Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!

[flyyyguy]

So is it true that nobody has had success using homeade mag additive using both magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride?

I had a crash this summer......and it returned. It is at this moment growing thick out of every joint in my spraybars and nowhere else. They are kind of complex spraybars so there ore more joints than most

I have even been careless and just pulled it off of the bars several times,and I know Im fragmenting the heck out of it but it has yet to show up anywhere else in the reef.

So I guess that is good......but Id like to kill it. If my homeade mag additive isnt going to cut it I just want that confirmed and I will order some tech M and see what I can do.

thanks

[tkaplan]

This has been a great thread. I think I have the dreaded bryopsis, and am going to buy some Kent Tectra-M, but before the investment, I was hoping someone could help me positively identify the colonies of algae I have growing...Teo pictures below.

[melev]

It is hard to tell from those two pictures. Does it feel coarse to the touch? Does there seem to be an accumulation of detritus within its core? Byropsis likes to create its very own DSB within its base to fuel more growth.

fllyyguy, the majority have been posting the Tech M was the solution. If it was me, that is what I would use.

[TWallace]

Originally posted by flyyyguy
So is it true that nobody has had success using homeade mag additive using both magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride?

I'm not sure if people have tried using a mix of both. I know that magnesium chloride alone (like Mag Flake) will not kill bryopsis. I'm fairly certain that epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) will kill it, though.

[mcrist]

What worked for me was to raise the magnesium with Mag Flake / Epson salt mixture to 1500. Then I just raised/maintained my magnesium level with Tech M. It started to disappear within 2 weeks after adding the Tech M.

[Caragol]

A gallon of Tech M is about $20 on LiveAquaria so I just went with that, I didn't need much at all for my 58g. I use DIY two part for Ca and Alk, but for the mag I figured I'd go the route that seemed to be working best for most since it wasn't too pricey.

[PaintGuru]

Well I ordered a gallon of the Tech M. I couldn't make much headway adding MgSO4 and MgCl, so I figured I would give the Tech M a try since it seems to be the best for everyone. PA has it for $18 (gallon).

[trueblackpercula]

Ok before i dose my tank with a Mag level of over 1550. I have an all sps tank will this kill my SPS? I have esv brand Mag waiting to be used for this purpose. If i usethis brand of magnisum will it be affective on Bryopsis?
Thanks
Michael

[melev]

Hi Mg has no adverse reaction on SPS. Some have had it up around 2000ppm.

However, Kent's TechM seems to be the only one that works.

[Mr31415]

TWallace - I dosed Kent Tech-M to raise my Mg from 1320 to 1740mg/L. It has been there for 2-3 days now. My Colt coral, Euphyllia, some zoanthids and an unknown soft coral all bleached completely - and shrunk. I think you mentioned you had similar experiences. Did the softies recover once you lowered your Mg?

How long did you keep your Mg at those elevated levels? Did the coral make full recoveries? My Bryopsis seems to be receding...

[mcrist]

Originally posted by Mr31415
TWallace - I dosed Kent Tech-M to raise my Mg from 1320 to 1740mg/L. It has been there for 2-3 days now. My Colt coral, Euphyllia, some zoanthids and an unknown soft coral all bleached completely - and shrunk. I think you mentioned you had similar experiences. Did the softies recover once you lowered your Mg?

How long did you keep your Mg at those elevated levels? Did the coral make full recoveries? My Bryopsis seems to be receding...

I am surprised that your corals reacted that way since I have some of the same corals in my tank and I had no ill effects. How fast did you raise you magnesium levels? Now I only raised my levels to about 1600 and I kept it there for about a month.

[Mr31415]

80ppm per day.

[mcrist]

That should have been fine. I was raising mine about 100ppm per day. The only thing I did different was that I first used the MAG flake to raise my magnesium to about 1500 then I started adding Tech M.

[Mr31415]

So you added less sulfite most probably... Should I lower my mg (i.e. water changes) to fis the coral or should I keep it for a couple more days?

[mcrist]

Not sure, maybe someone who only used Tech M will chime in. Depending how bad the corals look I would continue treatment or do some water changes. Do you have a quarintine tank that could move the bleached corals too?

[Mr31415]

Yes, but I cannot move the colt coral (most affected) since it is attached to a huge rock at the bottom of my aquascaping. The others can be moved.

[TWallace]

I had toadstool leathers and a sinularia bleach from the magnesium. All of them recovered without lowering the magnesium level within about 2 months.

[PaintGuru]

Well I just raised my Mg to 1500+ over a period of time using MgCl and MgSO4. I have started using the Tech-M to maintain it at that level. No change in byropsis as of yet. I have noticed that one of my brittle stars is very lethargic (yet still alive). I was able to slide him around with some tweezers and he just kinda sat there...then moved back VERY slowly to a rock. I have also noticed a few dead snails, but I am not sure if either of these observations are caused by the Mg levels or not. All corals are AOK.

[dendro982]

My progress:
(Raising by ESV liquid Magnesium, after the bottle was finished - Seachem Reef Advantage Magnesium, sulfate)

Started in the middle of the August, finished ~one and a half month later, and in the middle of October (after stopping additions, and making water changes) bryopsis started to disappear from my Christmas tree rock, now only one patch left. Hooray!

What is interesting: the tank walls and the birdsnest frag are still covered by bryopsis, have to clean all the time manually. May be porous X-mas tree skeleton accumulated Mg, who knows.

Aggravating factor all this time - I changed PC light to MH, the cheapest bulb from E-Bay - likely not the marked on the package color temperature. Looked yellow, just what needed for algae.

Yesterday changed on another one, same color temperature, but white light. Should be better.

Tank has no nitrates, no phosphates.

[wilsonh]

Originally posted by trueblackpercula
Ok before i dose my tank with a Mag level of over 1550. I have an all sps tank will this kill my SPS? I have esv brand Mag waiting to be used for this purpose. If i usethis brand of magnisum will it be affective on Bryopsis?
Thanks
Michael

I held my Mg levels around 2000 for a few weeks while bryopsis was dying. SPS growth slowed / stopped, although they continued to look healthy. Coraline algae has all but disappeared. I have a mixed reef with many types of corals, no other adverse effects for me anyway.

[DoctaReef]

I stumbled on this thread as I begin my battle with bryopsis. I am a bit leery of increasing my Mg++ because of the success I've been having with the growth of SPS, LPS and Softies in my tank over the last year, but I have decided its a losing battle to pull it out manually. My issue is that my Mg++ tested today with a Salifert kit at 1470 today at SG = 1.025. I am planning on using Tech-M and any advice or support is greatly appreciated!

Here is a full tank shot:




One grouping of the vile weed among some Zoas:




and another area.



Ill keep you posted on my progress, let me know what you think.

[Mr31415]

A couple of pics of my bleached corals:

[Dudester]

Originally posted by Mr31415
A couple of pics of my bleached corals:

Bleached, but they don't look dead. I would anticipate that they would return to their original splendor once your tank parameters return to NSW levels.

[Mr31415]

I already did 2 water changes. One with TMPR - what a mistake. The Mg levels of that salt is 1560mg/L at a Salinity of 38ppt. So the next one I did with TM - which is at 1480mg/L. Already my corals - though still bleached - looks much better, they are not closed up.

[Dudester]