Reef nutrition

Need to fix this

RavenSF

RavenSF

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At some point I suspect I picked up a frag online and brought in bryopsis. I broke my tank down, scrubbed everything over the course of a day and put in all new sand and rocks. Everything was fine for a few months but my tank is now overgrown and I realized that it provides more hassle than enjoyment. I love my fish and want to get back to enjoying them, so I've got to do something.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to proceed. I have two 5 gallon QT that I can keep my YWG, shrimps, clowns and firefish in, but I think my wrasses will need something larger. I was thinking I could find a cheap 20-40 gallon tank for my 4 wrasses or possibly even pay someone to house them for a bit.

I'd toss all the rock and sand and then was thinking I would let the tank sit fallow for a period of time with freshwater circulating along with bleach or hydrogen peroxide for maybe a month. Whatever it took to kill this stuff. Has anyone down anything like this before or have experience wiping out an invasive algae?

I've been in the hobby for 7 years and this is the only thing that's made me think of quitting. I used to test regularly and nutrients were never a problem. At one point before breaking it down the first time I tried the Kent Tech magnesium but without success.

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I've got that issue too so I'm picking what I can , lots of hermits , my tangs are helping and doing bigger water changes. I've seen a difference but it's still there
 
I think there are some things that you can't fix without wiping the system clean what this is, is an example. No tangs for me and my wrasses would probably eat any hermits.
 
When I started,
My ten gallon was completely overrun. I added a 10g sump. Then in desperation I added a skimmer rated for 100g to my 20g system.

At some point .... It just disappeared.mnot sure it was anything I did.

I had it in my 58g and ignored it and it disappeared.

I did try the tech-m and the result was two dead bangaii cardinals and no change in bryopsis.

In the end ... I feel just trying to pick it out when I could and waiting for it to crash on its own worked.

V
 
Well my point is that I've tried things and ignored it and it's but every time I look at my tank I'm disgusted. This has gone on for nearly a year and I need to resolve it.
 
Assuming your decision is drastic action:
Sound like the small things are fine in QT.
Suggest you sell the wrasses, and buy new ones later. Easiest solution.
Remove everything.
Dry out rock, power wash if possible. Soak in tap water + muriatic acid or lots of vinegar.
You can use bleach if you want, but NOT at the same time as acid/vinegar. Dangerous.
Dry out sand, rinse like crazy in tap water, soak that separately.
Same with tank and every single piece of equipment.
And soak it for a long time, like 2 months, not a few days. Changing water.

Key:
Tap water + poison of choice + drying will kill the bryopsys and everything else.
But you really need to get the rocks and sand CLEAN afterwards or you will
end up with a big nitrate and phosphate problem. That is what the extensive soaks are for.
 
I assume you are in SF, the 30G tank I have should be ok to transfer the fish while you deal with the issue. If you want some rock to start fresh, I have some dry rock, not lots but is been dead for a while so a nice curing before reviving it.
I had a 30G brute container running with rock for ages, to be ready just in case but retrofitting work in the basement meant I had to unplug power-head and heater.
LMK I'm available Sunday midday-on...
 
Leave the current tank as is.
Cycle and seed new rock in a separate tank using clean rock from someone else.
In a month, take the fish out and place into holding.
Dump everything in the tank, scrub it out real well and start over.

I've been there, and it sucks. Prevention is the best fix, so take it as a lesson learned and keep chugging along ;)
 
For algae like this it often is a long battle to remove it without going drastic. First test parameters to see if something is obviously out of whack, even then it might not be that telling as the algae could be consuming nutrients at the same rate as they are going in which is very often the case when it is that out of control.

Next step is manual removal, you are not going to get it all but that's fine get as much as you can and keep this up for a while until you make a huge dent in what you see. if you dont do this and find a way to kill the algae you are still going to have all the nutrients the algae took back in the tank and when whatever algae killing method you employed dissipates you will be back where you started. As you start hacking ouy large amounts of algae start testing for nitrates and phophates because less algae means less uptake and if you didnt see them before you should see them now. Figure out where they are coming from and
help reduce them. A snail or two might help with the rest.

Alternately you could move corals to another tank (make sure it is cycled or you may kill them) and go completely lights out on the tank.

Any direction you go though will not be a quick nor easy fix
 
Have you ever tried Urchins? If you manually clean as much as possible off the rocks (as in take them out and pull / scrub them. Then add a few urchins......they tend to uber clean rocks.....it has worked for me in the past. It hadn't got quite that bad though, but might be worth a shot. I always keep urchins in the tank. Amazing cleaners.

At the same time, I would see if you can get your phosphates to zero, and starve the algae........lesson your light duration and be very careful with feeding for a few months.

All the other options given would work as well, so if you are just OVER it, go for it. Good luck.


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Could introducing a macro algae help? The idea would be that it would out compete the bryopsis for nutrients. Maybe go dark on display tank but light the refugium where the macro algae is.
 
Kmooresf said:
Have you ever tried Urchins? If you manually clean as much as possible off the rocks (as in take them out and pull / scrub them. Then add a few urchins......they tend to uber clean rocks.....it has worked for me in the past. It hadn't got quite that bad though, but might be worth a shot. I always keep urchins in the tank. Amazing cleaners.

At the same time, I would see if you can get your phosphates to zero, and starve the algae........lesson your light duration and be very careful with feeding for a few months.

All the other options given would work as well, so if you are just OVER it, go for it. Good luck.


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Click to expand...


I have an Urchin and they're cool, but be aware they do like to snack on coralline algae as well and can make your rocks look pretty white sometimes.
 
Flagg37 said:
Could introducing a macro algae help? The idea would be that it would out compete the bryopsis for nutrients. Maybe go dark on display tank but light the refugium where the macro algae is.
Click to expand...

Yes, but once bryopsis takes hold it's pretty much game over. Chaeto or halymenia would be great to have in your tank on the future restart.
 
Neptune had a pretty bad bryopsis outbreak in the SPS display tank. All gone now. I think they ran 3 courses of Tech M and used lettuce slugs.


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I don't want to sell my fish, if I did I'll just leave the hobby. I'm not planning on manual removal, I tried and it's pointless there's so much I can't get it off the rock. I plan on throwing the rock and sand in the trash. I'm mostly interested in knowing wit anyone had a sterilization procedure for a tank that effects algae.
 
I would just restart the tank. Keep a rock or two in a 20 gallon long with your fish.

Do you have coral youre trying to keep? If not just nuke the rock in bleach and then dechlorinate for 2-3 weeks.
 
Also, we all encounter bryopsis in some amount.

Bryopsis grew in my frag tank but not in my main tank. All the same system cuz connected via sump.

When i took the bryopsis infected frags off the tall frag racks that my hermits couldnt reach, i put them in the sandbed of main tank and my hermits cleaned it off.

I think your tank condition is favorable to bryopsis right now.
 
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