bryopsis misunderstanding?

[saltman]

hey doc....
i once read that bryopsis was poisonous to most fish..is this true or have i been called on my info? true or false--- only a select few inverts will eat bryopsis?
any help will be good help
steve

[dc]

Well I'd have a lot of dead fish if that were the case. My tank is overloaded with it since I had an overheat. My Clown lays in it since her Bubble sort of dissolved in the mishap. Foxface fish eat it, also are known to nip at corals. Mine has eaten my sponges. My Sallylightfoot, Emerald, and Lettuce Nudibranch all eat it, but it is so overtaken, not sure if it's going to help. It looks more like hair algae once it gets very long, the strands are just not as fine. I pull it out also a couple times a week. If you have a little I'd get some Lettuce Nudis, but do it now!!

http://images.fotki.com/v7/photos/2/28482/68928/bryopsis-vi.jpg?1028779664
http://images.fotki.com/v6/photos/2/28482/68928/fulltank-vi.jpg?1028923815

[saltman]

i believe some can eat it, like the foxface, but most cant---correct?

[dc]

I don't think it's they can't, they just don't. I was also reccommended a Kole Tang, but I couldn't get one, so I went with the Foxface.He eats a lot of it, and has doubled in size. But I have such a plague of it, it will be a long battle. I also have carbon, chemipure and a phosphate sponge in there. Am doing water changes religiously. I have a Lawnmower Blenny, but he doesn't touch it.

[rshimek]

Hi,

Most algae (and most plants) produce materials to discourage potential predators. Bryopsis and other green algae are no exceptions. This stuff makes them unpalatable to many potenial predators.

Other predators have evolved ways around the problem and will eat the algae just fine. There are a lot of things that eat Bryopsis in nature, if there weren't the oceans would be full to the brim with it. However, relatively few of these animals are found in the reef keeping hobby - or have traits that make them otherwise undesireable.