battling bryopsis a RC post

Thanks for the link!!!

Looks like it's time to OD my tank on MG...

(I've had a few irritating patches of Bryopsis that I've been battling for YEARS)...
 
I do not have the issue right now and hopefully never will but I thought some people might find it helpful.

I do have a question though is there a difference between GHA and bryopsis? How do you know which one you have?
 
The look different, Steve. Byropsis looks like this, rather feathery.

bryopsis.jpg
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From my site:

A nuisance for sure, Bryopsis is a weed that has frustrated many hobbyists. Eradicating this type of algae is difficult because it anchors itself well to the rockwork. Very coarse in nature, this plant attracts any type of detritus which it then uses to create its own nutrient base substrate. Plucking it by hand is possible, but some bits will be left behind. Be sure to use a turkey baster to blow out any accumulations to help starve this plant of nutrients. Snails, Sea Hares, and Lettuce Nudibranchs are all known to help decimate bryopsis. (This is not the same as Green Hair Algae - derbasia - which is much finer in texture.)
 
Well...

I've elevated my Mg way up there (2000 ppm or so) for a few weeks now, and my Bryopsis patches haven't shown any reaction at all... :cry:

Guess it's time to order some Lettuce Nudibranchs...

I used RHF recipe (8 parts Mag Flake to 1 parts Epsom Salt, I believe) to raise it...

On the plus side, the only bad effects are my serpent stars seemed stunned for a week or so, but seem to have recovered...
 
@Matt wrote:
Did you ever try the 3 day lights out period? It did wonders for our GHA. said:
Nope, dunno how it'll do against Bryopsis... Bryopsis, IMHO, makes regular GHA seem like a delicate fragile SPS... But what the heck, why not I'll give it a shot too... I just edited my cron to keep the main tank lights off for the next three days, we'll see what happens...
Click to expand...
 
2 1/2 days of darkness, and the Bryopsis is thriving as normal... I went ahead and cut the full 3 days short and brought some of my lighting up today...
 
Hey Serk,

Thread says to use magnesium chloride not magnesium sulfate in epsom salts. Maybe that is why it did not work? I am going to try using Kent Tech M like those in the thread, this is supposedly Mag Chloride.

Craig
 
Craig - The recipe I used is 8 parts Mag Flake (Magnesium Chloride) to 1 part Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate)...
 
Serk,

Gotcha, well that is discouraging. Still, I think I will give it a try with Tech M. I hate this stuff, it is one tough algae and I can't find anything that will eat enough of it to get rid of it. I got it on a piece of Acro mounted on a rock about 7 or 8 months ago. One thing I noticed is that it grows better in the low flow areas of the tank.

Craig
 
Once my Mg levels come back down to normal levels, I'm considering getting some of the Kent Tech-M and trying again. I'm wondering if there's something else in there that's doing it besides the Mg itself...

My Bryopsis is generally in lower flow areas with high light. But, I've got one patch growing on the output of my loc-line return too! (And, of course, I'd take the whole return off and soak it in vinegar to kill it, but this is the same return that I have a colony of blue zoanthids growing on... Ugh...)
 
Uh Oh, not the blue zoos :shock: Ditto your observations, low flow and high light is the place for bryopsis to hang out in my system too. It is growing really well around my over flow and surrounding areas. I ordered two 128 oz bottles of Tech M and a Salifert Mag Test kit from Foster's and Smith last night. Hope this works!
 
When you guys do lights out, do you cover the tank up with trash bags to block out all the light? Do you guys still feed your fish?
 
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