Finally - no more bryopsis!!!

[Jenemone]

After fighting this stuff for over a year, it is finally GONE! At one point, 90% of my rock was covered in bryopsis so thick that it was choking itself out. I tried everything, and had given up, when my friend gave me an emerald crab that was eating her coralline. In the two months that he has been in there, he has wiped it out. No more grass to mow!

Thank God for Emerald Crabs

 

[Len]

Now if only I could get Emerald crabs to eat Valonia

Glad to hear you have it beat. Bryposis can be some nasty stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

I've not been able to get emerald Crabs to eat large valonia, however, they will eat the smaller ones that grow after a large one has burst. When I have valonia issues I purchase the crabs, pop the larger (bigger than a pea) valonia, and crabs take care of the rest. The crabs live long enough, a couple of years, for all of the cells of the popped valonia to settle and grow.

Hope this helps,

-Greg

 

[goldenboy]

IMHO there is nothing better for a bryopsis problem than An emerald crab, sally light foot, and a few "Alysia (tridachia) crispata" lettuce slugs. They took care of my problem inside of two weeks. 1/4 of my tank was completely covered with the stuff.

I wish i could get my emerald to eat valonia to.

 

[Anonymous]

and a few "Alysia (tridachia) crispata" lettuce slugs.

goldenboy, how long do these nudibranches live?

 

[Anonymous]

Congrats on ridding yourself of the nasty stuff.

For me there were only two things that helped me get rid of bryopsis. Adding macros to the sump and kalk - either covering it with kalk past, or accidently addint too much kalk top off at once.

Of course, the aging of my system might have had something to do with it too.

RR

 

[goldenboy]

[quotegoldenboy, how long do these nudibranches live?[/quote]

They generally live for less than a year in my experience(like most nudis). I think that the longest I have ever owned one is about 6 months. It seems like something always takes them out before they can complete there life cycle. I lost my last ones to a power outage. They do however, reproduce very easily in captivity because from what I have heard they are very heavy during there planktonic stage and don't get to high up in the water collum where filters and overflows can take them out. They are such good bryopsis eaters that from the moment that I put them into the tank they almost always begin feeding immediately. The only problem with them is that they tend to crawl into the overflows a lot and have to be gotten out of the sump. They never seem to be bad off when this happens though. Nuds have amazing regeneration abilities and I have had som cut litteraly in two by a powerhead and have the part with the head heal and live a normal life span. HTH

 

[Reefguide]

I got an emerald to get rid of mine, and shortly there after died. Within 2 weeks I believe. The bryopsis started to slowly disappear and never needed purchased another emerald. After it all disapeared I found some in my overflow pulled them and have never seen them again !

 

[reefland]

So now how do you get rid of the crab? Or do you plan on keeping it?

 

[Lazyreefer1]

I bought 4 lettuce sea slugs. 1 lasted 1 maybe 2 minutes. Floated right into powerhead. Other 3 lasted 1 weeks tops and ate nothing I presume. I bought 4 emerald crabs also for same 125 reef with simalar results. I finally take the rock put and let all stuff on it die including hair algae