Killing Bryopsis with hyposalinity?

[Caragol]

I've got a new tank, I've got two small frags in there and it's already coated with bryopsis. It's on every rock, all over the sand, on the glass and on the overflow. Right now I've got the tank dark and have reduced the phosphates down to an undetectable level. There is light only in the refugium below where I have a few handfuls of macroalgae.

I have two options, #1 continue to fight the bryopsis or #2 start over. #1 involves the usual good water params and high magnesium. #2 involves I don't know what.

I hear that people have had the rock in a dark tub for weeks and still the bryopsis comes back. I'm not sure how to kill it from the sand if that's the case. I could try to dry it or bake it. So a fellow reefer suggested hyposalinity? Would that work? If I pulled the frags and macroalgae (never to come back) and replaced all water with fresh tap (not worth the RO/DI I figure) and ran that for a while, I'd kill the goodies on the live rock, but would the bryopsis die as well? Or can that survive freshwater do you think? If this might work, how long would I run the freshwater?

 

[HBtank]

Why wouldn't you use high magnesium as other people are having success with? Using a "kill-all" method that would kill your rock entirely seems kinda pointless... You might as well just leave it out in the sun.

I guess I am confused, you list it and obviously know about it ....

 

[Caragol]

Does the high magnesium kill it entirely? Or just keep it in control? If I can rid my tank with the high mag levels, then this post is moot I suppose. The kill all method would mean I'd add more live rock on top, live rock from my FOWLR that is known to be pest free (some hair algae, but not bryopsis).

I guess, if high Mag is just a method of control, and I have a chance to kill it all now before I really get this tank setup, then it makes sense to kill it all and re-seed with known good live rock (I have pest free live rock in my FOWLR). If however, the high mag will kill it for good, or it's just so easy to keep it in control that way that it's not worth the kill-all. Then high mag is the way to go.

What would you do?

 

[HBtank]

Check out the thread on it. Seems that the bryopsis totally disintegrates....

 

[Caragol]

Sweet... looks like it's a no-brainer then. Thanks!

 

[seapug]

Hyposalinity doesn't work very well, regardless. I took a Bryopsis covered rock out of my tank and soaked it in a tub of tap water that was flushed daily with hot and cold tap and kept in the dark for over 2 weeks. The friggin' bryopsis didn't die until I took the rock out of the water then let it all dry to a crisp. Unbelievable stuff.

 

[Serioussnaps]

Whats your alk at? In conjunction with the elevated MG(1500 or so) I noticed an increase alk reading helps as well.

 

[Caragol]

I think my alk is at 8.5dKH... I haven't dosed yet as there isn't much in there but two small corals. That's pretty much right from the salt mix (Seachem Reefsalt). I also read that increased alk helps, but what level should it be increased to? I should probably go read that thread before asking too many questions that may have already been answered.

Seapug, that's what I was afraid of and that's what makes starting over seem like a lousy option. I'd have to completely pull everything out and make sure it's bone dry, which is tough.

Thanks all!

 

[seapug]

Do try to keep your parameters up to snuff at all times, regardless of what's in the tank. Low alk. causes PH to drop which creates the conditions that allow pest algae to gain a foothold. Alk. is one of the easiest params to get in check-- three teaspoons of plain baking soda raises my 90 gal. tank (about 60 gal. of actual water vol.) about 2.5 dkh and doesn't cause Ph to spike.

I would not recommend "starting over" either. If the problem is isolated to a couple of rocks, you can just remove them and treat them separately. If the problem is everywhere, manually remove what you can, try the Magnesium technique, increase water changes, decrease any feeding, and use RO or distilled water for topoffs and salt mixing. It can take months to get under control, but if you are persistent it will subside.

 

[uscharalph]

Your phosphates are down to undetectable because the hair algae is consuming it. Are you using RO for top off and RO based for water changes?

 

[Caragol]

RO for everything since setup, and a phosphate sponge as well. I've got my RO/DI unit that I've been using for my other reefs and FOWLR.

 

[eddtango]

Bryopsis

Bryopsis

Use R/O water for top-off and salt-mix. Pull out as much algae as you can manually and do regular weekly water changes.

 

[mile sq. reefer]

As Magnesium increases the alkalinity usually decreases,

 

[Caragol]

I'll watch all of my levels at once. Ordering Salifert Mag Test Kit now, man is it hard to find.

 

[seapug]

yeah, the only the harding than finding it is actually using it. lol. Salifert tests are good, but a PITA to use. They might as well send you a complete chemistry set.

 

[bhdmc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10841388#post10841388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Caragol
I'll watch all of my levels at once. Ordering Salifert Mag Test Kit now, man is it hard to find.

WWW.THATFISHPLACE.COM

It is an expense kit;$24.00. It is also a time consuming.

 

[Caragol]

That site is out of stock bhdmc, I checked So is just about everyone. In fact, I won an auction yesterday and got an email today telling me that they'll refund my money because it's not really in stock.

Is there a better test kit? If not better, cheaper and reasonably OK?

 

[bhdmc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10848218#post10848218 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Caragol
That site is out of stock bhdmc, I checked So is just about everyone. In fact, I won an auction yesterday and got an email today telling me that they'll refund my money because it's not really in stock.

Is there a better test kit? If not better, cheaper and reasonably OK?

I am sorry to hear this. Will they be restocking in the future or they will stop carrying this product? You can also try WWW.MARINEDEPOT.COM. Same price.

 

[Caragol]

They'll restock, I think MarineDepot is out as well. I won another auction, hope they actually have it this time. No worries.

 

[SaltyDr]

In the thread, the bryopsis seemed to come back when the mag dropped. So I don't think it is a cure, but rather a method to keep it in control.