several hundred ppm in a few minutes). I forgot that I had a couple of astreas in there and saw them struggling. They were falling off the glass/rocks and were clearly not happy. I tossed them into my refugium of my main system (no acclimation) and they immediately recovered and are doing fine now. The reason I boosted it quickly is that I had just purchased a goniopora with some bryopsis on it and didn't want to add it to my main tank until it had been subjected to Tech M for a week.

At the same time, I had 2 scarlet hermits in the QT and they didn't mind at all the quick change from Tech M. If it was copper that caused the adverse reaction in the snails, it would surely have affected the hermits as well.

I never had anything die after dosing Tech M in my main system, just some softies lose their color temporarily. I kept my main system at around 1650ppm to treat bryopsis for a couple of months, boosted solely with Tech M.

Most probably the issue was Ammonia. Ammonia in different amounts is the most common contaminant in Magnesium Chloride regardless of the purity of raw material as the majority of the product seems to be manufactured by the Solvay process.
This is the main reason I do not recommend increasing your magnesium more than 100 ppm per day, this gives time for the bacteria in the tank to process the traces of ammonia that may come with it.

 

[discocarp]

Tried this method. Seems like total success. Amazing. We'll see if it holds when I lower Mg back down eventually, but wonderful cure for this scourge.

290g total water volume
Initial Mg (1290 - salifert)
End Mg (1650 - salifert)
Using Kent Tech-M

Appears to be total eradication. Sailfin Tang had even been eating it (not until it started to "white" out at the tips - he wouldn't touch it before). I did have to get it up over 1600 before it seemed to work, but then it was RAPID destruction. I'm sure the tang helped quite a bit.

And it was definitely bryopsis.

 

[MrSquid]

discocarp - funny you say your sailfin ate it once it whited at the tips. Same here with my blue tang and my banded sleeper goby. I ran out of Tech M - getting more on Saturday. One side of my tank has it fading away pretty good - the other side of the tank is less noticable, but definitely fading. My mag is around 1400 right now.

 

[discocarp]

It definitely seemed to take longer to impact different stands of the algae. I noticed the same thing. But once it started, I didn't need to add more. It just snowballed.

 

[Mikeyjer]

I guess I'm just real iffy about copper....lol.....It has to do with when I first started with the hobby years ago.....I was told to treat fish sickness with Copper and we lost everything because of the Copper treatment. Never again! I received a e-mail from Kent and I do have to agree with what he was saying. I think it had to do with the proportionate that was being pour into the tank. But I was doing at 100ppm per day and I do believe I was pushing the limits by doing so. Different tanks reacts differently, mine just went for the worse and it made the tank so toxic for snails, even after numerous water changes, I was still not able to keep snails alive until recently. It took me about 4 months or so with many many water changes.

I do have one question though if anyone notices this, I've been treating with AlgaeFix and when bryopsis grow back, it does not have the feather like part, just the stems. I just fine it strange....It also keeps them growing at a very slow pace thank goodness......

 

[monkerz]

Any ideas?

[/B]

Hair algae IMO . The strands are single, straight and long. Bryopsis has a long steam like your picture, but it has many spurs coming out of it .

 

[Mikeyjer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12101300#post12101300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by monkerz
Hair algae IMO . The strands are single, straight and long. Bryopsis has a long steam like your picture, but it has many spurs coming out of it .

Actually, that's what mine looks like when it starts to grow back, then it gets the feathery look. Are they soft or hard???

 

[pondy]

Thats what mine look like as well. Hope you get a hold of it rightnow or you are going to have months of frustration. Like I have. I was stupid and tried to spot treat and burned some of my corals. So just an FYI

 

[Morn]

I have been pulling it out by hand, here is a picture of the stuff in the air:

So we are saying that this is Bryopsis then?

 

[neuterdude]

Hello
I have my reef tank set up for about 3 months now and suddenly I have been having trouble controlling the Byropsis and was happy to find this discussion thread, and I have been reading the posts. I have seen most have tried the Kent-M or made a mixture (2 or 3 parts). My local store has the Aquavitro products and have been wondering if anyone else has tried the Aquavitro Ions?
I have been performing water changes while trimming the byropsis and no "algae" eating critter seems to eat it for any length of time. My emerald crab would eat the "trimmed" areas but after his molt he started to eat the Duncan (whisker) coral and two of the feather dusters we have.

Thanks
N.D.

 

[salty joe]

Hey N.D.- I'm glad I saw your occupation. I was starting to think you did not have a pair.

Joe

 

[discocarp]

neuterdude - it seems like almost everyone that was successful has tried Kent Tech-M. I went this route despite normally using a different brand of Mg supplement (Ocean's Blend). I would suggest you go with the Kent Tech-M as well.

 

[Morn]

I have formally confirmed that I do indeed have a Bryopsis problem as a stand has taken on the characteristic form with the feathery profile.

Will be raising the Mg as of today.

Wish me luck.

 

[montrealreef]

good luck morn!!!


the best advice i can give you is to go slow ( raise Mg by no more than 50 to 75 per day) and be patient. most people had no problem with high Mg, but a few people lost some corals (mainly LPS) and inverts. There seems to be no way to predict how your animals will react to the higher Mg till you try it in your system. Going slow would add a safety margin, IMHO.


Sam

 

[MrSquid]

I'm one of the lucky ones - Tech M has pretty much wiped my tank clean of bryopsis. I went through the "small" bottle in several days and already saw a difference by the time that bottle was gone. Last weekend I picked up a 128oz jug and have been adding now since this past Saturday. I see a few stalks in the tank, but nothing major. Gonna go light with it the next couple of days and then just drop back to adding it once a month or so.

 

[MrSquid]

Morn - I had algae that looked like this. I added a starry blenny and a banded sleeper goby completely cleaned my tank of it in less than a week. No sign of it - if it has tried to grow back, they keep it so it's not even visible.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12049696#post12049696 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Morn
This thread has blown my mind, I am well up for trying this but I need some help in identifying if I actually have the dreaded weed or whether its simply a hair algae of some kind.

These pictures have caused a complex debate on another forum but I would like to get your opinion whether its Bryopsis or not.

Any ideas?

 

[disaster999]

been treating my tank with Tech M and im safe to say my bryopsis problem has finally ended. almost a month since treatment and seems like they are pretty much dead.

 

[bogg]

Forgive me I have yet to read the whole thread but will this high mag. cure not work with the two part mag. chloride and mag. sulfate?.

 

[seapug]

Different people have had different results, but the most common factor in success with this method seems to be Mag. chloride.

BTW, the algae in the pic above is not the typical bryopsis people have been using this method on. It may work with the stuff above, but it's not the feathery stuff that people usually have problems with.