Bryopsis

lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
I've battled Bryopsis for several years in my 29g Biocube. My water parameters are really good and the water is super clean because I'm just keeping corals until I can get rid of the bryopsis. Nitrates and phosphates are too low to measure with hobbyist test kits. Currently I am one week into magnesium dosing Kent Marine Tech M and have my magnesium at 2000ppm.
I have tried a foxface, turbo snails and an emerald crab. The foxface would nibble at the bryopsis, but wouldn't eat very much.The turbo snails and emerald crab didn't touch it. I've tried manual removal, which only seemed to propagate the bryopsis.
Here is a list of things I've thought about trying next:

Creatures:
Lettuce nudibranch
Sea urchin
Chitons
New Equipment:
Sump Build Out
Algae scrubber
Manual:
Rock flipping
Freezing
Burning
Removal of rock
Chemical:
Hydrogen peroxide
Bleach

Can you guys weigh in on a plan of attack?

Here is a picture of the Byropsis growing within Zoanthids. (the green stalk is a piece of fake seaweed used as a hitching post for seahorses)
Byropsis.jpg
 
lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
photo.JPG
I'm pretty sure it is Bryopsis or turf algae. It is very bristly and course and dark green, almost impossible to pull from the rocks.
That said maybe I am mistaken so here is another picture from when I had seahorses.
PH 8.2
Alk 9.5
Salinity 1.024
Calcium 450
Mag 2000
Temp 75
Ammonia, Nitrates and Phosphates 0
 
lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
Silverado61-
After researching more and looking at some more pictures, I'm not as confident as I was that it is Bryopsis. I don't think it looks like Enteromorpha, maybe it could be Cladophora algae? Here is some more photos.Take a look see what you think. Maybe someone else knows what it is for sure.

Luke
photo 1.JPG


photo 2.JPG
 
lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
I appreciate the advice Silverado61 and Bang guy. I think that you guys are right that it is Cladophora. Would you consider burning or freezing or are those bad ideas?
 
lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
I don't want to go with a fish solution. I tried a fox face and he would just nibble.

I had a heater failure a few months back and the coral doesn't looks as good right now, so I'm not that worried about the coral. There is a lot of Cladophora, plenty that isn't near coral.

I want to get rid of the Cladophora for good. The sea urchin sounds like a good idea. Anything else from the list I had make sense? I want to be aggressive. I've dealt with this for years.

Is freezing one rock at a time over the course a month or so a bad idea?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi,

Just jumping in... Your tank is too small for tangs or rabbit fish. The sea urchin is the best idea, no algae is safe around an urchin...just make sure the corals are well glued since they are bull dozers, and be sure to select a reef safe critter. A VERY SMALL Diadema urchin won't harm any corals... but be prepared to rehome it, because they grow fast and become huge.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Get some stuff called Joes juice, or Aptasia X for the aptasia, don't bother them, or the rock they are on, or they will spread like wild fire.
 
lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
Progress report:
1.) Removed all the live rock from the tank, trimmed the Cladophora as much as possible, and dipped it sequentially in two buckets of salt water to remove any loose pieces of algae that might further propagate the algae.
2.) Bought a royal urchin that died, either because I dropped a small amount of aiptasia X on the urchin or the high magnesium level killed him (all water parameters look good).
3.) Bought a pink pincushion urchin, but he is sitting in the same spot for long periods of time. Wondering if he is healthy?
4.) I’ve continued to keep the magnesium at 2000ppm, and it’s been at that level for about a month now.

After a month since raising the magnesium levels, the tank still looks exactly the same with tons of Cladophora. Wondering if I should just restart the tank or if I should keep battling this alga? Next steps?
 
Last edited:
lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
I drip acclimated the pincushion, he's not dropping any spines.

I don't have anything but coral, hermits, snails, and the urchin in the tank. I have a RODI unit from BRS that I regularly change filters on, but maybe the water is the issue? Phosphates and nitrates test at zero. The Cladophora isn't really growing, but it isn't dying either.
 
lukeg1981

lukeg1981

Member
Update:
It’s been 6 weeks since dosing Kent Marine Tech M. I’ve trimmed back the Cladophora and it’s not growing and is less dark green. I’ve killed all the aiptasia, a few keep coming back.

I was growing hair algae along with the Cladophora, so I decided that I must be getting immeasurable Nitrates and Phosphates from somewhere and the algae must be consuming the nutrients immediately taking them out of the water column. I decided to take out the 5 year old sand bed and leave the tank bare for the time being, suspecting the sand bed may be the problem.

The pink pincushion urchin continues to deteriorate, dropping its spines and I’m beginning to wonder if I should remove him from the tank? This is the second urchin I have had. Neither has touched the cladophora. I’m guessing either the lack of food or magnesium is causing them to die? The emerald crab appears to be eating the Cladophora, although making very slow work of it.

I did freeze one live rock for two weeks, place the rock in the sun for a few days, I have it soaking in tap water and plan to cure it in salt water next. Remarkably the cladophora is still clinging to the rock…although I presume it is dead. Could the cladophora in the tank be dead, but not dissolving as well?

I’m starting to lean towards starting over and cleaning the tank thoroughly with bleach, rinsing the tank and letting it air dry for a week or so. How long can an algae live without water? I would also bleach, bake, freeze, and cure the live rock.

The other option is to get an army of emerald crabs.

Thoughts?

74.5 Degrees
Salinity 1.025
PH 8.34
Alk 9.0 Red Sea 10.35 Salifert
Calcium 420ppm
Nitrate, Phosphate, Ammonia 0ppm
Magnesium 1600ppm
Iodine .06ppm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top