brillo pad algae

[surfzone]

i have this stuff in my tank it is just like the title says brillo pad algae. it's tough and nothing seems to eat it. everything i pull it off it comes back thicker and in another place. I need to find something that will eat it, or get rid of it. the urchens won't touch it, and the tang would touch it any one have any experence with this type of algae?

[ReefLady]

Could you post a picture? There is a macro algae with the common name of "brillo pad algae" - it is Chaetomorpha sp. Looks like this:



That it? Most fish won't eat it, but it's good for nutrient export. Chaeto doesn't usually "root" on rocks or anything, it typically forms a ball, so it may not be this.

[surfzone]

this is a pic of my female mandrin , but that algae is in the pic two.

[ReefLady]

Hmmm, well, that looks more like Bryopsis.



Not easy stuff to get rid of. Manually remove as much as you can. Determine if you have a source of nutrients in the tank (nitrates/phosphates) - that is food for this stuff. Also make sure your water parameters are balanced and where they should be. There is some evidence that lowpH/alk, and also low mag levels can contribute to bryopsis breakouts. Conversely, raising these levels can help manage it.

Here are a couple threads here on Bryopsis:

Bryopsis !!

Bobs Battle Begins, the dreaded byprosis

HTH,

[surfzone]

no it's not Bryopsis i had that and got rid of it with a pair of urchins this stuff is thick and wirey like chito, but grows in thick mats rather than in a ball

[ReefLady]

Okay - there are many different types of Bryopsis - most people experience the "feathery" kind but it's not all like that. Not sure what it is if it's not Bryopsis - I'll try to poke around a little.

[Dentoid]

I don't have an answer for the Bryopsis, but the Mandarin is a beauty and she looks pregnant. Got a male in there too?

I like the look of the Bryopsis and it probably supports the pods. However, I understand the scourge. When we were at MACNA last year in Atlanta, we visited the Atlanta Aquarium and they had the biggest Green Mandarin I've ever seen. It was colossal, I didn't even know that they got as big as this one was. At any rate, the tank that it was in was covered in algae while all the other tanks were clean and well kept. Not that the tank looked ill kept, but I wonder if there is something to their husbandry method that has allowed this Mandarin to survive to such a large size.

[surfzone]

That mandarin is paired up with a big male both of whom spawn for me atleast 4 times a week. i've tried raising the young with minimal sucess i'll get 3 or 4 to settle if i feed rotifers, but if i feed wild plankton in the summer i get much higher numbers.

[Dentoid]

That's great! I'm sure you are familiar with MOFIB, is your screen name over there the same?

[surfzone]

yes it is. Matt Wittenrich and I had a good talk about the mandrins and i went to his talk at MACNA in Atlanta. I'm not sure if i'm going to Atlantic City or not.

[rmlevasseur]

I have a target mandarin that's a fatty too, but he's in there with a green mandarin. At first he would bully the green, but now they don't fight at all. I've been toying with the idea of pulling the green and adding another target. Would you guys recommend a larger one or a smaller one? They both eat right out of the water column now, and whatever I feed.

Sorry for the hijack.

[Thomaas]

Have you found a solution to your/our algae problem.
I have the same problem
I have now tried many research
llige things, but without success.