Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!
- Thread starter TWallace
- Start date
wilsonh
New member
No, I make my own, but when I did have the Seachem product they don't give the exact ingredients, presumably to stop someone realising how cheap the raw ingredients are compared to what they charge LOL!
I just read where someone claimed to have figured out what the mix is but long time ago I don't have a link. However a 10/90 mix Magnesium sulfate to Magnesium chloride would make sense as it does give the correct ionic balance that they claim on the jar label.
I just read where someone claimed to have figured out what the mix is but long time ago I don't have a link. However a 10/90 mix Magnesium sulfate to Magnesium chloride would make sense as it does give the correct ionic balance that they claim on the jar label.
jdieck
New member
What makes me doubt that it is a mix of Magnesium Sulfate and Mg Chloride is the concentration of Magnesium in it.
A regular formulation of those two will have a magnesium concentration of around 11.7% but Seachem's concentration is 7.97% which makes me think there is some ingridient that does not provide magnesium (like sodium chloride)
jdieck
New member
I really do not like to speculate but if I had to I will say not sulfate or chloride ions as Seachem and other supplements used does contain both but they still do not seem to work. My best bet will be Calcium Sulfate. A precipitate that form when making the solution and comes as impurities of both the Mg Sulfate and the Mg Chloride. From thos esupplements used here I think Kent Tech-M which comes in a solution which oviously has some precipitate in it.
iamwhatiam52
New member
I just want to kill my Bryopsis.
COST & CHEMISTRY DISCUSSIONS ASIDE, is it the concensus that people using Tech M have had the best results against bryopsis, followed by the epsom salts method?
Very interesting and informative thread, but I don't have the patience to go through all 445 posts.
COST & CHEMISTRY DISCUSSIONS ASIDE, is it the concensus that people using Tech M have had the best results against bryopsis, followed by the epsom salts method?
Very interesting and informative thread, but I don't have the patience to go through all 445 posts.
TWallace
New member
I think it's just that a lot more people have tried Tech M than epsom salt. I know that Tech M works from personal experience, but have not tried epsom salt. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably give epsom salt a try first since it's much cheaper and easier to find (locally). I've had to order Tech M from online vendors, and it's not cheap, especially if you have a large system.
iamwhatiam52
New member
#@&*%# Test kit only goes to 1500!
#@&*%# Test kit only goes to 1500!
Just plunked down 33 bucks for a Salifert test kit and it only goes to 1500. No problem yet since I am starting at 1300, but what do I do later?
Do I cut the amount of water, powder and indicator liquid in half, then perform the final step as directed and double the result from the chart?
#@&*%# Test kit only goes to 1500!
Just plunked down 33 bucks for a Salifert test kit and it only goes to 1500. No problem yet since I am starting at 1300, but what do I do later?
Do I cut the amount of water, powder and indicator liquid in half, then perform the final step as directed and double the result from the chart?
TWallace
New member
You can either dilute your water sample with half RO/DI water, and then multiply test results by two or you can figured out the ratio of mL of reagent to ppm of magnesium is, and continue adding more reagent beyond 1mL. I know that 1mL of reagent is equal to 1500ppm magnesium. So, if you add an additional .1mL it should be 1650ppm magnesium.
Diluting the water sample and multiplying results by two seems less accurate to me. But then I don't think you need really good accuracy in this case. An overdose of magnesium is not likely to harm anything. I got mind to over 1800ppm on accident and nothing died. I know others have had theirs over 2000ppm with no deaths. Just do it slowly.
Diluting the water sample and multiplying results by two seems less accurate to me. But then I don't think you need really good accuracy in this case. An overdose of magnesium is not likely to harm anything. I got mind to over 1800ppm on accident and nothing died. I know others have had theirs over 2000ppm with no deaths. Just do it slowly.
wilsonh
New member
I just simply dissolved it in fresh water (RODI in my case), and tipped it in. Wasn't very scientific about it, but if you want to be there is a calculator here so you can work out exactly how much to dose to achieve a certain increase in Mg. http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html
I just bought the Red Sea mag test and I can't understand how the heck to perform the dang test!!! YES... I am just an old "reef mama", so sometimes these things do take a bit to understand...lol so if anyone can give me an"english" "old MOm version" on how to perform this test I would appreciate it..
THEN after I test my MAG... I am going to begin dosing with epsoms salt... but my ? is , shouldn't we also be testing CAL, ALK and PH and dose accordingly for those things so that we don't get out tanks all out of balance?
Thanks for your help...
THEN after I test my MAG... I am going to begin dosing with epsoms salt... but my ? is , shouldn't we also be testing CAL, ALK and PH and dose accordingly for those things so that we don't get out tanks all out of balance?
Thanks for your help...
jdieck
New member
If your Ca and ALkalinity are at normal levels you do not need to increase them with the magnesium just keep your normal supplementation to prevent them from dropping.
The Seachem kit measure Magnesium as the difference in total Calcium and Magnesium content less the calcium content.
In other words you use the kit to measure the total hardness (Ca+Mg) and then the Ca Hardness and calculate the magnesim by difference.
Magnesium = Total - Calcium.
I am not very familiar with the detailed steps but most kits that work like that may need dissolving the sample in RO/DI or distilled water before testing.
The good news is that you got a kit that will also test your calcium along the way
Enjoy!
But I got the RED SEA test kit... there is no mention of it also testing calcium...
thanks!
thanks!
airinhere
New member
A couple of weeks ago I posted a nightmare image of Bryopsis growing in one of my display tanks. Nothing I did semed to slow its growth and it had been spreading alarmingly fast for months.
Now it has stopped spreading, is becoming quite patchy and has very stunted growth.
To give an idea of my situation here is a brief synopsis.
Added enough epsom salt to my top off water to get the Magnesium up to 1600 in my tank.
Left home for a week and a half.
returned home and manually pulled a fair amount of the Bryopsis and performed a 20% water change.
Started adding 1 oz of Kent Tech M daily.
Took this most recent picture.
Tonight I will do another manual removal of as much as I am able to pull out. along with another 20% water change tommorow.
My top off water and all water for changes is RODI.
The Sulphate seems to have stopped the growth of the Bryopsis, but since I am fighting my Nitrates in the tank (approx 20ppm) I am having trouble getting the Bryopsis to completely die. Trouble is, as the Bryopsis dies, it releases nitrates back into the water which feeds new growth. So I have added a refugium with Chaetomorpha. Hopefully that will uptake the free roaming nutrients in the tank and help starve the bryopsis out. And get my Nitate issue under controll. Once tha Nitrates are under copntroll, I will start using my Phos reactor to get any remaining phosphates out of the water and that should put a lock on any future growth of this nuisance algae.
This is an example of what a snowball effect algae can have in a tank. My other 90 gallon tank with the exact same care, (and no outbreak of mutant algae) is doing just fine with no algae at all.
Tank three weeks ago.
Tank today
Without flash. (kinda blurry, sorry).
Now it has stopped spreading, is becoming quite patchy and has very stunted growth.
To give an idea of my situation here is a brief synopsis.
Added enough epsom salt to my top off water to get the Magnesium up to 1600 in my tank.
Left home for a week and a half.
returned home and manually pulled a fair amount of the Bryopsis and performed a 20% water change.
Started adding 1 oz of Kent Tech M daily.
Took this most recent picture.
Tonight I will do another manual removal of as much as I am able to pull out. along with another 20% water change tommorow.
My top off water and all water for changes is RODI.
The Sulphate seems to have stopped the growth of the Bryopsis, but since I am fighting my Nitrates in the tank (approx 20ppm) I am having trouble getting the Bryopsis to completely die. Trouble is, as the Bryopsis dies, it releases nitrates back into the water which feeds new growth. So I have added a refugium with Chaetomorpha. Hopefully that will uptake the free roaming nutrients in the tank and help starve the bryopsis out. And get my Nitate issue under controll. Once tha Nitrates are under copntroll, I will start using my Phos reactor to get any remaining phosphates out of the water and that should put a lock on any future growth of this nuisance algae.
This is an example of what a snowball effect algae can have in a tank. My other 90 gallon tank with the exact same care, (and no outbreak of mutant algae) is doing just fine with no algae at all.
Tank three weeks ago.
Tank today
Without flash. (kinda blurry, sorry).
