Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!
- Thread starter TWallace
- Start date
Questin
New member
I have used nothing but Tropic Marine Magnesium for near 5 months. I have kept my mag levels above 1800 this entire time and it did not get rid of my bryopsis. I have go up to and over 2100 at times as well.
My tank is mostly zoanthids and ricordia and all are doing fine. I also have clams that are not hurt by mag levels this high. I have lost fish over this period but I am not sure if the mag levels are to blame for this. I have also lost a few hermits and emerald crabs durning this, but it is unknown if the mag levels are the reason.
My bryopsis problem is not that bad, but there is a problem, so trying things out over a very long period was easy to do since it was not hurting my coral.
I am now allow the mag to lower to normal levels and then I will try out Tech M from Kent. But I think we can rule out Tropic Marine Magnesium as a cure to the bryopsis problem.
My tank is mostly zoanthids and ricordia and all are doing fine. I also have clams that are not hurt by mag levels this high. I have lost fish over this period but I am not sure if the mag levels are to blame for this. I have also lost a few hermits and emerald crabs durning this, but it is unknown if the mag levels are the reason.
My bryopsis problem is not that bad, but there is a problem, so trying things out over a very long period was easy to do since it was not hurting my coral.
I am now allow the mag to lower to normal levels and then I will try out Tech M from Kent. But I think we can rule out Tropic Marine Magnesium as a cure to the bryopsis problem.
tatore
New member
First off thank you TWallace, maybe you can't imagine how much useful for the reefers is your experience shared with all.
Since yesterday I'm reading your thread, cause I'm having the same problem with my new 66g.
Just to post some picture and check with you all if we are talking about my trouble.
Only one thing: the tank is really young (2 months), but I'm not sure is a phisiological behaviour the tons of algae (the same species) I'm watching growing up allover the tank.
Is this?
All my apologies for my english, I'm writing from Italy
Since yesterday I'm reading your thread, cause I'm having the same problem with my new 66g.
Just to post some picture and check with you all if we are talking about my trouble.
Only one thing: the tank is really young (2 months), but I'm not sure is a phisiological behaviour the tons of algae (the same species) I'm watching growing up allover the tank.
Is this?
All my apologies for my english, I'm writing from Italy
TWallace
New member
Tatore, some of the photos look like bryopsis, but I'd need better photos to be sure. Can you shut off your powerheads and try again? Or maybe use a faster shutter speed on your camera, if it's adjustable. Your second and third pic would benefit a lot from a faster shutter speed and/or turning off water flow.
I'm glad people have found this thread useful, but keep in mind it was not my idea to use Tech M to treat bryopsis. I got the idea from mojoreef on Reef Frontiers. I'd love to take the credit, but I only passed on useful info
.
I'm glad people have found this thread useful, but keep in mind it was not my idea to use Tech M to treat bryopsis. I got the idea from mojoreef on Reef Frontiers. I'd love to take the credit, but I only passed on useful info
.
MrSquid
New member
I wouldn't be afraid to do both. I zapped my bryopsis using the dosage indicated on the Tech-M bottle - and that dosage only increases by 12.5ppm/dose if I remember right.
I also had JUST dosed with the mag. chloride from jumpstarting 2-part on my tank, so my mag was pretty much in the 1400 range to begin with.
You'd have to dump in a crapload of Tech-M in at once along with your mag. chloride in order for th Tech-M to make a significant difference.
sooooo.... bryopsis needs nutrients to live.. i had a frag tank in basement that had no fish and noticed that all the bryopsis covered rocks that i had in there bean to melt and sllime away and now is completely bryopsis free, starving this crap is ideal, but how do you do it in a stocked tank, for one i am thinking that a butt load of cheato could compete as well as water changes and light feedings. I have tred the tech m and epsom etc, they all work but it seems that somewhere in the tank some remains and its enough to start the vicious cycle all over again. I found that this stuff likes to grow heavily in the overflows so dont forget to scrape back there. good luck, i hate this ****
jdieck
New member
I am of similar opinion. You can kill it but you also need to get rid of the underlying nutrient issue to prevent it comming back after you bring your Mg back to normal levels.
By the way if you want to prevent algae in the overflow keep the light away. Tape black film on the back of the overflow and use a piece of black acrylic to cover the top of the overflow. No more algae.
I'm not sure you can always starve out bryopsis. I started the tank with cooked rock and it didn't kill off the bryopsis. Once it went in the new tank (fishless at the time) the bryopsis came right back with a vengeance in no time.
Also, prior to this Mg trick, the preferred method for eradication was nutrient limitation. Most met with no success.
Also, prior to this Mg trick, the preferred method for eradication was nutrient limitation. Most met with no success.
montrealreef
Member
In my humble opinion, there is no "magic cure" for bryopsis. Keeping your tank bryopsis free requires a multifaceted approach. It is difficult to know which factors are the most important or most effective. This is what worked for me:
1) High Mg initially to weaken the bryopsis. Like many said before, this alone is not enough to keep your tank free of bryopsis on the long run . As soon as Mg starts to go down bryopsis is likely to return unless further measures are taken
2) Intense and varied herbivore pressure: mexican turbo snails, astrea snails, trochus snails tiger cowrie, diadema urchin, hundreds of hermit crabs, sally lightfoot crabs, emerald crabs, desjardini tang, kole tang, foxface, and rabbitfish
3) UV sterilization: theoretical effect on bryopsis spores. I'm not sure that this had any effect in my tank
4) manual removal to decrease the bryopsis load. You must do this with all the flow in the tank halted and make sure that no fragments get away, otherwise you will aid in its spread
5) High pH and high alkalinity. I switched from a calcium reactor to a kalkwasser reactor. The average ph in my tank went from 7.8 to 8.4. Since then, I have noticed a very marked increase in coral and coraline algae growth and a decrease in all forms of micro and macro algae.
6) Keep your bulbs new and switch out before the spectrum shifts to yellow. I believe that In my case old bulbs coupled with excess nutrients are the reasons that I got the bryopsis outbreak in the first place ( although that is difficult to prove, the outbreak seemed to coincide with the above)
6) effective nutrient export: strong efficient skimming, high flow : in my case this made a huge difference. I upgraded my skimmer to an ATI bubble master and my bryopsis never came back
Obviously there will be others that will disagree, but this protocol worked for me and my tank has been bryopsis free for 4 months now ( I hope I did not just jinx myself)
1) High Mg initially to weaken the bryopsis. Like many said before, this alone is not enough to keep your tank free of bryopsis on the long run . As soon as Mg starts to go down bryopsis is likely to return unless further measures are taken
2) Intense and varied herbivore pressure: mexican turbo snails, astrea snails, trochus snails tiger cowrie, diadema urchin, hundreds of hermit crabs, sally lightfoot crabs, emerald crabs, desjardini tang, kole tang, foxface, and rabbitfish
3) UV sterilization: theoretical effect on bryopsis spores. I'm not sure that this had any effect in my tank
4) manual removal to decrease the bryopsis load. You must do this with all the flow in the tank halted and make sure that no fragments get away, otherwise you will aid in its spread
5) High pH and high alkalinity. I switched from a calcium reactor to a kalkwasser reactor. The average ph in my tank went from 7.8 to 8.4. Since then, I have noticed a very marked increase in coral and coraline algae growth and a decrease in all forms of micro and macro algae.
6) Keep your bulbs new and switch out before the spectrum shifts to yellow. I believe that In my case old bulbs coupled with excess nutrients are the reasons that I got the bryopsis outbreak in the first place ( although that is difficult to prove, the outbreak seemed to coincide with the above)
6) effective nutrient export: strong efficient skimming, high flow : in my case this made a huge difference. I upgraded my skimmer to an ATI bubble master and my bryopsis never came back
Obviously there will be others that will disagree, but this protocol worked for me and my tank has been bryopsis free for 4 months now ( I hope I did not just jinx myself)
new 29 gallons Biocube
new 29 gallons Biocube
Hi,
I set up a 29 gallons biocube about 2 weeks ago. the tank parameters are all fine. The water used is RO/DI water. I did not test phosphates yet, but I am going to buy a test kit today. I have a few hermits since a few days as well as 2 astreas and 4 ceriths.
Yesterday, I took a picture of some green stuff which appeared in the tank about a week ago.
Here is the picture (I will take a better close up this week end).
From today I am going to light only 6 hours a day. I performed yesterday a thorough cleaning of the tank's sand, the sides and I trimmed as much as the briopsis as I could. I changed as well about 15% of the water although Nitrates were at 5.
Now, here is my question:
Keeping in my mind that my tank is very new and that I have almost no live stock in it (I could even pull out the hermits and snails if necessary) is there any solution to shock my tank (please no chemical algae control potion) and get the rid of the Briopsis?
I was thinking maybe at stopping lighting, increasing the salinity, PH, Mag, Calcium, all of them?
I have seen while reading a few long long threads on the net what a nightmare this algae can be and I am not sure I want to take the risk to start my tank with this in it.
Thanks for your help!
new 29 gallons Biocube
Hi,
I set up a 29 gallons biocube about 2 weeks ago. the tank parameters are all fine. The water used is RO/DI water. I did not test phosphates yet, but I am going to buy a test kit today. I have a few hermits since a few days as well as 2 astreas and 4 ceriths.
Yesterday, I took a picture of some green stuff which appeared in the tank about a week ago.
Here is the picture (I will take a better close up this week end).
From today I am going to light only 6 hours a day. I performed yesterday a thorough cleaning of the tank's sand, the sides and I trimmed as much as the briopsis as I could. I changed as well about 15% of the water although Nitrates were at 5.
Now, here is my question:
Keeping in my mind that my tank is very new and that I have almost no live stock in it (I could even pull out the hermits and snails if necessary) is there any solution to shock my tank (please no chemical algae control potion) and get the rid of the Briopsis?
I was thinking maybe at stopping lighting, increasing the salinity, PH, Mag, Calcium, all of them?
I have seen while reading a few long long threads on the net what a nightmare this algae can be and I am not sure I want to take the risk to start my tank with this in it.
Thanks for your help!
TWallace
New member
Re: new 29 gallons Biocube
Re: new 29 gallons Biocube
Does indeed look like bryopsis if I look closely. It's a bit blurry, small and possibly too low of a shutter speed with current on in the tank, but I still think it looks like bryopsis.
Someone started a thread somewhere detailing success with raising magnesium using Kent's Tech M to kill bryopsis.
Re: new 29 gallons Biocube
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12243260#post12243260 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by multiac
Here is the picture (I will take a better close up this week end).
Does indeed look like bryopsis if I look closely. It's a bit blurry, small and possibly too low of a shutter speed with current on in the tank, but I still think it looks like bryopsis.
Someone started a thread somewhere detailing success with raising magnesium using Kent's Tech M to kill bryopsis.
Last edited:
Re: Re: new 29 gallons Biocube
Re: Re: new 29 gallons Biocube
the picture quality is not high enough. I will use a better camera this week end and post again. There is a better picture (higher res on Nanoreef.com in the Identification forum, title is "green algae").
Concerning the thread about mag killing Briopsis, well it is actually this thread. I just thought that as the tank has no LS something more drastic could have been done. It is still cycling...
I started to reduce lights, trim, clean, change the water. I bought this morning a Phosphate test which showed 0, so I think I am going in the right direction, but my goal would be to kill it completely so I will definitely try the Mag out.
Thanks
Re: Re: new 29 gallons Biocube
the picture quality is not high enough. I will use a better camera this week end and post again. There is a better picture (higher res on Nanoreef.com in the Identification forum, title is "green algae").
Concerning the thread about mag killing Briopsis, well it is actually this thread. I just thought that as the tank has no LS something more drastic could have been done. It is still cycling...
I started to reduce lights, trim, clean, change the water. I bought this morning a Phosphate test which showed 0, so I think I am going in the right direction, but my goal would be to kill it completely so I will definitely try the Mag out.
Thanks
tatore
New member
I had a great nice experience reading the *entire* thread, that I've hilighted in an italian reef forum, following the TWallace's suggestions and plans.
See my tank above, it's now totally different, using the Mg as suggested here, and I can't say that Bryopsis disappeared totally...it's too soon, but nothing like in the pictures I've posted.
Now it's brown, easily skimmed, and if one follows in additions this:
you can be sure that you'll have some issue to see Bryopsis turning back.
To read this topic entirely it isn't that bad, believe me :thumbsup:
See my tank above, it's now totally different, using the Mg as suggested here, and I can't say that Bryopsis disappeared totally...it's too soon, but nothing like in the pictures I've posted.
Now it's brown, easily skimmed, and if one follows in additions this:
you can be sure that you'll have some issue to see Bryopsis turning back.
To read this topic entirely it isn't that bad, believe me :thumbsup:
