Algal genus Spotlight: Bryopsis "hair algae" - Page 4

Gudwyn · #76 06/02/2004, 12:48 PM

Worked for me, but can't promise it will work for you.

slojmn · #77 06/17/2004, 12:47 PM

Thought I would throw in my current Bryopsis pics and plan for elimination...for what it is worth

. I figure a three pronged approach at first is best, scrubbing the rocks outside the tank/kalk paste/rinse and return to tank, then try and find some of those lettuce sea slugs that may or may not eat it, and finally small water changes every 2-3 days for the foreseeable future, maybe 8-10 gallons at a time with a larger weekend amount of 12-15 gallons. Since I know the nutrient load is high and that I have neglected my tank to some degree, very few water changes and I got away from keeping things balanced, since March 2003. only to get back to caring better for the system this February. The outbreak is my fault and I figure I need to right the ship in some ways. This is just a start and I will chronicle my failures or success with pictures and updates on my website. Who knows, maybe I'll have some luck in the next few months with this approach. Here are a few pics for your viewing.

AquaNight · #78 06/17/2004, 10:01 PM

I put 1 Rabbit Fish in and within a month all was gone. Also ramped up my plants in the fuge, also increased light time in fuge.

But Rabbit really did the work.

GSchiemer · #79 06/18/2004, 08:04 AM

What species of Rabbitfish? Did you actually see the fish eating the bryopsis? Are you certain your algae was bryopsis? BTW, I'm not discounting what you've claimed. I have seen certain species of Rabbitfish eat bryopsis.

Greg

AquaNight · #80 06/18/2004, 04:51 PM

Heres the guy (siganus_doliatus) and yes he did eat it. Took him a while. He cleared the tank of all other algae 1st but he did eat it.

In the mean time I would just reach in with my fingers and pull out globs of the crap.

Good luck,

Jeff

GSchiemer · #81 06/18/2004, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AquaNight
Heres the guy (siganus_doliatus) and yes he did eat it. Took him a while. He cleared the tank of all other algae 1st but he did eat it.

In the mean time I would just reach in with my fingers and pull out globs of the crap.

Good luck,

Jeff

I wasn't the individual with the Bryopsis problem; I was just curious about your rabbitfish.

BTW, nice picture.

I've also seen the rabbitfish, Siganus uspi, eat Bryopsis. As you've noted, it didn't eat it preferentially, but did so after wiping out all other sources of food.

Greg

drblank1 · #82 09/25/2004, 09:38 PM

Jeff,

Do you have corals in your tank? If so, what kind and does your rabbit fish bother them?

Thanks,
Dennis

Phiche Master · #83 11/24/2004, 01:13 PM

I guarantee bryopsis elimination with a foxface (great fish, personality, friendly, smart, odd looking though). A dedicated emerald crab will also spead the process, however emeralds seem to be picky in what they like to eat. I had a huge outbreak, tried everything!!!!!! evntually boiling water and a syringe....still in came back. Foxface Rabbitfish came along and totally elimed the bryopsis

DNA · #84 11/24/2004, 01:57 PM

In my case the added growth of macroalgea in the sump clearly helped alot with keeping Bryopsis down. Now it does not grow back after I use boiling water on it and there are only a few very small patches left.

kvosstra · #85 12/06/2004, 12:11 AM

i also had a doliatus rabbitfish that ate the stuff. he is since gone from the tank, and again I have a problem with the bryopsis. They are beautiful fish and I highly suggest one instead of a similar size tang. Mine was kept in a 150g sps dominated tank, he was quite a showfish.

sultros · #86 01/09/2005, 02:03 PM

My friend and I both had Bryopsis after our tanks finished cycling. It hitch-hiked on some figi live rock.

Both my 75 and my friends 120 have fuge's and grow crazy amounts of Macro algae including chaetoa, green grape, and sea grass.

Eventually both of us had a nasty outbreak of hitch-hiking Bryopsis. Once my cleanup crew was in, one out of four emerald crabs began eating this stuff. It cleaned off a patch the size of a baseball. Unfortunately I lost this emerald crab a few days later. Not sure why it died but the others are still alive but never touched the stuff. My friend never had luck with any of the emeralds crabs and resorted to hand pulling weekly.

Once I added a yellow tang, this stuff was history. The yellow would agressively eat all day. My friend began adding Tangs to his system fairly recently. His first was a Blue T. It never touched this stuff and preferred turf. Four months later, upon my recommendation, he added both a Kole and a Yellow. Like the Blue, the Kole wouldnt touch it. The yellow, on the other hand, went after it like mine did. His Yellow is not agressively targeting Bryopsis but is actively eating it and putting a dent in its growth and population.

Something I feel I should include, as if this isnt long enough already, is the infestion of my system by Dictyota. While one half of my tank was Bryopsis, the other with Dictyota. Eventually the two began a turf war in a few places where they met and the Bryopsis lost. Ive been fighting a 5 month war with Dictyota before I pulled all infested rock and placed it in a hospital tank in the garage. Total darkness for a month did the job and what was left in my system was wiped clean by both a long spine urchin and my Tang. It was a huge Pain in the rear to move all the rock and placement of corals was very difficult on my sandbed.

For all those that are battling some form of rampant algae, dont give up! You'll figure it out one way or another. I almost gave up and Im glad I didnt. It wont stay a salad bar forever.

Bullredchaser · #87 01/11/2005, 12:54 PM

My red emerald crab ate all my Dicyota and wiped it out.

Nicholo · #88 02/18/2005, 02:53 PM

Is this the beginning of Bryopsis?

*****
It's a new tank (30g total), but stocked with fully cured LR (~30-35lbs) and several cups of LS (to go with the new southdown). Lots of tiny pods on the glass. In the 10g sump, there is a small fuge area with LR rubble, LS and big clumps of chaeto. I have a SeaClone that I just started up that isn't doing much yet. So I have some degree of nutrient export, and I'm changing 4g every week. It's been ammonia free for two weeks now, and its first inhabitant (except for snails and hermits) is a cleaner shrimp that appears to be doing well.

Also, as far as size is concerned, those are grains of southdown at the base of the algae in the pic...

quaz · #89 04/28/2005, 09:52 PM

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet because I didn't want to read all 4 pages.

I manage a Reef maintenance business in my city. With people who know little to nothing about waste, nutrient, and chemical balance it's hard for them to understand what and how to feed, dose and so forth......... thus we get nitrates, phosphates and great amounts of disolved organics. Perfect fertalizer.

My proven method. THE NUKE.

step
1. mix a high (dead sea salt solution) 1.070 or higher spc grav. in a five gal bucket with a power head

2. syphon 2 gal tank water into a nother container for scrubbing

3. carefull to remove coral from rock. Or just to avoid. Scrub the ever loving life out of the rock.

4. Once clean put into dead sea salt water. (if coral is attached to rock just place back in tank scrubbed and clean)

5. Let rock sit in super salt water for 5 or so minutes. then take it out and put in a dry bucket.

6. do this with all your rock with hair algae. Clean all noticable hair algae from tank.

7. replace rock (carefull not to raise salinity from accumulated salt on rock)

8. Add snail, crabs, urchins, lettice nudibranchs,

9. add organics sponges, adsorbants.

10. enjoy... be carefull with nutrient overload.

killagoby · #90 09/07/2005, 10:13 PM

How's about a fuge w/ Cheateo and Mineral Mud in it to get rid of it?

Shadow Tempter · #91 09/14/2005, 03:54 PM

Killa goby, would the mineral mud feed the stuff in the tank also?

killagoby · #92 09/14/2005, 07:34 PM

It is supposed to provide essential elements to your corals, help with nitrate removal, and pods will live in it so it should help feed the tank.

quaz · #93 09/15/2005, 11:07 AM

A refugium is a great way to redirect some of the nutrients that would normally feed bryopsis. I have mine on a 24hr light so that it takes in maxium nutrients. Under high light and high flow the Cheata morpha grows great and takes in a lot of organics. But, you know, hair algae is the Devil and will persist with the smallest amount of nutrients available.