# Bryopsis



## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

Okay .. so now i think I'm being faced with my first challenge already.

Bryopsis algae ! how does one get rid of it and quickly before it get out of hand?


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Kent Marine Tech M Mg; read here


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

Been fighting it for 2 months. Kent is doing the trick. Almost gone.


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## notclear (Nov 5, 2011)

I don't have bryopsis, but I dose Kent magnesium (instead of BRS brand) for prevention.


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

thanks guys ! Appreciate the info. 

What I don't understand is I cooked my dry marco rock for 3 months. I just started my tank and cycle about 2 months ago.

I started seeing algae then all of a sudden I see hair like algae growing in certain spots and now its spread out onto my sandbed as well. 

Didn't add any livestock until about 2 weeks ago after I got a couple of turbos and a strawberry conch which literally vacuumed up my algae bloom in about 2 days ! 

just perplexed where it would come from that fast.


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Turbo snails are not eating bryopsis. You might have hair algae. Normal at beginning. 
If you can take a good picture of the algae, or if you can take a look at it, and see the feather like structure, then you have a positive identification. 


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

Yes .. I know the Turbos wont eat it. And yes, it is feather like unlike hair algae.


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Kent mg will do the trick. 

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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

ok. will try it and let you know how it works. Crossing fingers !

Much appreciated !


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## Reef Druid (Jun 27, 2014)

My .02

As others have said, magnesium will be a good preventative measure. Keeping in mind that if this is a newer setup nuisance algaes are to be expected and even regarded as a sign your cycle is moving along, though it is a bit curious if you cooked the rock for 3 months. That being said, I have had blooms out of nowhere 5 months into a setup, sometimes the rock is like a time bomb.

Regardless, I have found that early algae blooms are often "unbeatable" and far more trouble than they are worth fighting over. Sometimes the bloom just 'needs' to take its course (especially so if it is a phyto bloom IME).

Personally, I have had the most success with manual removal and nutrient control. I find that the simple acts of blowing live rock off with a turkey baster, disturbing the very surface of the sandbed, and then sucking everything out of the sump (= small h2o change every day) once it has settled has been by far the easiest way for me to combat blooms. I do this once per day until the bloom is gone. I have found that doing large water changes and relying on livestock and/or chemicals is more like fighting the tide, and usually a waste of resources.

FWIW.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Full blackout for 2 days, wrap your tank with cardboard and don't feed the tank.
Then lights on for 4 hours, feed fish.
Next day 4 hours, feed fish.
Then 3 day blackout, wrap your tank again and no feeding.

Viola!!! All algae will be gone. Algae can't grow if it doesn't have light and if you have any type of CUC they will eat the algae because there is no food. 

I did this on my tank and it's been immaculate ever since.

If it isn't in your system it will never come back. The only reason it comes back is when you add a new frag or rock that has it.


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## deeznutz (Aug 21, 2013)

Mikeylikes said:


> Okay .. so now i think I'm being faced with my first challenge already.
> 
> Bryopsis algae ! how does one get rid of it and quickly before it get out of hand?


Oh I feel your pain, I sure hope your battle is a short one. Doubt it though.



altcharacter said:


> Full blackout for 2 days, wrap your tank with cardboard and don't feed the tank.
> Then lights on for 4 hours, feed fish.
> Next day 4 hours, feed fish.
> Then 3 day blackout, wrap your tank again and no feeding.
> ...


If it were this easy.

-dan


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Trade you hydroids? I have started the process of ro soaking my live rock. Need to win the first fight. They out number me. I will win the war with manual removal of any survivors


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## gotcrabs (May 25, 2014)

If I where you I would just increase mag to 1500 ppm and maintain it till gone should do the trick.


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

Good news. Combination of Strawberry conches, flame tail Bennie and magnesium are doing the trick!


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

J_T said:


> Trade you hydroids? I have started the process of ro soaking my live rock. Need to win the first fight. They out number me. I will win the war with manual removal of any survivors
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sorry to hear that. What do they look like?


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

I will get a picture when lights are on. Remind me if i forget 


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

*Bryopsis Or Hair Algae*



Mikeylikes said:


> Sorry to hear that. What do they look like?


There are many kinds of Bryopsis but the most common in our tank is the Derbesia type.....kind of turf or mat.Follow this link for the kinds of Bryopsis:

http://www.google.com/search?nord=1....6.0....0...1c.1.49.serp..1.5.877.jLlYmFPGFrI


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

Thanks for this FlameAngel. I believe I've won the battle on this.

My tank is practically spotless of bryopsis now after boosting my Mg to 1500 ppm, shutting down the lights for 2 days and reducing my feeding.

No real impact on my other water parameters other than the fact that a couple of my corals have lost a bit of colour (?). Don't know if that is a result of shutting down my lights for a couple of days. 

Hopefully they will recover some ...

Latest tests show N02, NO3, PO4 and ammonia to be zero.


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

Mikeylikes,fwiw my tank is a little over a year old now and I've never experienced any kind of Bryopsis in my tank because I keep an elevated magnessium level (1450+) and pH at 8.3-8.5 at almost all times.Also I dose Iron for my Chaeto and yes they grow greener,very dark green and very fast growth.Nice to hear you are winning the battle on your Bryopsis problem...I know they are really very ugly and pain in the butt.

Ed


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

I'll take that as sound advice for what its worth. Just need to figure out how to maintain a stable pH now. Mine bounces anywhere from 7.9 - 8.2.

With regards to your chaeto .. do you white spots growing on them ? Mine have lots but I saw chaeto without them. Is this normal ?


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

Mikeylikes said:


> I'll take that as sound advice for what its worth. Just need to figure out how to maintain a stable pH now. Mine bounces anywhere from 7.9 - 8.2.
> 
> With regards to your chaeto .. do you white spots growing on them ? Mine have lots but I saw chaeto without them. Is this normal ?


White spots on them is pretty normal so when you harvest,take them all out as much as possible.They mostly happen in the area where it's not lit up and also not getting enough nutrients.I dose my tank with 5ml of Iron every week that I made from Fergon Iron concentrated pill....1 pill per 100ml of RO/DI water for a solution.The faster you grow the Chaeto the better the export of nutrients(NO3/PO4) plus it out competes the microalgaes.I'm also using Kalwasser on a daily basis as my top-off water to take care of elevated pH plus it helps to control PO4 also in a limited way....many benefits to using limewater.I made my own 12 gallon acrylic container for the kalwasser with metering pump hooked up on a controller but a simple timer will do as long as you know the exact evaporation rate of your tank.Be careful with limewater though coz if you don't watch your pH,it can be too high.Make a 1 teaspoon per 2 gallons to start and then check your alk and pH twice or three times initially till you get the hang of it.It will help elevate your pH for sure but again to KEEP an eye on your pH level.Btw,what kind of lighting do you use in your fuge and for how long?Do you use reverse lighting (On during nights and off in the morning)?Try reading this article about Fe:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/8/chemistry
Here's another interesting article and food for thoughts regarding Macroalgae:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-01/sl/index.php
Here's another one about pH:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php


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## Mikeylikes (Nov 22, 2013)

Haven't read up on Kalwasser doing yet so a little clued out there. Iron pill with RO water ? Is that approach cheaper than buying a bottle of iron ? If so where do I get these pills ?

Reverse lighting ? Yes .. I have it on a timer to come on at 11pm and off at 9 am. Its a 18W (equivalent to 75W) CFL par38 floodlight @ 5300K. I purchased at crappy tire base on Meleevs Reef recommendation on bulb type for a refuge.


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

*Fergon concentrated Iron supplement*



Mikeylikes said:


> Haven't read up on Kalwasser doing yet so a little clued out there. Iron pill with RO water ? Is that approach cheaper than buying a bottle of iron ? If so where do I get these pills ?
> 
> Reverse lighting ? Yes .. I have it on a timer to come on at 11pm and off at 9 am. Its a 18W (equivalent to 75W) CFL par38 floodlight @ 5300K. I purchased at crappy tire base on Meleevs Reef recommendation on bulb type for a refuge.


You can only buy the Fergon (Trademark) in the US and YES it's a lot,lot cheaper....100 tablets for $10.00...100x100ml.For my tank it is dose 5 ml/week.Be careful though coz it may trigger microalgae growth as well so keep an eye when dosing Iron.It would help to control your nuisance algae growth if you elevate your pH and the addition of Kalk will do the trick.All your fuge set-up is alright but I have my lights on for 12 hours kind of like in nature w/c we all really want to mimic.Btw,keep Hydrochloric Acid (Muriatic will do) handy for when your pH becomes out of bound....that is IF....a matter of getting use to Kalk really.I forgot the med supplier I ordered mine months ago but here is a link to look at:
http://www.alibaba.com/fergon-ferro...lement-easy-to-swallow-tablets-suppliers.html
http://shop.riteaid.com/Fergon-Ferrous-Gluconate-Tablets-tablets/dp/B000GCTNQ4#.U9hBn3l0zcw
http://www.drugsdepot.com/catalog.p...Ferrous_Gluconate_Iron_Supplement_Tablets_100
Remember though,KEEP IT STERILE and make a small batch at a time (1 tablet/batch).

Ed


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Mikeylikes said:


> Just need to figure out how to maintain a stable pH now. Mine bounces anywhere from 7.9 - 8.2.


*pH*: There is no such thing as stable pH. These variations are normal for day-night cycle. Your pH is very good for a low maintenance tank, I can say perfect.
The perfect way to measure pH is to take it at same hour and in the same conditions few days in a row. You pH will be low in the morning and high in the afternoon. Perfectly normal and doesn't require any adjustments. Read more about pH and you will understand.
In this picture you can see the daily pH variation.









Kalkwasser is highly recommended if you want to raise Ca and pH, and maintain alk. But keep in mind that pH will still fluctuate in 24h period. It is a natural process. Has to be dosed in small quantities, otherwise your pH will spike and your livestock will not be happy. I lost 2 sps when I started dosing kalkwasser. If you mix 1teasp of kalkwasser with 15ml vinegar and add this to 1 gallon of water, you will have a clearer solution and not so elevated pH.

*Iron*: I would do a lot of reading before dosing iron, specially when you are battling bryopsis. If you don't get the right dosage, you can have an algae outbreak. I myself was thinking to dose iron, to increase green color in my sps, but it is too risky.

Read before you add anything new to your tank.


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

*Be Informed*

I TOTALLY agree with TankCla,pH in nature and especially in our tank do fluctuates to a certain degree.There is really NO stable pH BUT close enough is a better word.As for adding anything in your tank,do some research work coz what I do with my tank MAY not work for others.I believe NO tanks are alike.Like Mr.Saltwater Tank says it "Tank Personality".


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