Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!

Hi.

I have beyopsis problem for 3-4 months. Last 45 days I've raised Mg lelel from 1330 to 1750 using Tropic Marine Bio Magnesium powder but bryopsis is still here. Is this powder inappropriate for this job I guess?
 
chria said:
Hi.

I have beyopsis problem for 3-4 months. Last 45 days I've raised Mg lelel from 1330 to 1750 using Tropic Marine Bio Magnesium powder but bryopsis is still here. Is this powder inappropriate for this job I guess?
Click to expand...

many posts that's it's something in the TechM and other Mg supplements (exxcept maybe Brightwell) don't work against byropsis
 
Kent Tech M or Brightwell Magnesion-P. Try dosing as little as possible to see the effect on bryopsis.

If you use the powdered mixture to make your own aqueous solution, make sure you shake up the solution before dosing. It's my humble unscientific opinion that the black precipitate that collects at the bottom of the solution container may contain the magic bullet that kills bryopsis.
 
I used the Kent Tech M to raise my Mag from 1300 to 1600 over the course of two weeks. By the end of three weeks, my bryopsis was totally gone.

I had been battling this for over six months with other methods and lots of lights out periods.

While I have no scientific evidence, what I have read that it is a ingredient in the Kent formula that kills the byropsis. I had raised my Mag with the usual BRS additive I use and it did nothting, but the Kent Tech M did the trick.

Get the gallon size because it takes a good bit to move the needle. I was dosing 250 ml per day for 14 days.
 
It's back!!!

It's back!!!

well guess Tech M isn't the be all end all solution I was hoping for.

Started the Tech M in the beginning of April and brought the Mg up to a peak of 1800. Found within a couple of weeks pretty much all the bryopsis was gone but still keep the levels up for about 8 weeks. After the 8 week period allowed the Mg to drop to normal levels by a couple of 50g water changes.

Now here I am just about 2 months since my Mg came down, the bryopsis has just started to return throughout the display.
:mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2:
 
scionreefing said:
The bryopsis uses sediment it catches to grow. Get rid of the sediment build-up and bryopsis will die without it.

Raffle grabber
Click to expand...

BB tank, Dart on a CL, 2000gph to the sump through filter socks, siphon cr*p out from the dead spots during bi-weekly water changes, not much sediment but still bryopsis.
 
Detritus whatever the stuff is. I know someone who has done that and eventually gotten rid of it along with squirting the bryopsis with Kent tech-m.

Raffle grabber
 
Kent Tech M never worked for me dosing in-tank, I had to remove LR and pour magnesium directly onto it. That worked but it is coming back now a few months later and I cant remove LR again as I have a full SPS system. I've tried covering the bryopsis with kalkwasser which works but does not get to the roots.

Nitrates are undetectable and phosphates are 0.03, tested on Hanna meter.

If it gets anywhere near where it was before I'll have to shut the tank down but before that I'll try a rabbit fish. I laugh at people that stress about hair algae.
 
scionreefing said:
Detritus whatever the stuff is. I know someone who has done that and eventually gotten rid of it along with squirting the bryopsis with Kent tech-m.

Raffle grabber
Click to expand...
Yes, removal of detritus is key. If you look at your tank, the bryopsis (and other unwanted algae) tend to grow in placed of low flow, where detritus tends to accumulate.
 
wgibbons said:
Yes, removal of detritus is key. If you look at your tank, the bryopsis (and other unwanted algae) tend to grow in placed of low flow, where detritus tends to accumulate.
Click to expand...

where I first noticed the bryopsis returning was on a rock about 3' away in front of my return line (~2000gph from the Barracuda)
 
Im telling you this Mag does not work. The Bryopsis eventually builds up an immunity and will always come back. I am certain those who are reporting success have simple GHA and are mis-identifying it as bryopsis. Save yourself from the expense of buying giant jugs of Tech-M and getting frustrated. Just break it down and start over.
 
It took a week, but I just read the entire thread. I've started on Kent Tech M a couple of days ago, after loading up the tank with BRS MgCl to get it up to 1400.

My process: I started with dosing with BRS's MgCl. I hadn't gotten to page 7 or 8 of this thread (when it was determined that Kent's Tech M is what does the trick); when I got up to 1400, I ran a 20% water change and switched supplements, started dosing with Kent Tech M. After 200 ppm worth of Mg dosing, a clump of bryopsis that I target dosed is turning pale.

More details ahead -

Also: I suggest to anyone who comments on this thread that they read the entire thread first before posting.
 
skh said:
Bryopsis Thread Summary

Here's an attempt to summarize the findings in this thread for those who don't have time to read all 50+ pages. This is meant as a reference for those who are battling bryopsis and want a summary of what's been working for others. The main observation is that bryopsis can be effectively killed using magnesium supplementation with Kent Tech-M, Epsom salt, or certain other magnesium supplements. Many thanks to TWallace, jdieck, redfishsc, and everyone else for contributing so much to this thread. It's been a lifesaver for me and my tank.

Effective Ingredient

(1) Magnesium -- The thread started with TWallace's posting that elevated magnesium levels were effective in killing bryopsis. He noted his own success with using Kent Tech-M to elevate magnesium levels from NSW levels (~1300 ppm) to nearly 1700 ppm. However, subsequently many have questioned whether it is the magnesium that's responsible for killing the bryopsis. Several people chronicled attempts to dose magnesium through MagFlake (Magnesium Chloride/MgCl2), which did not result in the bryopsis dying, even at Mg levels in excess of 1800 ppm (however, at least a couple of people have reported success dosing magnesium with MgCl2). Rightly or wrongly, a clear majority of posters seem to believe that magnesium by itself is not getting results, but that Tech-M should be used in preference to other magnesium supplements. However, others have also noted success with Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulphate/MgSO4) and certain other commercial Mg supplements. Also note that Tech-M itself apparently is made using both MgCl2 and MgSO4.

(2) Tech-M "Secret Ingredient" -- Because more people have reported success dosing Kent Tech-M than other forms of magnesium, there's a theory that Tech-M contains some other herbicide that's responsible for killing bryopsis. Lots of speculation of what this might be. Kent claims that Tech-M contains only a mix of "pure grade" Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Sulphate, and RO/DI water (along with trace amounts of impurities such as copper). It's possible that Kent's source for "pure grade" MgCl2 and MgSO4 contains a key impurity that affects bryopsis.

(3) Copper -- Some believe that copper is the "secret" ingredient in Tech-M that's effective for bryopsis. Copper is a known herbicide and at least certain formulations of Tech-M are known to contain copper. However, it's unclear whether there's enough copper in Tech-M to work as a herbicide (Tech-M is believed to contain only trace amounts of copper as an impurity, although potentially in higher concentrations than NSW).

(4) Sulfate -- An alternative theory is that the sulfate in Tech-M and Epsom salt is what causes bryopsis to die. Several people have reported good results dosing Epsom salt instead of Tech-M.

Application Methods

(1) Slow Increase -- One method of using Tech-M/magnesium is to slowly raise the magnesium level (by less than 100 ppm per day) in the tank and then letting the tank "stew" by not doing any water changes for a period of weeks while the bryopsis dies off. Some people have reported apparent eradication after as little as two weeks. Others have reported needing longer periods.

(2) "Shock and Awe" -- Another method people have used is to dose Tech-M/magnesium to quickly increase magnesium levels (by ~100 ppm per day). Some think this is more effective than the slow increase at killing bryopsis. Even this method has been said to involve maintaining extended periods of elevated Mg levels (months).

(3) Basting -- Yet another method people have described is using a turkey baster or syringe to spot treat bryopsis with concentrated Tech-M, with circulation pumps off. The theory is that if Tech-M contains a herbicide other than Mg then basting the bryopsis avoids the need to waste Tech-M and unnecessarily elevate Mg levels.

(4) Long Term Daily Dosing -- Others have reported that it was necessary to dose smaller amounts of Tech-M (~1 ml/gallon) over a longer period of time. The theory behind this is that the herbicide in Tech-M/magnesium supplements lasts only a short period in the tank before it's organically bound and skimmed out and therefore needs to be replenished on a regular basis.

(5) Additional Treatment -- In addition to using Tech-M/magnesium, people have suggested that the magnesium treatment is more effective when (i) keeping elevated pH levels (>=8.5); (ii) exposing the bryopsis to intense light (based on observations that bryopsis in high light areas of the tank dies faster than elsewhere); (iii) NOT running carbon (on theory that it adsorbs active herbicide); (iv) manually removing bryopsis from the tank (both before, during, and after dosing); (v) using a turkey baster to blow out detritus collected within the clumps of bryopsis; (vi) elevating alkalinity (to > 9 dkH); (vii) overskimming/skimming wet; (viii) running a phosban reactor.

Adverse Effects

(1) Many people have reported that they observed no adverse effects at very elevated Mg levels (>2000 ppm). However, others have reported that using Tech-M had negative effects on various livestock, including snails, clams, zoanthids, leathers, anemones, euphyllia, and starfish.

(2) Several people have observed that if the Tech-M treatment results in a large amount of bryopsis dying it can result in the dead bryopsis releasing nutrients into the water, fueling other nuisance algae outbreaks.

Other Issues

(1) Permanence of Treatment -- One concern is whether the Tech-M/magnesium treatment can be used to permanently eradicate bryopsis. Many people have had the experience of seemingly eradicating bryopsis through Tech-M dosing, only to have it recur a few weeks or months later. Others have succeeded in completely eliminating it. Some suggest continuing to dose Tech-m at lower levels (25 ppm) for several months even after the bryopsis appears to be eradicated.

(2) IDing Bryopsis -- A recurring issue in this thread is that people misidentify other types of nuisance hair algae as bryopsis, leading to erroneous conclusions about whether a particular bryopsis treatment works. Also, there are many types of bryopsis and not all may be equally susceptible to treatment.

(3) Signs of Effective Treatment -- People who have had success in dosing Tech-M/magnesium have reported seeing the bryopsis losing color and turning clear, looking "ragged", and eventually falling off the rock or being easy to pull off manually.

(4) Hidden Bryopsis -- People have recommended looking in overflows and other dark places for residual bryopsis even when there's none apparent in the display tank. Apparently bryopsis can survive in these darker areas longer than in well-lit areas.

(5) Chemistry Calculator -- http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html
Click to expand...


great summary!
 
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