Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!

[Keith Thomson]

I've been battling bryopsis for close to a year now and have tried just about everything except raising the mg level.About a month ago the bryopsis started to die off on It's owm. It was almost gone when it started to grow again this time faster than ever at this point I started to raise my mg level. My mg level is at about 1650 and it is still growing like crazy. Has anyone experienced this? I am going to continue to raise the mg level, but I can't believe the rate this stuff is growing at. I'm using Kent Tech M to raise the mg level.Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks Keith

 

[jennmac415]

does raising the mag level this high have any effect on the cal and alk levels?

 

[jtravis2]

Has anyone noticed an unexpected rise in their salinity while raising Mg levels? Mine have gone from 1.026 to 1.029.

 

[Keith Thomson]

I have also had a rise in salinity from raising the Mg level.

Keith

 

[airinhere]

Keith, I asked about the salinity issue on the Chemistry forum and got an answer about Sulphate being very similar to Molynbendium.

I hope I get this all right....

Sulphate is a major part of Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom Salt).
Molynbendium is absorbed by bryopsis as it grows.

The trick is, Sulphate can be absorbed by the Bryopsis just as it would normally absorb Molynbendium. Unfortunaly for the Bryopsis, Sulphate does not fulfil whatever needs Bryopsis has for the Molybendium. This can result in what would be described as rapid growth of the Bryopsis as it absorbs the Sulphate (instead of Molybendium). The growth should be pulled manually. It is just a matter of time for the Bryopsis to start dying. You should probably increase your Mag levels some more also. Might be just a little bit more needed to kill off your Bryopsis.

I am sure there is more to this, but I believe that this is the general idea.

In my experience (with a very badly infested rock) The bryopsis is slowly dissapearing. But I am having to frequently monitor my Mag levels and have to regularly add more Epsom Salt as the sheer volume of Bryopsis I am fighting is soaking the stuff up like a sponge.

And as for the increased salinity. Epson Salt or any other method of raising your Mag, needs to be accounted for when determining your tanks salinity. (See info between table 2 and table 3.) http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php
Especially when adding the large amounts to our tanks that people are adding. I personally think this increase is the most likely cause of the trouble some people are reporting in their tanks.

 

[Keith Thomson]

Thank's airinhere, I find It very hard to maintain the high Mg level right now because the bryopsis is using It up so fast. It actually looks like the bryopsis is starting to lose It's colour. I'm hoping It's the beginning of the end for the bryopsis.
_________
Keith

 

[airinhere]

Not a problem at all. I was posting questions just like yours about 2 months ago. and I experienced a burst of growth from my bryopsis as well. Now, after some manual removal, it is starting to dissapear. Still have a long way to go though.

 

[vickreyreef]

I am so sad to learn that this treatment doesn't have the same effect on true hair algae.....I get so disheartened looking at the tank day after day...no sooner do I get it clean it is back so thick it is ruining all the corals....I wonder why this only works on this one particular type and not all HA?

 

[melev]

Green Hair Algae (derbasia) is not the same as bryopsis. One solution to a problem won't work for all other (related) problems in this hobby. We pick our battles and work systematically.

Regarding your situation, there are a few steps you can take, but this isn't the thread to discuss it (don't want to derail the original person's thread). It definitely can be beat. If you start a new thread or revive an older one, PM me the link and I'll be happy to help you.

 

[airinhere]

Want to see a miracle? My tank is now Bryopsis free.
Took a bunch of manual pulling, and a ton of epsom Salt.
But the hated algae is gone!

Now when can I lower my mag level without worrying about it coming back?

Before:

Part way there

Clear! Although I did have to yank my zoanthids off the rock.
(You can see the spot where they used to be).

 

[melev]

It looks much better. If any of it is left, there is the possibility of it returning, but probably not in the volume you've been dealing with. I have a couple of tiny spots that tend to return in my reef, but it never has spread and taken over.

 

[salty joe]

Why did you have to yank the zoos?
What is that fuzzy thing with stripes at the left of the pic?

 

[Caragol]

Melev, did you use the raised Mag method? (I suppose I could just go back 20 pages to see if you mentioned it, but I'm not doing that again) or did you use any other method?

I do have a few stalks left behind that don't seem to want to go away and are on a rock I can't easily get to, I just don't want them to adapt into some form of magnesium resilient form in the future.

 

[jtravis2]

I'm sorry to report I had to quit dosing Mg because it elevated my salinity to 1.030 from 1.026; once I stopped dosing Mg the salinity dropped. The frustrating part was no effect on the bryopsis over a 10 day period.

 

[seapug]

You shouldn't have given up! 1.030 is fine. If it does worry you, offset the rise in salinity with extra topoff water when you dose.

What method were you using to dose it?

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10956448#post10956448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Caragol
Melev, did you use the raised Mag method? (I suppose I could just go back 20 pages to see if you mentioned it, but I'm not doing that again) or did you use any other method?

I do have a few stalks left behind that don't seem to want to go away and are on a rock I can't easily get to, I just don't want them to adapt into some form of magnesium resilient form in the future.

When I had bryopsis (2005), this thread didn't exist and neither did the idea. I pruned back all I could, and bought Lettuce Nudibranchs. I worked hard at eliminating phosphate from the water, and it was a very frustrating 6 months or more until it was finally conquered. I still have a tiny tuft here and there, but nothing like back then.

 

[Caragol]

Thanks Marc! Mine wasn't easily pruned, I wish it was tufts, it was about a centimeter tall (too short to pinch easily) and on EVERYTHING. I couldn't scrub it off, or pull it off. What a pain.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10956267#post10956267 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by salty joe
What is that fuzzy thing with stripes at the left of the pic?

Seems to be a Tuxedo Urkin

 

[airinhere]

the fuzzy thing is a tuxedo urchin.

I yanked the zoos because they had bryopsis growing in between them and I wanted to pluck every last bit out. I used a siphon tube and a toothbrush and once the bryopsis was all wilted and clear looking, I just started scrubbing and siphoning the little bits out.

Jtravis, if your tank gets to 1.03 SG it is a real problem (especially if you have corals or inverts). Diluting over-salinated water with RODI is fine, but you really shouldnt allow your tank to get that high.

Just expect Epsom Salt to increase your tanks salinity.

I spent the last month and a half dosing my tank. If the Bryopsis is light, it will dissapear. If it is heavy, it might get a sudden growth spurt and then start dying. Either way, 10 days is probably not enough time for the bryopsis to die.

 

[jtravis2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10958091#post10958091 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
You shouldn't have given up! 1.030 is fine. If it does worry you, offset the rise in salinity with extra topoff water when you dose.

What method were you using to dose it?

If you're referring to Mg I added 2oz per day (less than mfg recommendation) until I reached my target Mg level of 1600ppm.