UV and Bryopsis

[jackie]

I just can't seem to get ahead of this stuff! I'm adding double doses of alk, once in the morning and an extra dose of alk at night. But if I forget the 2nd dose, it goes out of whack again. So besides pulling this stuff out, I"m also pulling my hair out!!! Now it's growing in the sand and spreading.

So I thought of using a UV sterilizer, but I realize the downside of using it. Has anyone tried this to help getting rid of bryopsis? I'm at my wits end... I'm going so far as thinking of tearing the tank down and starting over, new sandbed, new rock...

 

[jackie]

Anyone have some clues about this they want to share?

 

[Aquadiva]

Jackie,

Is it this stuff...

http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/picture_pages/faq_bryopsis.html

or more of a hair algae?

If it is more of a hair algae I knocked mine out with a phosban reactor and some "red leg mexican hermit crabs." Something like that....got them from ...cough...seaworld cough OK, they were on sale. I made one of the toothbrush things with a piece of hose in it. Gently scrub and the algae gets sucked into the bucket. Nice gizmo..works well. Wish I could find a bigger toothbrush, though, so I could use a thicker hose.

So between the phosban reactor, hermit crabs, and the toothbrush thing, I got rid of mine in about a month. Anyway, it might work on the stuff in the link above, too.

Oh yea...carbon and change lots of water.

-Linda

 

[jackie]

Thanks Linda, that's the stuff alright. I don't have a phosban reactor, but I think I have some phosban to add to the canister filter that might help. I've also tried purigen, but doesn't seem to work well (or maybe it is working and the problem is worse than I thought ). I'll just have to use all of the big guns I have and spend more time on it...

I pick up a few things at Seaworld every once in a while, sometimes they have deals on crabs/snails I can't ignore

Don't forget the tank tour! You're in my neighborhood, hope you can join us?

 

[Aquadiva]

Love to go on the tank tour...just waiting for a date...my schedule tends to revolve around the kids still...

The phosban works great...sometimes too great. I believe it can actually suck the phosphates out too fast. I just fired mine up, and I could tell the "filter feeders" were not at all happy after about 1/2 a day. Turned it off, and then put it on for the next day for a little less time. Gradually adding time until it was on 24hr/day. Everyone was much happier.

The red crabs (scarlets and mexican red legs) really seemed to eat the hairy stuff as long as you keep it trimmed. Blue legs just seem to eat my snails.


-Linda

 

[jackie]

Blue legs are opportunists, I call them the 'welcome wagon from hell" They're not very neighborly....

I was thinking last night, I didn't have this problem when I had my 30g....no sump, softies only, couple power heads and a skimmer. I never had algae problems. So I'm thinking I need to upgrade my skimmer, the one that came with the sump isn't up to par, especially with my load. There goes more $$$

Linda, I'm working on May 1st for a tour date....