Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!

[jbird69]

The first time I did it, I raised my mg from 1300 to 1550 using only techM. My bryopsis turned to ash. I should have sat on that mg level a bit longer in retrospect but unlike most people here, my corals were stressing. My caps, digis, porites, hammers and frogspawns all started bleaching. So I did some water changes and got thing sback in order. The second round with bryopsis was really minor. You couldve fit all my bryopsis on the face of a playing card, but I decided to see what would happen if I elevated my mg with the BRS product. I got it up to 1550 with BRS magnesium with no visible improvement. I then took it up to 1700 with Techm. The bryopsis seemed to shrink a bit but did not turn to "ash". My corals suffered the same as the first time so I gave up and water changed back down to "normal" levels. Not sure why my corals responded negatively and it may have been some coincidental event. But it does make me nervous about doing it again.

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

mag test kit

mag test kit

TWALLACE what Magnesium Test Kit are you using may I ask?

Thanks for the info

Tim


:thumbsup:

 

[steks]

Thanks for the post, Steks. Fairly clear evidence that the effect is an impurity in Tech M.

For me it is without a doubt an impurity, what sort of impurirty would be most obvious?

 

[redfishsc]

Randy's vastly more qualified to answer this, but the posts I've read on this were all suspecting one of the heavy metals that's present in Tech M.

Kent used to list all those impurities in their label as if they were included intentionally (they no longer list them) but Tech M has a small amount of copper.


Copper is sometimes used to kill algae (at least it used to be) in farm ponds and lakes.


Perhaps bryopsis has an extreme sensitivity to copper that is well below the toxicity level for coral and other inverts.

Other speculation that has a lot of merit is that two or more compounds are working synergistically. How, and what, and how much.... is a HUGE question mark.

 

[jennmac415]

well, after keeping my MG level for quite awhile, I let it fall naturally... actually I have not tested it in a few weeks....but guess what??? YEP, the %&^** crap is coming back!!! Can't we find out what the heck it is in the Tech M that is killing this stuff??? I had excellant luck with it last time, the bryopsis simply disappeared...but, my gosh, I went through over a gallon of it....is there a consensus that it is OK to raise the MG again??? GRRRRR.... I want to find out how to be rid of this green monster once and for all...

 

[Znut Reefer]

In my experience it always comes back after the mag levels drop. I found the best way is to pull the rock and cook it for a couple months.

 

[Elliott]

In my experience it always comes back after the mag levels drop. I found the best way is to pull the rock and cook it for a couple months.

this is a killer! :lol:

 

[redfishsc]

In my experience it always comes back after the mag levels drop. I found the best way is to pull the rock and cook it for a couple months.

please please please don't say that even though I know it's the case. It only reminds me of what I'm going to have to do here in a couple months when the semester is over.

 

[Znut Reefer]

I'm sorry to post such bad news. But that has been my experience dealing with that vile weed. I have battled it for close to a yr. I even tried shutting down all pumps and basting it with straight Tech-M. It did die, but came back within 2 mos.

I hope you all do have better luck then I did.

 

[Elliott]

anyone know if a sally light foot crab eats bryopsis?

 

[cw150]

I have used the Tech M method and it had zero benefit for me. Running a GFO reactor right now and that seems to help keep growth down, but does not eliminate it. The only problem is that GFO causes problems with chaeto (as in killing it). The only thing that's worked for me in the past was combining dolomite with my calcium reactor.

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

Sally Light foot.....Elliot......

Sally Light foot.....Elliot......

Sally Light foots will *not* help a hair algae problem....
You may see alot of animals NIBBLE at hair algae but the truth is
99% of them DO NOT help with any significance.....

Lawnmower blenny = no significant help
Sally Lightfoot = definitely no significant help
Tangs = no significant help
Hermit crabs = I dont care what type are darn near useless
Snails = forgettaboutit (brasco ha!)

The only real way to fix hair algae is to find out what is causing it and fix it.
The algae we know starts usually when too many nutrients in the water....
Build up of detritus, poor flow, bad bulbs, overfeeding are what we believe are problems that start and help the problem continue..... Another problem
could be TDS not being at zero to begin with when taking water from an RO filter which the filters are toasted/expired.....

Water changes some believe help the problem but there are arguments on both sides as to wether that is true.....

Truth is....best way to get rid of hair algae is DONT GET IT.....once you have it in your tank it is a B**** to get rid of.

There is a new product on the market to kill it which some say works...but the method of using it
is not a user friendly straight forward dosing....there is maintenance involved using the product....
I doubt if the product will take off therefore.....but we will see... I believe Ultralife produces it.


Best of luck Elliot

Tim
:sad1:

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

fish dont fix hair algae!!!!!!!

fish dont fix hair algae!!!!!!!

I say NAYYYYY WAYYYYYYYY to believing that any FISH or invertebrate
can fix a hair algae problem that is significant in a decent size tank...

Once it gets a grab....no fish is going to fix it.....period....

The onlyyyyyyyyyyy thing that has a chance is a SEAHARE...and
the last 4 that I bought would not touch it!!!!! years ago I bought
one that completely wiped out a hair algae problem in a 90 gallon...it ate
it like it was going right out of style...and after a week there was not a morsal left....

To fix hair algae = #1 DONT GET IT
#2 be prepared for a major headache and long battle!
#3 get rid of phosphate and nitrate - period!!!!
#4 physically remove and siphon and brush out all
of the hair algae you can from the tank.

repeeat 2 to 4 till the friggin cows come home
in meantime try to smile and keep corals from getting over run with the crap!

Next time do better maintenance AS A PROACTIVE measure and not REACTIVE.

THE ABOVE HURTS..BUT TRUTH...and....I am as guilty as the next....

Oh ya..and remember the LFS are like lawyers..they dont get paid till you
have a problem.....they will sell you every ingredient under the sun to fix something that is almost unfixable.... REMOVE THE PHOSPHATE AND NITRATE is key and to do that...it is going to cost some coin I will tell you.

I could be wrong...but I have been in the hobby over 20 years and ....hair
algae is the curse of the hobby....if you get a 2 or 3 inch area thats easy to fix...but once it gets a good hold in your tank.....wowwwwwww it is possible
you should start over seriously....starting over is headache but so is getting
rid of such a nusiance in the tank..... Just an opinion...I am notttt an expert.
If opinions vary..thats ok.....

Good luck in anycase.

Tim

 

[discocarp]

Just went back and looked at the date I attacked this. I've been clean for 2 years now since using the tech-m treatment!

 

[redfishsc]

Sweeet, discocarp!

Lots of folks are having "re-possesions" with the bryo coming back.

How did you treat your tank--- ie, how many ppm of magnesium did you raise it and how long?

 

[discocarp]

I raised it to 1600 and left it there for a long time. I don't remember how long, but months. It didn't hurt anything. I run about 1400 now, and I only use the Kent Tech-M for magnesium additions.

 

[redfishsc]

Perhaps long-term use of Tech M for all magnesium supplementation was part of your success.


Right now I'm still slowly getting my tank "prepared" for the next onslaught of bryopsis warfare.


I've used carbon (Vitamin C) dosing to get my phosphates to a level that I can't detect them with a Seachem P04 kit.

I've realized I have a "chronic" CO2 problem in my small apartment. My pH stays a touch under 8.0, which I am sure is fueling the bryopsis some.

Once I get the pH under control (with kalkwassar additions and trying to get fresh air into the skimmer from outside), I'm going to "M-bomb" the tank again and I'll just keep using Tech M for all magnesium needs I have.

Hopefully I'll have a larger need for it, as I have much more SPS and corraline algae growth now than I did last go 'round.

 

[discocarp]

I also have a low pH (7.8/7.9) and also drip kalk, so I'm not sure if that is it. I don't know if the long term Tech-M is why I'm having success or not, but I decided to switch to it long term when I had the outbreak. I can't complain.

 

[glaukos]

will sps tollerate mg at 1600?

 

[redfishsc]

will sps tollerate mg at 1600?

In my experience, yes.

They can even thrive in spite of it (not because of it, for sure, but in spite of it).


As an illustration, I had a BUNCH of montipora colonies that were dying before the Tech M treatment. They were very slowly receding and dying, not unlike how a chronically low calcium level would do. But all my water parameters seemed to be in check.

I gave up on them and said the famous old line from Rocky, "If he dies, he dies".


I went on with the magnesium treatment to kill bryopsis. I raised my mag, SLOWLY, as high as 2500, if I recall correctly. It may have been closer to 3,000ppm. The mag didn't work, because I didn't use Tech M.


So I did some water changes, used Tech M, and ended up with a final magnesium of around 2300ppm, and it stayed there for a couple months.


Bryopsis died. (it came back a month later, unfortunately)

Montipora (and other SPS) not affected.


Then, suddenly, the montiporas made a comeback and are all growing healthy. The high magnesium levels had, I think, NOTHING to do with it. I think it's due to me keeping a stable alkalinity and also dosing Vitamin C for phosphate reduction. But the high mag didn't slow them down any.


Right now my mag is at 1500 and everything is happy as it can be.


Things that survived (with no negative effects from nearly 3,000ppm magnesium except one torch coral had a polyp bailout):

Bird's nest
2 varieties of acro millepora
Green slimer (acro yongei sp?)
red and purple monti cap
orange and brown monti digitata
cactus pavona

Several frogspawn, torch, and hammer species, with one torch head having a polyp bailout).

Duncans

GBTA

Nearly every common soft coral you can imagine (different tank, same system).