Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
Hi, Joe. Did you notice an increase in coralline algae growth when running elevated levels of Mg?
Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!
- Thread starter TWallace
- Start date
Help me out here because I'm getting conflicting information. Check out this thread in which its suggested that only MgSO4 (Epson salts) should be used.
So who's right?
FYI, I just started using 5:3 Magflake to Epson Salts to test this method against my own bryopsis.
Edit: I just relized (post posting) that you had already commented in that thread
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You mean dow flake to maintain calcium.
I use the formula recommended for people who use kalk. 7.25 cups mag flake to 3/4 cups ES.
So far no change in the bryopsis, but the snails started climbing out of the tank!! Been going up slowly also, just hit the 1400 mark. God I hope this works.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
anecdotal evidence would seem to indicate mollusks being sensitive to elevated levels of Mg...
Peter Eichler
New member
I can probably attest to elevated Mag levels and their effects better than most here. As I pointed out earlier, I had an accidental overdose to the tune of 2200+ ppm (much higher than levels people are talking about here). Of course this is anecdotal as well.
First of all, I believe the overdose happened back in Oct. Prior to the overdose my Mg ran 1300-1400. After the overdose I found as much information as I could about the negatives of elevated Mg levels and found very little that gave me cause for alarm. Upon observation of the tanks inhabitants there were no signs of stress right away or even the days following the overdose. So, I decided to just keep it business as usual and not panic and do a huge waterchange. So, my tank is now down to about 1400 ppm Mg, but the majority of the time over the last 6 months it had been 1700 and was over 2000 for at least a couple of those months.
Just some basic observations in that time, whether or not they were related to Mg in any way is hard to say...
1.) About the time period of the overdose I added a Crocea clam, the clam had bleached during shipping. In the past six months the clam has made a recovery, some of the area on the edges still appear to be a little bleached but overall the clam has been very healthy and grown. Another thing to note is this clam has been near the sandbed the whole time in a 25" deep tank under T5s. So anyone that makes the claim that clams won't do well under T5s or need to be kept close to the light source with T5s is wrong.
Conclusion: Maybe the clam would have recovered quicker, without the high Mg levels, but clearly it was nothing fatal or too detrimental to the clam.
2.) I've experienced sand clumping since the tank was started. I can't figure it out, and the original reason for making the mag supplement was to boost Mg a little to see if it would help. It did nothing, sand still clumps and all my Calcium and KH levels remain around the normal levels suggested to keep a reef aquarium. Perhaps it started clumping worse with the elevated Mg levels but it's hard to say.
Conclusion: At least in this case elevated Mg levels don't seem to have fixed the problem and probably didn't make it worse. It's important to note that my Mg levels have never been low in this tank and always slightly elevated from natural levels.
3.) Coraline growth was good prior to the elevated levels, after the elevated levels it has been explosive. We're talking a thick layer on every inch of glass. To the point where I've given up on keeping anything but the front glass clean. However, now that the levels have come down closer to natural some of that coraline is starting to die back. Whether this is a natural cycle it's hard to say.
Conclusion: The elevated Mg levels combine with maintaining proper Calcium and HK levels seems to have made coraline grow at an accelrated rate. Perhaps without the elevated levels much of that algae was no longer able to sustain itself.
4.) Shortly before the OD I received a maricultered Acropora sp. Before reaching me, the specimen had some tissue necrosis around the base and also had what I believed to be a predatory crab. Within a week after the overdose the tissue recession got worse and only some of the tips ended up surviving. In the last few months the tips have been fragged and are doing well and coloring uop better than when I received the piece. Other SPS I had at the time remained well and grew well.
Conclusion: The elevated Mg levels may have pushed an already ailing specimen over the edge. But overall it does not seem elevated Mg levels (> 1600 & < 2200) will have many negative effects on most SPS. It's important to note that this includes only 2 different Montipora sp. and 3 different Acropora sp. It's a small sample since I've been going slow with SPS due to it being a newer tank.
5.) I had some Halimeda growth priod to the OD. After the OD growth has taken off considerably.
Conclusion: Elevated Mg at the very least don't inhibit most calcerous algae growth and would seem to help promote quicker growth (duh!
).6.) I have a lot of zoanthids in my tank. After the OD I have had a few specimens shrink up and lose color in their skirts, others have grown larger and spread quickly. I have not been able to reverse this with more or less light and even have tried MH in my prop tank which is on the same system. It would appear this is a water chemistry issue.
Conclusion: Most likely the shrinking and skirt color is due to a lack of nutrients in the water. However, I'm not quite willing to rule out elevated Mg levels as a factor. We'll see if any of these zoanthids start to recover now that Mg levels are close to natural levels.
7.) Within this system I have a pretty diverse mix of macroalgae. Various red algaes, at least 3 different Caulerpa sp., 2 different Chaetomorpha sp. and a few unidentified specimens. Growth remained consistent with what is was before the OD and no negeative effects were seen.
Conclusion: Most macroalgae commonly kept in marine aquariums seems unaffected by elevated Mg levels.
8.) I have a few different LPS species and all were added after the Mg OD. Most seem healthy and have done well and grown. However, one Platygyra sp. bleached rather easily even when kept at the bottom of the aquarium.
Conclusion: The bleaching was most likely due to lighting. The coral is rather shaded and has gained all of its color back, but it's still possible elevated Mg levels played a part.
9.) I have Astrea, Cerith, Turbo, and Stomatella snails, at least 5 of each and up to 25 ceriths and hundreds of Stomatella. None seemed to have any adverse reactions to the elevated Mg. levels. The same goes for 2 emerald crabs and 2 Lettuce Sea Slugs. However, I added 3 Peppermint shrimp during this time and they were never seen from again after acclimation. I added another 3 a month or two ago and they are the model of health.
Conclusion: At least in my case, no snails had adverse reactions to the elevated Mg levels. I do feel that for whatever reason the original shrimp acclimated poorly, perhaps from Mg being 2000+ ppm at the time. The second batch showed no adverse reactions and the Mg levels were tested to be about 1750 at the time. Sidenote, both batches came from the same place and in both instances the SG was .006 lower than mine and both groups were drip acclimated over the course of a few hours.
Final Conclusion: Over the course of the last 6 months I can't find any organisms in my aquarium that had any stress that I can directly attribute to my elevated Mg levels over the course of 6 months. My tank has remained Bryopsis free ever since the OD. Well, for the most part... There is a very small amount that was growing on the inside of my overflow about a month ago. However, it has not reappeared on any of my rocks. One last note, at the time of the OD I was aggresively skimming, feeding lightly, and using as much Chaeto as possible to export nutrients. At the time of the disappearance of the Bryopsis I did not attribute it to the Mg OD for those reasons. It's still hard to say for sure that the Mg OD was the sole reason for the Brysopsis dying off, but at this point it seems it was at least a contributing factor.
Sorry for being so long winded and I hope this will give someone a little more insight.
Peter Eichler
New member
I guess I killed it with my long windedness :lol:
LOL
I have not replied on this thread Peter Eichler but I did subscribe to the thread as it is a very interesting theory and although yes long winded ha ha your thread was probably the most informative for myself giving your full experience of the situation.
keep up the good work everyone.
I have not replied on this thread Peter Eichler but I did subscribe to the thread as it is a very interesting theory and although yes long winded ha ha your thread was probably the most informative for myself giving your full experience of the situation.
keep up the good work everyone.
dreaminmel
New member
Ok guys I am stumped...
I raised my Mg to 1600 two days ago (maintained at 1400 prior to that) and my pH has been at 8.5 for the past month. Mg tested w/ Salifert and pH monitored and verified w/ test for accuracy.
My bryopsis appears completely unphased...
I raised my Mg to 1600 two days ago (maintained at 1400 prior to that) and my pH has been at 8.5 for the past month. Mg tested w/ Salifert and pH monitored and verified w/ test for accuracy.
My bryopsis appears completely unphased...
TWallace
New member
I don't know what to tell you. Maybe it's more than just magnesium that killed mine, though I don't know what else it could have been. What mag supplement did you use? I've reduced my mag back to normal levels and bryopsis isn't making a come back yet. I thought I found the silver bullet for this horrible algae . It has helped a few others beat it, though.
. It has helped a few others beat it, though.
Peter Eichler
New member
It's certainly possible. I've always felt that most of the people that have reported luck with herbivores and Bryopsis made a falde ID as well.
Perhaps there is another environmental factor that works along with the Mg in order for it to work. Maybe if there are enough nutrients in the water the Bryopsis can fight through the problems that Mg causes it.
