Is this bryopsis?

[saltyhog]

I don't have a lot of it and it doesn't seem to be proliferating. Sorry for the title error. Can't figure out how to edit that.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Sure looks like it from that shot

 

[MartyF]

I don't have a lot of it and it doesn't seem to be proliferating. Sorry for the title error. Can't figure out how to edit that.

Looks like it to me. Mine started as a single small patch, then overran most of the tank within 5-6 months. Thank god for flucon treatment

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

From that photo I would say my nemesis has found its way to your tank as well, oh how I loathe Bryopsis....

 

[wkscott]

It doesn't look like Bryopsis to me. But then again, I'm old and my eyes aren't what they used to be. When you look at it up close, does it look like this ?

 

[saltyhog]

No. It has multiple branches but not the rows of side branches. It looks like tumble weeds for lack of a better explanation. I'll pull some more out and try to get a better picture.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

iTs best to observe underwater imo. it will have a definite feather or fern look to it. Theres several types of the bryo.

 

[saltyhog]

Here are some pictures in water. It seems to be attached to the rock at a single point and has what looks like roots(second picture).

 

[wkscott]

This looks like filamentous turf algae.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Not Bryo.
Anything else is easier to kill. Tooth brush time!

 

[saltyhog]

That loud rush you here is a me exhaling. LOL. It's fairly easy to remove with hemostats. It does attach to the rock hard enough to have tug pretty good to get it off. I'll start pulling some off every night till I get it beat down. Not a lot of it and it's mainly on a few specific dry rocks I used when I restarted my tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That loud rush you here is a me exhaling. LOL.

Hahahah.

It's fairly easy to remove with hemostats.

The toosh brush gets the little clinger roots that grow back. You can beat it that way by also lowering nutrints a bit.
The difference with bryo is if you scrub WELL it comes back. and comes back and.....

 

[saltyhog]

Gotcha. I'm actually having trouble getting my nutrients up. I restarted my tank after a move 4 months ago and rehomed all but 2 of my fish. I'm only up to 6 fish and my nitrate is consistenly undetectable and phosphate runs 0.01-0.02 despite me turning my GFO off 6 weeks ago. I do have 3 fish about to complete QT and a 4th is about 3 weeks out.

I'll try the toothbrush. Do tangs eat this stuff? Two of my fish in QT are tangs.

 

[wkscott]

Your phosphates and nitrates are higher than you may think. This algae could be using them up as fast as they are being produced so your test kit isn't reading them. As soon as you get the algae under control you could see a rapid increase in your nutrient level.

 

[saltyhog]

I'll keep an eye on the PO4. There is not very much of this stuff at all. I removed probably 40% of it for the pictures seen. I would restart my GFO but my SPS are a little pale and I'm afraid to get too aggressive with it.

 

[wkscott]

I'll keep an eye on the PO4. There is not very much of this stuff at all. I removed probably 40% of it for the pictures seen. I would restart my GFO but my SPS are a little pale and I'm afraid to get too aggressive with it.

Good idea. This algae is more efficient at striping nutrients from the water than the symbiotic algae in our corals. Not only is this algae ugly but enough of it will cause your corals to starve and pale out as you are experiencing.

 

[Efranco]

I delt with this for months after I got a yellow tang...never saw it again

 

[BluewaterLa]

I don't have a lot of it and it doesn't seem to be proliferating. Sorry for the title error. Can't figure out how to edit that.

Hard to tell from the picture here out the water as there are a few different species of bryposis we encounter.

It appears to be bryopsis sp. which is the general name given in Julian sprungs algae guide.
It's rather soft compared to other tough corse forms and had a larger developed central hold fast once grown out.
Usually found in newly set up aquariums growing on the glass, overflows and then on the sand.

If it is this type then don't freak out as it's not typically the plague of death bryopsis most have major issues with.
While I was fallow during a tank transfer with all new live sand I started to notice this brown in color short algae growing on the overflows and back glass.
Turned out it grew rather quickly into green bryopsis sp.

I let it grow till the central hold point was developed enough I could use my finger nail to easily detach it from the surface.
Set my water mixing trash can next to the tank, used a small clamp to hold a filter sock around the rim of the can and utilized a scrapper and siphon hose zip tied together.
Just run the end of the siphon hose into the filter sock.
When the can gets full just pump the water back to tank and change filter sock if needed.
Now I did this three times during a 90 day fallow period

Once my tangs were out of QT they made short work of this delectable green snack along with my blennies.
So if you have this type as I did then algae loving fish will mow it down.
I let it grow out two weeks before adding my algae starved water cattle back to the tank and within 3 hours there was not a trace of green left in the tank.

On another note this type is said to go away on its own as it's viewed as part of the new tank "uglies"
My advise is be proactive in manually removing it best you can and get some algae eaters like tangs, urchins, blennies or sea slugs

Good luck and happy reefing
BluewaterLa / mike

 

[BluewaterLa]

Here are some pictures in water. It seems to be attached to the rock at a single point and has what looks like roots(second picture).

Just read down and seen this set of pictures
I would say confidently this is the soft version bryopsis Sp.
Which in the works of this algae type is the less of all their evils.
Be vigilant and get some algae munchers, no worries

And yes this type plus many other algae can absolutely thrive in nutrient poor water with correct spectrum and enough hours of light.
Most algae can survive off of limited nutrients
High or elevated nutrient levels "fuel" faster growth giving the algae a hall pass to over grow the tank.

 

[Bebow]

The bryposis that I had 4 year ago looked liked little feathers. Nothing would eat it, not tangs not a fox face or emerald crabs. The algae you have looks very similar to the stuff that popped up in my new 180. Once the tank got through all the diatoms and algae it's almost gone. My Hippo tang like to munch on it.
Maybe you could try a piece of it in the tank with the tang, if he eats it, you should be fine.