Algae battle

[dnyceli]

Every reef tank comes with its ups and downs. For the past month I have been battling Bryopsis. My nutrient levels are very close to 0. It is a 20G IM Fusion. I have been doing larger weekly water changes and manually taking the algae out by hand. It grows back within a week and it grew on the outside of my tube worm exit I guess preventing it from coming out to feed and killed it. Now it is growing on the bare spot on my Gonipora. Ca,Kh,Mg,salinity,PH are all within levels. Any ideas why they grow?

 

[Sgt Jonny]

Where are you getting your water? Tap water? RODI water? Well water? Its very important to use RODI water. That could be your issue. Keep in mind that your phosphate and nitrate levels will have a false low reading because the algae is consuming it. I hope this helps...

 

[jamie callard Verified Sponsor]

your levels are 0 because the algae is using it. reduce your light and feedings to help eliminate the algae

 

[brandon429]

consider the algae challenge thread below we have lots of bryopsis cures

It grows because any condition in a reef tank that will grow coral will grow algae, literally that reason. It's cause in your tank was hitchhiking in on purchased items. Even considering a tank that was able to beat an algae battle by lowering phosphate, for example, we can simply bring about new algae in that tank by just changing out all the lights to all white LEDs and running them full force 24x7, it will be taken over by algae that simply adapted to the lower nutrient levels. It's great to make your nutrient levels in line with successful tanks, but beyond that there was a critical removal step not listed in your dealings

In the wild it is kept in check not by nutrients but by grazers that eat it

 

[dnyceli]

Where are you getting your water? Tap water? RODI water? Well water? Its very important to use RODI water. That could be your issue. Keep in mind that your phosphate and nitrate levels will have a false low reading because the algae is consuming it. I hope this helps...

I am using the BRS 6 stage water saver. Algae consuming my nutrients giving false test results. That is a great point I over looked. Makes sense

 

[dnyceli]

your levels are 0 because the algae is using it. reduce your light and feedings to help eliminate the algae

I cut down on my feeding to every other day and it yields the same effects. I want to cut my lights for a couple of days, but I have a small clam that requires the light.

 

[twilliard]

Bryopsis as with any algae doesn't require a lot to grow.
Once green all it needs is a little light. And not much at that.
H2O2 rids of it if you can raise the rock out of the water

 

[dnyceli]

It is growing on top of the bare spot on my Gonipora and my tube worm. I don't think dipping them in hydrogen peroxide will fair a good outcome

 

[steelheader.262]

Your clam and coral will be fine, I've done some 3 day lights out with no harm to clams or other inhabitants.

 

[BossGT911]

a small water change to get out some algae might help

 

[brandon429]

Be sure and check the peroxide thread, we show how to treat with those animals in tow. Not any aspect of your setup is different than 500 collected examples in the thread. This is the stage where algae could have been beaten back already per the thread, but our hobby is built around you leaving it in to grow for more months, hoping a change to your nutrients will win and not bleach out the corals. We wind up getting the tanks for help either twice as invaded as it is now, as a last resort before tank teardown, and then a select few retake the tank right now while the work load is low.


You can be algae free within nine days any time you choose that counter to begin, the thread shows. we talk about a test rock over and over in the thread and though we easily treat with those animals present, your test rock doesn't have to be that rock. Literally farming algae on purpose you'll see is how most entrants get to our thread. That's an amazing aspect of today's algae troubles... the keeper has to initially accept they have put the algae in the tank and watched it grow on purpose, and then counter options come into play to begin undoing all that

All we do in the thread is clean out tanks purposefully grown. The removal technique doesn't stop you from using all the conventional preventatives such as GFo, grazers, and ATS or carbon dosing. Those do not have nine day turnaround times they are for prevention in an algae free tank... we earn just that portion.

Once the thread is checked the list of sensitive animals can be compared to the ones you mentioned (not on the list)

You wouldn't dip your non targets into peroxide, the other stand out detail.

 

[dnyceli]

a small water change to get out some algae might help

I've been doing larger 30-50% weekly water changes and even changed all my RODI filters out. Changed filter floss out with every water change. Used Chemipure.

 

[dnyceli]

Your clam and coral will be fine, I've done some 3 day lights out with no harm to clams or other inhabitants.

How big was your clam? Mine is like 1" big. Smaller clams need more light and feeding

 

[BossGT911]

just do about a 10% water change weekly
and see if it helps

 

[Sgt Jonny]

I would start regular weekly water changes, and if you have a skimmer, start dosing with No3PO4-x. I had a pretty bad outbreak and after 2-3 weeks of dosing and water changes my GHA was gone. Heres a video...

 

[jamie callard Verified Sponsor]

I cut down on my feeding to every other day and it yields the same effects. I want to cut my lights for a couple of days, but I have a small clam that requires the light.

put your claim in a QT tank if you have one so you can run your DT with out lights for a few days

 

[Maxxingout]

Bryopsis is crazy stuff, very! I'm not going against anything that Brandon has said. He's very knowledgeable and very helpful. Only thing I want to state is that even with rock removal and multi h202 @ 3% attacks, bryopsis will come back one way or another. I've been battling this stuff for months on end. I have taken the same rock out of the tank 4x now, hit it with 3% h202 and left it on the rock for min of 15min before rinsing in a bucket of tank water and returning it to the dt. The bryopsis is starting to grow back on that same rock again, only 3 wks into the last treatment. I have hit 75% of my rocks a minimum of 2x and am getting grow back on ALL of them. This stuff has some serious holding power and imho is nothing like GHA, I'd take that any day in place of bry. as for what eats it, I had a nudi that basically acted as a lawnmower. It would graze the tops only which basically helps zero cause the stuff would not only regrow but keep spreading. Yellow tang and a 2 spot tang, multi types of snails and emerald crabs do nothing to this stuff. In tank treatments with peroxide is worthless on this stuff, been there done that. Out of the tank treatment or water removal to the point that the rock is out in the open is the only way. Down side is I believe at this point I'll have to hit it not only with peroxide but tech m. I know some say they've changed or you need to get the bottles with the contaminant in it as not every bottles the same. I will admit I'mat a lose. I have not tried the 35% h2o2 yet. Basically I wanted to give perspective to the op that just nutrient control will help get rid of this stuff cause it won't. My rocks almost look like they used to when I fist put them in, white with nice green bryopsis in the middle.

 

[dnyceli]

I would start regular weekly water changes, and if you have a skimmer, start dosing with No3PO4-x. I had a pretty bad outbreak and after 2-3 weeks of dosing and water changes my GHA was gone. Heres a video...

This is not finding the cause of the problem

 

[dnyceli]

just do about a 10% water change weekly
and see if it helps

I will doubt it because I have been doing more than that weekly for about a month now. 30-50%

 

[dnyceli]

Be sure and check the peroxide thread, we show how to treat with those animals in tow. Not any aspect of your setup is different than 500 collected examples in the thread. This is the stage where algae could have been beaten back already per the thread, but our hobby is built around you leaving it in to grow for more months, hoping a change to your nutrients will win and not bleach out the corals. We wind up getting the tanks for help either twice as invaded as it is now, as a last resort before tank teardown, and then a select few retake the tank right now while the work load is low.


You can be algae free within nine days any time you choose that counter to begin, the thread shows. we talk about a test rock over and over in the thread and though we easily treat with those animals present, your test rock doesn't have to be that rock. Literally farming algae on purpose you'll see is how most entrants get to our thread. That's an amazing aspect of today's algae troubles... the keeper has to initially accept they have put the algae in the tank and watched it grow on purpose, and then counter options come into play to begin undoing all that

All we do in the thread is clean out tanks purposefully grown. The removal technique doesn't stop you from using all the conventional preventatives such as GFo, grazers, and ATS or carbon dosing. Those do not have nine day turnaround times they are for prevention in an algae free tank... we earn just that portion.

Once the thread is checked the list of sensitive animals can be compared to the ones you mentioned (not on the list)

You wouldn't dip your non targets into peroxide, the other stand out detail.

Won't dosing peroxide kill my micro fauna?