Need really help about Bryopsis 'Hair Algae'

[Adamas]

Hi people,

Any one that can help in a way with an opinion or suggestion please do so because I am really disperate about this algae that is destroying my reef tank.

My 180g tank has been running for 10 months, I have 7 chromis, mandarin, blenny and 2 ocellaris clowns. I feed twice a day, normally flakes or other type of dried food but I really feed small amounts.

I have a sump/fuge full of chaeto that is doing great, also took some into the main tank so I have more chaeto and hope it will beat the Bryopsis. As circulation I have 3 Tunze. My skimmer is an aquamedic turboflotor SL.

Parametres are as follow:

Temp - 26
SG - 1.024
Amm - 0
No2 - 0
No3 - 2
Po4 - less then 0.3
Calc - 410
ALK - 3.5 meq.L

Guys what should I do to eliminate it from my tank and does ever some one had success in a way and eliminated this algae ?

 

[Anonymous]

That stuff is the devil to eliminate, I have no real suggestions other than what you are already doing, and try and elinimate sources of fuel. I don't know of any critter that eats the stuff

 

[Anonymous]

I have found bryopsis does not compete well with fast growing algae. I think you should look for other species of algae to add to your sump, along with the Chaetomorpha. Chaeto/Spagetti algae is a good choice for a system that is really low in nutrients but it is the slowest grower of any genus I've seen thus far. It will slow even more when the nuisance alga absorbs the nutrients first.

Then, when you have something that will absorb the released nutrients, start making life miserable for the nuisance algae. Put a HOT magnum on the tank and get a clean toothbrush and scrub where you can. Manually pull out what you can.

It will be an up hill battle if you don't find an alga to out compete it, IMO.

 

[nice1bruva]

That stuff is the devil to eliminate, I have no real suggestions other than what you are already doing, and try and elinimate sources of fuel. I don't know of any critter that eats the stuff

agree with this 100%

when i set up my 200gal sps reef 18 months ago i had been in the hobby for 18 years.
i spared little expense including things like a oversized beckett downdratf skimmer for nutrient export and 'did it properly'...or so i thought.
after about four or five months the bryopsis started.....it then spread and was potentially took over my reef.
i tried the following.

feeding dry foods sparingly only....no change.
feeding fresh food sparingly only....no change
upped clean up crew by more than double...no change.
added mythrax crabs....no change.
cut lighting cycle....no change.
upped water changes dramtically with nutrient free high quality water....no change.
added a sea hare.....who did not touch it???.....no change.

i was on the verge of giving up and leaving my 18 year love affair with marines when i had one last stab at it...

as i had tried all other methods i had one last roll of the dice.
i emptied my phosphate reactor and added a much smaller amount of phos' remover....i then ran this for 48 hours....stripped again and added another smaller amount...and so on

i did this for about a month in total until the outlet from the reactor gave a zero reading and used up a fair bit of phos' remover.

it took about six week in total for the bryopsis to receed and about 6 months later i have no trace of it.

 

[nice1bruva]

forgot to add

from the very beginning i ran phosphate remover and i had a caleurpa packed refugium/algal scrubber running.....it was only when i did the phosphate reactor 'trick' that i saw results.

 

[Adamas]

You mean that I need to connect a Phosban Reactor right?

If yes then it's not a problem but what media should I use? People reccomend Rowaphos, is this the best media around?

Thanks

 

[nice1bruva]

i have used rowaphos and rate it highly but in the uk we have recentky seen a product that is called 'ultiphos'...not sure if it's in the usa?
:roll:
it's half the price and ime lasts longer than rowa.

fwiw i think reactors are waaaaaayyy more efficient for using phosphate removers.....the stuff DOES last longer/go futher using this method and my reactor paid for itself in a short space of time in my 200gallon system.
i would not run a reef without a reator again for the above reasons.

 

[Adamas]

I am from Europe, not USA. Thanks alot for your info about the new media and everything. I will surely search through the internet to find this new media.

Can you please reccomend me a Reactor for my 180g or are all good and same size?

Also is there a LFS in UK that ship in Europe ?

 

[Adamas]

I searched through internet and bought a PHOSBAN REACTOR + 1000ml ULTIPHOS from WATFORD SHOP - REEFKEEPER. I bought them for 90 GBP incl shipping to my country.

So nice1bruva when they arrive should I connect the reactor with high flow or low ? And how much Ultiphos should I put inside ?