Bryopsis-Trying to not Give Up!

[DianaKay]

Tested my parameters today & used to Red Sea Pro Mg test instead of the Salifert one & it took 2 syringes of the titration fluid plus 0.1 ml more.....I don't even know how to figure exactly how HIGH that is but it's TOO HIGH!

Temp. = 77.1°
SG = 1.025
CA = 440
dKH = 6.5
pH = 8.2
Nitrates = 0

I removed the zoa frag that has obvious Bryopsis growth and also turned off all circulation pumps to do a 5 gallon WC. I removed the BIG growing patch of Bryopsis and the sand bed it was attached to.
My tank has no more BIG FEATHERY PLUMES right now but I see LOTS of sprigs of green wire looking algae that could be Bryposis. Most likely it is
I swear if I beat this Bryopsis I will think I've been there & done it all with my tank :fingerx:

Going to re-test Mg tomorrow & play this out day by day. Thanks for reading my update!

 

[slfcaptain]

With the red sea mg test be sure to stop adding reagent as soon as it turns blue. It may go back to purple but the first time you get the blue is your Mg reading. It doesnt need to stay blue.

Two syringes is really high. Assuming the Mg concentration is linear in relation to reagent the your Mg is north of 2800 ppm. Definetly worth re-testing.

steve

 

[DianaKay]

With the red sea mg test be sure to stop adding reagent as soon as it turns blue. It may go back to purple but the first time you get the blue is your Mg reading. It doesnt need to stay blue.

Two syringes is really high. Assuming the Mg concentration is linear in relation to reagent the your Mg is north of 2800 ppm. Definetly worth re-testing.

steve

That's when it turned blue and why I mixed up 5 gallons SW to do a WC.
I'll re-test tomorrow & use the other test kit. I was kinda shocked.
Everything looks great....Fish & corals seem happy & look good.
Turbo Snails are moving around like normal. GBA is still being a pest but I can deal with that.
Wondering why my dKH is getting lower. Tested my WC water and the dKH was 10.5
I will re-test it tomorrow also.

 

[slfcaptain]

Wow! Try testing the fresh SW. I am curious what level its at. You use redc sea coral pro salt, right?

steve

 

[DianaKay]

Wow! Try testing the fresh SW. I am curious what level its at. You use redc sea coral pro salt, right?

steve

I'd already used the newly mixed SW for my WC. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals in my tank, seem to be working good for me.
Today's test for Mg (using the Salifert test kit) shows Mg level at 1500.
I'm going to forget testing with the Red Sea Mg test kit. :smirk:
Re-tested dKH for after WC & it's up from 6.5 to 7
My Mg level was just too high to start with
I will take a water sample to the local pet shop & have the owner there test my Mg on Tuesday.
And wait to see where the next crop of Byropsis pops up at. Don't really know what to do at this point.
I'm thinking a whole series of 5 to 10 gallon WCs might have to happen before I can dose my tank with enough of the Kent Tech-M to kill the Bryopsis.

 

[slfcaptain]

1500 is more reasonable and more likely. The red sea Mg is my least favorite test, lots of steps and I always worry that I forgot a drop of reagent A.

Good luck with the battle!

steve

 

[DianaKay]

Thanks Steve! I keep hoping that it will just :scram: go away.
One day at a time...I've removed all the sprout ups so far.
I've worried about other stuff (like GBA) taking over and it hasn't.
This stuff just pops up out of nowhere & it's a little more scary than anything I've had to deal with yet.
I am glad I have this forum in case it gets really bad, y'all don't let me give up!!

 

[DianaKay]

I sit here & just WISH it was the high level Magnesium that worked to killed the Bryopsis algae, knowing full well that it's not. I may have to reduce my Mg gradually with an increase in WC schedule just so I can raise it back up with the Kent Tech-M. This will be a long drawn out ordeal if that's what I have to do. :time:

 

[Snid]

Never surrender... Never give up!

 

[coralrama]

My Mg is now in the 1500 range, and I think I'm seeing it start to take effect:

Here's the same bit against the sand, blurry pic but I think you can see what I mean.

 

[Coraljunkie]

Lucky lol I'm glad it's working for you

 

[Snid]

Yay! So glad to see the tide turning. May I never get it in my tank, but if I do, I'll know what to do thanks to this thread.

 

[coralrama]

Well, I'm not sure it's working, it's just different.... it's entirely possible it's forming Magnesium resistant tips.

 

[harold green]

I would like to offer a novices suggestion. I'm running in a 210 right now and I've had several types of fuzzy algaes sprout on the live rock. Hermits and turbos haven't been interested. However I dropped a few nerites in the tank and they have cleaned any rocks they end up on down to the coralline algae excepting the macro algaes. I don't think they'll do much on the sand bed but once on a rock they seem determined to eat all soft algaes. I've come to believe there is no perfect snail but that a tank may require a large mix of snails and crabs to stay in balance. I've found that lettuce nudibranchs prefer hair algae and sea hares prefer the nice macro algaes most of us find attractive in our tanks. They might eat what you want if you offer no other choices but be aware that if offered a choice they may not eat what you expect. I hope you mag. treatment works but if it doesn't or only helps for a limited time keep other options in mind.

 

[DianaKay]

Thanks for your suggestions Harold! I'm mostly working on manual (outside my tank) removal right now.
I'm doing larger, closer together water changes to get my Mg level back down JUST SO I can raise it back up with the Kent Tech-M. I'm still thinking that my Mg level was already too high to add enough of what ever is in the Tech-M that actually kills the Bryopsis. It make take a very long time to get completely rid of the Bryopsis but I'm determined that I can beat it. I have NO real noticeable patches of it now...very thankful that the Bryopsis is not being aggressive. You'd think that with a refugium growing LOTS of macro algae that would make a difference but with Bryopsis, I guess it doesn't.

 

[blackbeltmom]

Just curious if you had checked your phosphate and nitrate levels?

 

[DianaKay]

Just curious if you had checked your phosphate and nitrate levels?

I've always had near 0 nitrates but my phosphate level has never been Zero. My water change water even tests at 0.06 newly mixed. I have not tested my tap water & I do use my RO-Di system testing at 0 TDS.
I don't think from what I read that Bryopsis has any thing to do with poor water quality at all. It can't be controlled by having perfect water conditions. My phosphate level tests at 0.08 & I am running a refugium that grows full of chaeto that I am now harvesting out on a regular basis.
Bryopsis seems to be unlike most algae with it's needs to grow I think that it more scary to have

 

[blackbeltmom]

I ask because I actually read that Bryopsis feeds off nitrates and phosphates. I will try to find the article. I believe it said that they feed on it so efficiently that it pretty much depletes them from the water.

 

[DianaKay]

I ask because I actually read that Bryopsis feeds off nitrates and phosphates. I will try to find the article. I believe it said that they feed on it so efficiently that it pretty much depletes them from the water.

I've never had any nitrates except right after my tank cycled & then went to zero after my 1st WC.
My tank is 19 months old & I have no idea except POSSIBLY for dumping water in my tank with the addiction of two times I bought pods where the Bryopsis might have originated. It sure took a long time to show up.
It isn't real bad (not even noticeable at thus point) in my tank...I just know that it could get much worse before I can kill it out. The patches that I have removed were VERY THICK...I for sure don't want them springing up all over my tank. My fear is that they will :bouncebox
I am preparing my tank to do battle (with Tech-M) if that happens

 

[slfcaptain]

I am curious if the tech-m works on other algae.

steve