Bryopsis or Green Hair Algae?

[sights2012]

I have some patches of this. I'm not sure exactly what it is. I have a Foxface that doesn't touch it but will pick at others. I was hoping to get some recommendations that is not chemical related. Any recommendations would be great. I have .16 phos, and am now rinsing my frozen food to help reduce it further. I also have an octo skimmer that works well. Maybe I have to tune it better. Cuc or fish recommendations would be awesome.

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

CREATURE CATEGORY | Melev's Reef

www.melevsreef.com

 

[ChrisV]

I know that you explicitly said not chemical treatment, but if it's just that one rock, you could end this tonight by dipping the algae covered area in a 50/50 mix of tank water and peroxide for about 5 min.

 

[PSU4ME]

You’ll need to ID it or get better pics. Bryopsis has a very clear “fern” look to it.

If bryopsis then Fluconzanole treatment is really the way to go as nothing else will touch it.

 

[chadfish]

I know that you explicitly said not chemical treatment, but if it's just that one rock, you could end this tonight by dipping the algae covered area in a 50/50 mix of tank water and peroxide for about 5 min.

Not so sure about that. I had some Zoas on a frag plug with bryopsis. I dipped that sucker multiple times in H2O2 and the bryopsis never fully died.

Have you been successful with H2O2?

 

[ChrisV]

Not so sure about that. I had some Zoas on a frag plug with bryopsis. I dipped that sucker multiple times in H2O2 and the bryopsis never fully died.

Have you been successful with H2O2?

I have, with zoas on a plug lol. I guess mine was wimpy. Cleaned it right up. I have no idea why there would be a difference. Maybe a different species of algae.

 

[chadfish]

I have, with zoas on a plug lol. I guess mine was wimpy. Cleaned it right up. I have no idea why there would be a difference. Maybe a different species of algae.

Maybe I had weak H2O2 lol. Just got my Reef Flux in the mail. Dinos, bryopsis.. so much to do!! I don’t care though, it’s part of the fun. Fixing the algae is no different to me than fixing the plumbing or the chemistry, it’s all fun times reefing.

 

[ChrisV]

Maybe I had weak H2O2 lol. Just got my Reef Flux in the mail. Dinos, bryopsis.. so much to do!! I don’t care though, it’s part of the fun. Fixing the algae is no different to me than fixing the plumbing or the chemistry, it’s all fun times reefing.

H2O2 does spontaneously decomposes to water and O2. Any chance you had old peroxide?

There is never an end to the fun!

 

[Greg Hiller]

Long spine urchins will eat it but only if they are good and hungry, but most people don't like them because they tend to pick small rocks up and move them about. I agree that if you only have it one or a few rocks, remove them. You can also tell the difference from hair algae in that it is strong, you can pick small rocks up by grabbing onto the algae. Hair algae had not significant strength to it.

 

[sights2012]

Thanks!

 

[Groot]

If its truly Bryopsis Reef Flux works awesome. No effect to my acros.

 

[ifarmer]

the last 2 times I had problems like that, I ended up restart the tank all over again rather dealing with it for months with no result.

 

[sights2012]

So I have a battle with dinos rn, and I've mostly been doing UV and dosing microbacter7. The hair algae is gone. No idea....

 

[Redsea260]

Looks like Bryopsis. Two options I'd personally consider: halloween urchin, or flucozonale treatment.

 

[sights2012]

Looks like Bryopsis. Two options I'd personally consider: halloween urchin, or flucozonale treatment.

Yeah, so this patch has completely disappeared. I do have a tuxedo urchin, and he was over there last week. It seems like it ate most of it, but not sure.

 

[MURedhawk]

About 6-7 years ago, I had an issue with some suspected Bryopsis. I bought a few gallons of Kent Tech M (magnesium) after reading about other treatments. I raised the Mag level very slowly to over 2000. (NL levels 1200-1440) The algae started to lose it‘s connection to the rock and I used a brush to twist it off easily. After that, the tiny bits were eaten by clean up crew and died off. The corals, fish, inverts, etc. all did well and I gradually lowered Mag levels back to normal with water changes. It took me about 1.5-2 months. The algae never came back. The only negative thing was that my super awesome Caulerpa in my refugium also died. It was a type of hard to find Caulerpa sadly and was fantastic for waste export. I wish at the time I had created another tank to save some of that algae. I just looked and I still have a gallon of the old version of Kent Tech M.

 

[sights2012]

Oh, good to hear. Apparently it has disappeared while treating dinos. I'm using microbacter7 and UV, and that's it. Dinos gone and really no sign anymore

 

[chadfish]

If its truly Bryopsis Reef Flux works awesome. No effect to my acros.

It was truly bryopsis and Reef Flux is magical. Took a few days, but now it’s completely gone.

Of course now I have bubble algae… lol

 

[Groot]

Bubble algae is not really a big deal I have some in my system

 

[Seapets]

I know that you explicitly said not chemical treatment, but if it's just that one rock, you could end this tonight by dipping the algae covered area in a 50/50 mix of tank water and peroxide for about 5 min.

Very true 5 minutes only