Fantastic cure for Bryopsis!
- Thread starter Rays
- Start date
fanaglethebagle
Not-so-old Sea Dog
Woohooo! All may rejoice!
reefsmurf
Non-member
Wonder if this would work for regular hair algae. Looks like it's finally to break out the huge bag of magnesium i picked up a long time ago from Greg Hiller.
Last edited:
Originally posted by mr.gaboozlebag
Do you know if this would work with other kinds of algae?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't have othe nuisance algae at the time but the high mag levels had no ill effects on coraline, Halimeda, Gracillaria, a few different Caulerpa sp., Botryocladia, and a few other macroalgaes.
If it is in fact the magnesium levels the killed the Bryopsis I don't think it will work on many other algae species.
Do you know if this would work with other kinds of algae?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't have othe nuisance algae at the time but the high mag levels had no ill effects on coraline, Halimeda, Gracillaria, a few different Caulerpa sp., Botryocladia, and a few other macroalgaes.
If it is in fact the magnesium levels the killed the Bryopsis I don't think it will work on many other algae species.
Greg Hiller
BRS Moderator
Very interesting, boost Mag to 1550 ppm and Bryopsis dies (so states the RC thread). I have a problem with Bryopsis in my 65 gallon system that's plumbed to my main tank, but I can isolate that system and try the Magnesium dosing. If this Really works, it really will be a great new trick in our bag of control techniques. I once tore a system completely down years ago due to frustration with Bryopsis control.
I do believe that you can control Bryopsis with careful nutrient control though. I put a Phosban reactor with GFO on a tank where I was having a problem and the problem went away. I'd heard this from other reefers as well that had Bryopsis problems.
I do believe that you can control Bryopsis with careful nutrient control though. I put a Phosban reactor with GFO on a tank where I was having a problem and the problem went away. I'd heard this from other reefers as well that had Bryopsis problems.
ReeferMedic
Non-member
Greg, you saw the clumps bryopsis growing in my main tank. I raised my mag to about 1600 or so when I first saw this post, and it's about 90% gone. No other new interventions were made. It started turning yellow within 2-3 days of raising the mag level.
Greg Hiller
BRS Moderator
I tried it in my 65. I went from 1400 to about 1630 on Sunday. Nothing yet, but it's early. I don't have a ton of it in this tank, but there are easily recognizable patches here and there.
reefinghabit
Non-member
sounds interesting i just been pulling large clumps of it off my rocks. they get large and easily pull off. i have a serious problem with it myself. i will try thr magnesium thing.
reefinghabit
Non-member
im dosing magnesium sulfate aka epsom salt. no difference yet. did you know in an earlier post i stated there are to plants one male one female i belive the male was dark green the female was lighter yellowish.
ReeferMedic
Non-member
You don't want to use pure epsom salt. Randy put out a recipe with mag flakes. 7 1/4 cups mag flake and 3/4 cup epsom salt with enough rodi to make 1 gallon total. That is what you want to use if you aren't using a commercial product.
Greg Hiller
BRS Moderator
Yes, adding a lot of Epsom salt (Magnesium sulfate) will in time throw off the ratio of sulfate to chloride ions in your tank. I just ran through the calculations and if you were to add sufficient Epsom salts to increase the magnesium level say 200 ppm, you'd be adding an equal molar ratio of sulfate (which has a higher molecular weight) so you'd in fact be adding 800 ppm of sulfate. Since normal sulfate levels in seawater are about 2700 ppm you'd be increasing to 3500 ppm, or a 30% increase. Might not be a problem for most critters, but I'm not sure I'd chance it. Since the chloride concentration in sea water is about 19,000 ppm you'd be changing the chloride to sulfate ratio (in mass terms) from 7 to 5.4.
focus
Non-member
Pat H.
(Previously PHreef)
I've been trying this in a 7 gl tank that has the stiff wirery type of bryopsis not the feathery type. It's been four days and no difference that I can tell, maybe a slight color change from green to a lighter green.
Funny thing I noticed, the astrea snails seemed stunned by the change while other types are fine. They just let go of the glass and layed on the sand with the foot out. I moved the astreas to another system and they started roaming and eating within a minute.
Funny thing I noticed, the astrea snails seemed stunned by the change while other types are fine. They just let go of the glass and layed on the sand with the foot out. I moved the astreas to another system and they started roaming and eating within a minute.
You don't want to use pure epsom salt. Randy put out a recipe with mag flakes. 7 1/4 cups mag flake and 3/4 cup epsom salt with enough rodi to make 1 gallon total. That is what you want to use if you aren't using a commercial product.
Is there a new receipe somewhere?? I am using 3cups of epsom salt and 5 cups of mag flake as per this article.... http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#17
Recipe #1, Part 3A
Dissolve Epsom salts (3 cups) and magnesium chloride hexahydrate sold by the Dead Sea Works company (5 cups) in enough purified freshwater to make 1 gallon total volume. There will likely be a precipitate that forms even if you fully dissolve both ingredients separately. That precipitate is calcium sulfate (calcium as an impurity in the magnesium chloride and sulfate from the Epsom salts). It is fine and appropriate to dose the precipitate along with the remainder of the fluid by shaking it up before dosing.
Did I miss something...
focus
Non-member
Is there a new receipe somewhere?? I am using 3cups of epsom salt and 5 cups of mag flake as per this article.... http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#17
Recipe #1, Part 3A
Dissolve Epsom salts (3 cups) and magnesium chloride hexahydrate sold by the Dead Sea Works company (5 cups) in enough purified freshwater to make 1 gallon total volume. There will likely be a precipitate that forms even if you fully dissolve both ingredients separately. That precipitate is calcium sulfate (calcium as an impurity in the magnesium chloride and sulfate from the Epsom salts). It is fine and appropriate to dose the precipitate along with the remainder of the fluid by shaking it up before dosing.
Did I miss something...
7 1/4 cups mag to 3/4 epsom here. I used this formula because my calcium addition is limited to kalk. Different formula if you use dow flake, IIRC.
focus
Non-member
Yeah it seems to hit the astrea and large mexican turbos also. Lost all the mexican turbos and some astrea. Cuke was stunned also but seems like it will make it. The astrea snails actually walked out of the water onto the tank rim, so yeah they hate it.
ReeferMedic
Non-member
The only thing it's killed so far after about 2 1/2 weeks is about 95% of the bryopsis in all of my tanks. I've been keep it at about 1600.
Greg Hiller
BRS Moderator
>Any change??<
Well, I guess it's one of those 'you mileage may vary' situations. I've not really seen much in my 65. It's been isolated and at high magnesium for one week now. I figured today as long as it's isolated I'm going to nuke the cyano as well with some Chemiclean. After that I'm going to hook it back into the main system and do it the old fashioned way, toss out the rocks with Bryopsis on them and be super careful about nutrient control.
I really don't know, but I could think of one reason this might work in one tank and not another. Perhaps the coralline algae or even other corals in a tank with low magnesium (I'm thinking below 1100 ppm or so) is having a hard time growing/competeing with the algae. When the magnesium is raised they can start taking up the nutrients that the algae is using. I'm not saying that's the case with anyone in particular's tank, and if it works for you, that really is great because I HATE Bryopsis.
Well, I guess it's one of those 'you mileage may vary' situations. I've not really seen much in my 65. It's been isolated and at high magnesium for one week now. I figured today as long as it's isolated I'm going to nuke the cyano as well with some Chemiclean. After that I'm going to hook it back into the main system and do it the old fashioned way, toss out the rocks with Bryopsis on them and be super careful about nutrient control.
I really don't know, but I could think of one reason this might work in one tank and not another. Perhaps the coralline algae or even other corals in a tank with low magnesium (I'm thinking below 1100 ppm or so) is having a hard time growing/competeing with the algae. When the magnesium is raised they can start taking up the nutrients that the algae is using. I'm not saying that's the case with anyone in particular's tank, and if it works for you, that really is great because I HATE Bryopsis.
