Trying ReefFlux for the 3rd time now.
Hypothesis for how Bryopsis got introduced: Zoa colony on Indonesian rock from LiveAquaria (around November 2021). A month or so after introduction of that piece, noticed the fern structures growing from that same rock.
Tried plucking for the first couple months, it kept spreading (wish I had done this treatment at first sight and not tried any manual removal). Never exploded to plague proportions, but there were small specimens almost everywhere in the tank, including some that were suffocating/shading corals. Eventually it was growing like a sparse forest across all lit areas of the sandbed (this was before I added a conch in January 2022, which started turning over sandbed and it *looked* cleaner after that, but maybe that burying is what is causing my treatments to not work?).
In February 2022 I tried the first ReefFlux dose (5 capsules at once, for approx. 45 gal of total water). Turned skimmer completely off for 5 days, then on but not collected before eventually resuming the driest collection I could achieve. Removed GAC and Purigen. Watched all bryopsis I could see wither and die within the first week. 25% water change and put new GAC/Purigen in at 3 weeks. Thought it was a successful eradication.
(Side note about algae scrubber during first treatment: left online during whole treatment, all GHA died, replaced by a tough orange/brown algae, but was back to near full GHA production within a couple weeks of resuming water changes and carbon)
April 2022 noticed it returning on the sandbed and a few corals/rocks (less than last time at least). Tried another 5 capsules of ReefFlux. Skimmer stayed on at lowest setting with cup off the whole time, all absorption media out again. The bryopsis did not wither until much later during this treatment. Did the 25% water change and added new media at 2 weeks. That's earlier than I would have liked, due to family coming to visit for two weeks. Wouldn't have had time to go through the post treatment process while entertaining, and didn't want to let the dirty water keep going that long.
(Side note about algae scrubber during second treatment: left online, GHA died again, replaced by small amounts of the orange stuff from last time, but mostly by a new green slimy/gelatinous variety. GHA very slowly resumed a halved-growth rate after treatment)
June 2022, it's back again, growing quickly in the same areas but not suffocating/shading anything yet. Today I put in 7 capsules of ReefFlux (if it doesn't work this time, maybe I should try Flux Rx?). Same media removal, skimmer on at lowest setting and no cup.
Plan to let it stay in for 3 weeks this time, or should I let it go a full month? I really worry about how dirty my tank will get by that point. I already have a high nutrient system (generally 20-30 Nitrates, 0.1-0.2 Phosphates). Each week I skim 2/3 cup of wet but dark skimmate and clean a nice thick build-up of sludge from the neck. Carbon dosing 6ml of DIY NoPox daily, which is difficult to reduce as it is mixed in ratio with my Balling part C reservoir, also my concerns about the system's dependency on it. With no carbon, Purigen, and halting algae scrubber growth, it just amplifies the anxiety.
I can try to reduce my feedings even more (which is normally half of a small cube of frozen each night for 6 small fish, and a supplemental daytime feeding every 2-3 days of either Masstick, spirulina, ROE, or pellets.
Really not liking this, as I felt so much stress in the previous two treatments from not keeping my full import/export program in place. Can someone tell me "let it go longer, it will be ok, and then you won't have to do a fourth treatment"? Is bryopsis really this persistent, or can someone see something I'm doing wrong? Again, I wonder if the conch constantly turning over the sandbed is keeping some spores protected from the treatment that the conch then releases later to keep it coming back.
Sorry for long winded post, just wanted to give as much information as possible to hopefully get some help/advice.
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