Has anyone managed to get rid of a Bryopsis infestation?

[dido]

Short of going in with tweezers, what eats Bryopsis algae? Does anyone have first hand experience with it?

I am using RO water and have low Phosphates (lowest reading on test kit) and low nitrates. I am using phosguard and carbon. The Bryopsis keeps coming back. :x

 

[Anonymous]

Short of going in with tweezers, what eats Bryopsis algae? Does anyone have first hand experience with it?

I am using RO water and have low Phosphates (lowest reading on test kit) and low nitrates. I am using phosguard and carbon. The Bryopsis keeps coming back. :x

i just waited it out.

i have heard that a lettuce Nudibranch will eat it, but they only live for six months and often end up as powerhead chum.

 

[Anonymous]

Sea hares will eat it but there is some kind of toxic component to bryopsis I am told. Even fish and invertebrates that can be coaxed to eat it can succumb if they consume too much.

 

[Anonymous]

From an old thread on another board this seems to be a real problem. One final poster said he took out all his rock and soaked it in bleach. Which I think is a little extreme.

Seems to me that if you keep removing it and insure lotsa thriving desirable plant life is in the system, then this will eventually die out. But it apparently can take time and effort. Especially if any teenzy little bit is unacceptable.

 

[Anonymous]

I have found that kalk paste will kill bryopsis. Also 'blasting' the area where the it roots is also helpful.

How bad is it?

 

[dido]

I pulled out a heaping salad bowl full of the stuff the other day. It is driving me crazy.

 

[dido]

Incidentally, I tested for nitrates and phosphates and both test at the lowest reading on my test kits. I am running carbon and phosguard.

 

[Anonymous]

Diligent plucking is a good idea, and shade also works. If the bryopsis is on rock you can cover the rock temporarily with epoxy putty or some black plastic garbage bag (make sure it isn't a treated bag) till the bryopsis dies off.

FWIU, bryopsis gets its nutrients from where it roots, not the WC.

 

[Anonymous]

Diligent plucking and scrubbing affected areas with a toothbrush, along with increased water changes and a lit fuge with macros does the trick. Also, as Rich says it get's nutrients from where it roots. However it also gets nutrients from the WC - I think. I could be wrong there. At any rate, increased current can help as well. You HAVE to be a nazi about plucking and scrubbing for a some weeks though.

Jim

 

[dido]

That's interesting, I didn't know that it got its nutrients through roots. That must be why "blasting" the area was recommended by someone.

I do need to start a refugium. I have tried to raise some macro algae in my display tank, but the two tangs that I have wipe it out within about two days. It is just a matter of getting my act together, i suppose. I also have no source for macros. My LFS is the only game in town and has no reliable source for them at the moment.

 

[Anonymous]

Post to the BAR (Bay Area Reefers) forum here on RC. We have several members in your area that I am sure would be able to help with macros.

RR

 

[Apophis924]

it took me a LOT of manual labor, pulling it out by hand with each water change, very very light feedings, a few turbo snails and two big ass emerald crabs and one lawn mower blenny, I kept my PH above 8.3 and now after two months I am free of it. and not a trace has reappeared and now i feed a lot to support all the clean up crews i got to remove the stuff in the first place. I also keep my light spectrum at 12K with actinics. and I also use TAP WATER, i just add a lil chlor out to remove chlorine and chlorinames and mix it up with IO.

 

[jango]

I scrape it from the glass with a razor blade while doing water changes then siphon it out. I have no more issue's with it...and now that I typed that I will go home tonight to find my tank covered with bryopsis.. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Marinemix Bioassay salt has been known to kill Bryopsis.

Careful though because there's also a list of corals it can damage.

Perhaps setting up a seperate tank using the Marinemix and plop a rock in until the Bryopsis is gone.