New Print and eBook on Amazon Marine Aquarium Algae Control by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Tank Upgrade - Algae Issues   6/4/19
Good Morning,
How are you?
<Fine Brent, thanks.>
I have had my 30-gallon reef set up for a year and a half. Over the next 2/3 weeks I will be transferring to a 90 gallon.
<Nice upgrade!>
Over the last 3 months my 30 gallon is experiencing a bad outbreak of bri<y>opsis and Cyano. It has completely overtaken my rock and corals.. I have not done much about it aside from water changes because I knew I would be upgrading.
<Mmm... Nutrients must have been accumulating due to the lack of water changes.>
The Bryopsis came in on a frag I purchased from a local reefer. I didn't check the coral, I just put it in. So, my excitement/laziness got me in this pickle.
<Ahhh...laziness and anxiety always make us to double work at the end.>
My plan is to use the LR and put in in the sump to help the 90-gallon cycle quicker (if their would be a cycle due to transferring sand and water as well)...
My question is, Would you advise I use any of the rock, sand & water for the 30 or start from scratch to eliminate the algae issues I have been having?
<You can use all the rock after slightly rinsing it with old tank water and brushing the rocks covered with Bryopsis; I wouldn’t use the sand without rinsing it, again... with old tank water; you may use the water from the 30-gallon when the 90-gallon is fully cycled to slowly acclimate your tank inhabitants to their new environment.>
Thank you,
Brent Krahn
<You’re welcome. Wil.>

Algae id      5/11/18 Hi Im cycling a marine aquarium and this algae has grown i can id if it is Bryopsis, Derbesia or something else. Are you able to help? Adam <Does look like both these noisome genera... I'd be reading; considering "nuking" (bleaching) this system... to start over. Bob Fenner>

Bryopsis Hello I need help IDing this. Grn alg. <Four megs of blurry pix.....> These grow in the brightest places closest to the light sources (t5). These near water return(sump) are much thicker/dense and darker in colour than those on same level but without so much water flow. Rest of the tank is ... pretty clear. A feather here and there. I attach pictures. If you could, please, confirm if I'm right or not, or ID it. regards Marcin <Looks like this or Derbesia. See WWM re both. Bob Fenner>

Caulerpa Taxifolia?   Not    12/12/14 I purchased some Chaetomorpha from my LFS and placed it in the 2nd chamber of my Biocube. I am using reverse daylight with it and found another type of algae growing on the wall of the chamber when I checked it recently. It looks like Caulerpa Taxifolia to me but is growing in clumps instead of on a vine like I see in images. Can you verify if this is indeed Caulerpa Taxifolia or some other type of algae? If not Caulerpa Taxifolia, is this some other type of nuisance algae? <Your image is too large, but also too poor to make out w/ any confidence. Please re-try; send a better pic... more resolved, of a few hundred Kbyte size> Bob Fenner> Thank you very much for your time! Brigitte

Re: Caulerpa Taxifolia?       12/12/14 Apparently uploading the pics to Outlook is degrading them. <Nope; same crappy pix, and you sent five and a half meg.s this time. JUST READ ON WWM. BobF> I zipped the files and sent them to my husband as a test and he can see them fairly clearly. I am recharging the battery on my camera which should work better than my phone so if these don’t work for you I'll try again with the camera. By the way, the pics are all at least 1 MB in size. Sorry for the confusion and let me know if you still need better pictures. Thanks so much! Brigitte Re: Caulerpa Taxifolia?    12/14/14 I am now educated on the way to submit pictures. I apologize for any inconvenience! Each picture is 600 x 800 pixels and is under 150 kb each. I took these with a real camera instead of the cell phone so hope the resolution is good for you now. I placed them in a zip file to maintain their resolution. At least I had good grammar and punctuation in my emails >Heeeeee!< Thanks again for your patience, Brigitte <I do think this is one of the many species of Bryopsis. Please see the coverage of species on AlgaeBase: http://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=8 Bob Fenner> Re: Caulerpa Taxifolia?     12/15/14 Thanks again for all your time. Now to get rid of it. At least I don't have to worry about it polluting the environment when I dispose of it. <Oh, do bag and freeze it ahead of putting it in the trash. And see WWM re Bryopsis and Derbesia. B> Brigitte Re: Caulerpa Taxifolia?     12/15/14 Will do! <Cheers>

Bryopsis I.D. Hi, Do you happen to know what species of Bryopsis this is? <The greenery to the right and left of the Aiptasiid? Nope> Because I checked algaebase.org and It doesn't match any of the 43 Bryopsis photos they have posted and I didn't have any luck searching online either. The guy at the pet store said it most likely came in from the Caribbean but he didn't know the exact species. Not sure if that helps narrow it down but thought I'd mention it. Greg <Don't recognize it/this period. Do you have access to a 'scope w/ a USB attachment that you might make some close up images? Bob Fenner>

Re: Bryopsis I.D. I don't have a scope but I'm certainly willing to attempt some up-close and clearer photos with my camera for you. Or do you need footage at a microscopic level? <Closer is best... one macro, a few at a few tens of power magnification> How powerful a scope would it need to be? <As above> If their not too pricey I might get one. <Oh! Do see my shameless plugs on WWM re the QX3 scopes by Intel/Mattel... BobF>

Bryopsis?  5/8/11
Hey crew,
I was wondering if this sounded like Bryopsis to you (that rhymed, but oh well). I have a bunch of this green algae growing on my live sand, and whenever I disturb it by displacing the sand, long strands of it start floating around, still attached to a piece of sand at the base. I wasn't sure if they were Bryopsis because the pictures I saw for the most part looked something like --->->->--->->->--->->-> or
---|-|-|---|-|-|---|-|-|.
What I have looks like -|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-< .
<?>
It has the slightly thicker stem running up the middle with small hairs (not sure what to call them, sorry) sticking out perpendicular from the side at even intervals. Also, at the end it appears to fork off like a snakes tongue.
Is this enough to get an idea without a picture?
<Not me, no>
Just really wondering because if it is Bryopsis I'll have to get a Tuxedo Urchin temporarily I suppose. It keeps getting sucked up in the powerhead when I dislodge it so I have had to clean it daily.
Thank you very much as always,
Sam
<Perhaps a bit more searching, reading, seeing some other representative images. BobF>

Is Bryopsis safe for a FOWLR tank?   3/14/11
I have a more-or-less theoretical question about Bryopsis, so I'll avoid limiting it to any specific tank specs.
I've read most of the voluminous material here about Bryopsis, and the consensus seems to be that it's the Spawn of the Devil, and extreme measures to control it are justified.
<Heeee!>
But the complaints mostly revolve around it choking out corals and other sessile invertebrates, so I'm wondering if it's such a deadly curse for FOWLR tanks.
<Mmm, not so much>
Can a FOWLR person treat it pretty much like any other macro algae and watch it grow as it sucks up phosphate and nitrate?
<Yes>
Then harvest it occasionally to pull those nutrients out of the tank?
That might make it self-limiting, right?
<Yes as well>
Or am I missing a danger? Like, might it suddenly go sexual and nuke the tank? Some other hazard to letting it grow in a FOWLR tank?
<Not really... not "that" toxic, nor competitive>
Thanks!
Tim
<Welcome! Bob Fenner>
Re: Is Bryopsis safe for a FOWLR tank?   3/14/11
Bob - Ah, you've set my mind at ease! It really is pretty, at least for now. Thank you!
Tim
<Welcome Tim, BobF>

What's the best way to remove Bryopsis without stressing fish out?   5/3/10
Hi WWM Crew,
<GD>
First, thanks so much for keeping the site online. You've provided invaluable advice over the years I've kept aquariums.
<Welcome>
I recently set up a new (five weeks old now) 120 to replace my old 45 tall, and unfortunately it appears to be having a rather serious Bryopsis problem.
<Already?>
It doesn't seem to be growing much anymore, but it's not really going away either. I'm not really sure where the Bryopsis came from.
<Rock most likely; and conditions allowing/promoting. Only takes one spore... could "come in" w/ anything wet>
The tank has about 100 pounds of rock (and another 20# of rubble in the sump), probably 60# of which is from my old tank, which never had a Bryopsis problem. The non-live rock was cleaned (scrubbed, some
boiled, soaked in mild vinegar solution, and soaked in fresh RO/DI (0 TDS) to clean it off). The sand in the display tank was bagged dry Caribsea reef flakes and was rinsed in RO/DI water. The sand, rubble,
and huge Chaeto ball in my refugium came out of my old tank, and I have three mangroves as well. It runs GFO and carbon, and is set up for ozone and UV though I'm waiting on a new ORP probe before I
actually start with that. Ammonia, nitrites, and phosphate are all zero, nitrates are around 5-10 ppm if even that. Lighting is via a Tek eight bulb unit, which runs the center whitish lights for two hours per day, and the outer actinics for 11 (it will get more light once I get the algae under control). Skimmer is a H&S A150 and is working well. Flow consists of a Eheim 1262 return, two Korallia K3s (until my Vortechs arrive), a Magdrive 1800 closed loop (outlet behind rocks, it's only there to keep detritus from building up) and a MJ1200 with stream pump attachment. PH is 8.3'ish currently, and temperature is 82. Magnesium was a little low at 1150 last I checked. Alk is currently at 10'ish. I change 10g of water per week. Salt is Tropic
Marin and I don't dose anything except buffer in the top off water and Ca when needed.
It started growing before I had any livestock in the new tank (which was cycled using ammonia, not fish). I think what started it was a mix of sunlight coming through a window and hitting the tank, combined with a missing blenny to provide extra nutrition, and a skimmer that wasn't set up properly. I still have no idea where it came from. After it cycled I saw a little bit of green hairy algae and figured it was generic new tank GHA, so I went ahead and added my fish (smallish blue tang, five Chromis, and a recently purchased lawnmower blenny) over the space of a few days and bought a much larger cleanup crew. Some of my Zoanthids and a chalice coral are in there and are epoxied to the rocks.
Since I'm bugging you guys, it's obviously not generic GHA. I now have magnificent (for lack of a better word) clumps of 8" long streaming Bryopsis
<Streaming? Not a trait>
all over the place. It's not growing much anymore since I blocked the sunlight, fixed the skimmer, cut back on the lighting, and turned the refugium lights on 24/7; I assume it can't compete with the refugium for nutrients. The hermits, some of the snails, and the lawnmower blenny and tang will nibble at it when it's long and even eat it when it's short, but they're not putting much of a dent in it.
The fish all seem happy and healthy in the new tank.
I've heard conflicting advice as to what to do. I've already raised my magnesium back up to 1350'ish with Kent Tech-M and can keep going until it reaches 1600+ and try that, but I've heard it can kill invertebrates. Since I just moved the fish not too long ago, I'd rather not stress them out by doing anything drastic to the tank.
What, in your opinion, is the most effective and least stressful way of removing it? I've been told not to cut or yank it out since it can spread that way. I'm considering getting a Foxface or Rabbitfish since I don't have a huge bioload.
Thanks,
George
New Orleans
<Mmm, please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/BryopsisF.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Bryopsis Shrimp/Algae Control 3/28/10
Hi all!
<Hello Nancy>
I am having a problem with what I believe to be Bryopsis in my 65g LPS/SPS Red Sea Max250. I also had a good amount of Hair Algae, and Cyano. I believe I have the hair finally under control, and have upped my 20% water changes to once a week /10 days which should take care of the Cyano (I hope). I was using reef snow, which I have stopped using for now, and have cut back to just a cap of Phytoplankton/week for my 2 Tridacna Croceas.
Before raising Magnesium, and/or buying a Calcium Reactor, I have been trying everything else to eradicate this awful algae, I have been manually removing it while siphoning during water changes, and have a Money Cowry, some Turbos, and a few Margarita Snails. I also have 2 Tuxedo Sea Urchins, but all together, aren't making a difference.
<Won't touch the stuff.>
I also added 2 Vortech pumps to add to water movement. I considered a Lawnmower Blenny, and a Tang,
<They won't touch it either.>
but I believe my tank is too small for a Tang, and I already keep a Banggai Cardinal, a Bellus Angel, Truncatus Anthias, Purple Dartfish, Green Bar Goby, Blue Mandarin, and a Yellow Striped Cleaner Goby. I'm not sure if I
have room for another fish.
<Nope, would not any more to begin with, you will just increase nutrients fueling the growth of the algae.>
The main reason for my note to you today, is that I saw a shrimp at my LFS that they call a Bryopsis Shrimp, and apparently its supposed to eat Bryopsis. I put it on hold, and have since, been looking all over the web,
and your site for more information on the safety and care of this little crustacean, but haven't come up with much. All I have seen, is an alternative name; Blue Shrimp, and a scientific name of Heteropeneus longimanus, and the fact that they are impressive jumpers!
<Yes, I've read reports about their jumping ability.>
I already have a Skunk Cleaner, and a Peppermint Shrimp. Would this Bryopsis Shrimp be a possible solution to my algae problem, or should I consider a Nudibranch, or borrowing a Sea Hare instead?
<I've only read one report where a dealer claims he saw the shrimp eating Bryopsis in his tank, and he also sold two to customers who claim the same. The problem I see here is that if the shrimp does eat the algae, it is just a method of control and will not get rid of it. I also doubt one shrimp is going to put much of a dent in the growth.>
Should I just cave in, and invest in my Reactor, raise the pH for a while, and keep it at that?
<I've read a few reports where raising the magnesium to well over 1500ppm was effective in eradicating the Bryopsis, but in doing so you are likely to have problems with calcium precipitating out of solution. As to the pH, I have read reports where raising the pH was effective.
You do not mention the use of a protein skimmer which will greatly reduce available nutrients/food for the algae. Have you read our FAQ's on Bryopsis control? If not, do read here.
http://wetwebmedia.com/BryopsisF.htm>
Thanks so much for your help, and always super helpful site!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Nancy

Hair Algae? Making Me Crazy/Algae Control/Jack Daniels If You Please 2/4/10 Hey Crew, <Hello Chris> I know you here it over and over but all of you are awesome. <Thank you.> I have never seen a sight with so much information and so helpful. I use your sight constantly. I started my first saltwater tank in May and now have 3 tanks. <Yowsie.> My daughter and girlfriend and I love learning and caring for all of our new friends. The tank I need help with is our oldest one (only 9 months). It is a reef tank, 75 gallons with a 30 gallon sump. We have 4 actinics, 2 halides and at least 100 lbs of live rock. I check chemicals at least twice a week and always top off with RO. Ammonia and nitrite are always zero, pH is generally 8.4, alkalinity 8-9, CA 400-440 and temp 79-82. I battle nitrate now and then but in general it is around 5 almost never above 20. The tank has been pristine (I am probably one of the keepers you talk about that can’t stop messing with the tank) but I am now waging war against some type of hair algae, I think. It grows rapidly on any live rock that has light exposure that doesn’t already have a coral or anything living on it. I have checked phosphate repeatedly but the test kit I have is very hard to tell color difference on. <Yes, generally phosphate is absorbed by algae as soon as it forms. You likely wouldn't get a reading unless it was forming faster than the algae can absorb it.> It seems like it is always at the lowest color. Yesterday I added a phosphate reactor and Phosban to the system. Whatever it is it creates a mat of brown particles that form in a mat over everything. It is concentrated more on the fibers of the algae though. I use a bulb syringe daily to break the mat apart and clean the rock. <Mmm, go here, look anything similar to the pics? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm> The filtration removes them to the first particle filter which I change. In 24 hours it is all back and the hair gets longer. I looked at the brown seed like particles that form the mat under a microscope and they appear to move. It is green and brown and has what appears to be eye like spots. Is this algae or some type of worm and is it related to the hair or two separate issues? <May be pods of some type.> It is making me crazy and ruins the appearance of the tank. Will the phosphate reactor solve the problem? <Unlikely, a protein skimmer would do more for you here than anything else. You do not mention the use of one so I'll assume you do not have one. It appears you have excess nutrients in the water and with the presence of good lighting as you have will accelerate the growth. Steps to eliminate/control the problem can be found in the links below. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm> I have attached a photo of the algae. You can see the brown green particles on the left under the clam in the algae. <Not really resolved enough for me to see any detail, but it appears to be nuisance algae.> The algae is dark green with a bluish streak at the center of the filament. I have read tons of your articles and Bobs book on invertebrates. I can’t find anything that specifically addresses my issue. Help! <See/read all related info contained in the links above and implement the advice. This problem is not going to go away overnight, as it didn't start overnight. It will take time and patience. James (Salty Dog)> Chris Terrels <<Mmm, no... this is a Chlorophyte... Likely Bryopsis. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/BryopsisF.htm and the linked files above. RMF>>

Re Hair Algae? Making Me Crazy/Algae Control/Jack Daniels If You Please 2/5/10 Wow you guys are amazing. Super fast response. <You're welcome.> This is the picture on the FAQ you sent me that looks most like what I have. Here is another photo from my tank. Sorry couldn’t get a clear shot. Is this Bryopsis or Derbesia. I couldn’t tell from the FAQ? <Yours or the FAQ picture? Mr. Fenner believes what you have is Bryopsis. Read FAQ's here for help/advice. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grnalgcontfaqs4.htm> Are the pods what new hair is growing from? <No, and it was just a suggestion. Without actually seeing it/them makes it nearly impossible to ID.> Should I continue the attack on them? <On the algae, yes, implement what you have read and read above link.> OK so a few more facts for you and then what I think my game plan should be. If you could just tell me if I am on the right path that would be great. <As above.> I do run a Super Skimmer. It produces about 3 inches of Skimmate per week. <Cleaning the riser/reaction chamber every couple of days will increase efficiency of the skimmer.> I also use a UV sterilizer that dumps into carbon media. I have a Sohal, a Kohle <Kole>, two Percula Clowns, Foxface, Bicolor Pygmy Angel and a Niger Triggerfish. All are small less than two and half inches. I also have 3 shrimp and a Tridacna. Corals are Pulsing Xenia (over taking the tank) Frogspawn, various mushrooms and elephant ear. <Too much load for this system which in turn promotes excess nutrients, and most of your fish will need larger quarters in the near future.> I feed once a day 1 cube of Formula 2 and one cube of Formula B. I used to feed twice but have been trying to limit nutrients for over two months. Should I feed less? They devour it in 2 minutes and still seem hungry. I am worried they aren’t getting enough. <I wouldn't feed two cubes at once. Spread it out over three daily feedings.> Should I switch them to flakes? Is this less nutrient input? <Would be less nutritional. Frozen foods will generally produce more waste in the water unless rinsed in a net prior to feeding. You might give the New Life Spectrum Pellets a try. A very nutritional food with little waste, is all I feed.> Rest of my plan, yes or no? Switch out my actinics – 9 months old. <I would not use this lighting for now, especially with four of them in a 75 gallon tank. Actinic lighting peaks in the mid 400nm range and can promote algae growth. There is enough blue present in your MH lamps to promote photosynthesis for other light loving animals. If anything, cut it down to one or two actinics.> Do I need to switch the halide bulbs also? <I don't know, they are generally effective in the rated Kelvin temperature for a year.> Decrease halide time from 8 hours to 6. (actinics run 12) <Halides are fine, I'd decrease the actinic photoperiod to a couple of hours before the halides come on and turn back on for a couple of hours just before the halides turn off. Remove the rock – again! And scrub in RO. <No, do not do this, you will be killing other life present in the rock.> Continue to blow off the pods daily with a bulb syringe. <?> What about raising the light unit higher? It is about 8 inches above the tank now. <Is fine.> Continue to use the phosphate reactor. <Might as well, you bought it.> Is this enough or should also try the pH increase and the ferric oxide? <????. PhosBan is a synthetic ferric oxide. Leave pH alone and read/act where you were sent.> Again thank you! <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Chris Terrels

Re Hair Algae? Making Me Crazy/Algae Control/Jack Daniels If You Please 2/5/10 Thanks James! <You're welcome, Chris.> Are you guys funded by sponsors, donations or both? <A little of both, and I believe some may come out of Bob's wallet. What say you, Bob? We are strictly a non-profit organization, the crew's time is donated, no paychecks given out here.> <<Not money from me, but perhaps its equivalent, time, effort. Most of the incoming monies are from commercial sponsors who believe in what we do (educating, inspiring their present, future customer base); and most outgoing is for content; principally our on-line 'zine. RMF>> I would like to contribute to your cause if you are donation based. <Great, and will be appreciated. Go to this link, scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will see a donate tab. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm James (Salty Dog)> Chris Terrels

Bryopsis and lighting   1/31/2010
Hi crew
<Hi Jennifer>
I've been scouring your website for info on eliminating Bryopsis.
<Difficult>
I've been fighting this pain for over a 1 year now. Quick facts: 55 gal w/ 30 gal refugium, Chaeto in the refugium, AquaC Remora skimmer, R/O water, 80# live rock, 3 power heads, 130 watts of power compact lights run for 12
hours, 1 clown, 1 royal gramma, 1 coral beauty, 1 Hawkfish, 1 Florida orange starfish, 1 sleeper goby, scarlet leg crabs, green star polyps, mushrooms.
<Sounds nice!>
I feed fish 1x/day with ground shrimp, crab with Selcon added.
<Hmm, is this a home made mixture? A source>
I do weekly water changes (15-20 gal), change filter media <? what is this?
Could be a factor also> weekly. I used to scrub the rocks but don't anymore since I discovered how many critters (amphipods, starfish, etc) were on them. Water parameters are at 0 (tested a couple of days ago).
<Which water parameters? Better numbers please, so that a 'feel' for the system can be had>
Here are the questions:
1. Could the lighting be contributing to the algae? Reason I ask is I've taken a couple of rocks that were covered and put them in the refugium. The blue leg crabs eat the algae. I've left the rocks in there for months and no more algae grows on it. As soon as I put it in the display tank the algae grows back.
<Algae does need light of course, but you should be able to light your system w/out having excessive growth. When did you last change your bulbs?>
2. I read on your website that increasing the pH to 8.5 for 3 weeks will eliminate the algae.
<Have read this as well, but increasing pH to 8.5 and keeping it there for 3 weeks (especially overnight) is next to impossible in most home systems.
My experience also tells me that fiddling around with your water chemistry is a bad idea>.
Would this hurt my inverts? Specifically the starfish. 3. Should I add another protein skimmer? The Aqua C doesn't put out as much skimmate as I thought it would or even as much as my old Coralife skimmer did.
<Mmm, could you not run your old one as well for a while? Why did you change if your old one was performing?>
I've been thinking about changing out the lighting to T5. I live in Florida and have enough problems keeping the temp down in the summer. I think metal halides would make it worse.
<Changing the lights could have an effect, but it is not worth the investment just for this, as there is something else amiss w/ your system here. Older bulbs do lean towards spectrums that favor algae, so if you have not replaced them for 6 months or more then you could try this, but that is as far as I would go with the lights. I think you need to persevere here with the maintenance, pulling it out, turkey basting rocks, water changes, maybe some GFO for a while, but since you have not given me any numbers for your tests it is difficult to comment further>.
ANY piece of advice would be welcome!
<Try here & Related FAQ's, there is a lot of info on this:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm>
Thank you
Jennifer
<Simon>

Re: 30/01/10 Bryopsis and lighting 2/1/2010
Hi Simon,
<Hi Jennifer>
Thanks for the quick response! Answers to your questions: Water parameters: NH3/NH4 is 0, PO<4> is 0
<Not likely, is being sequestered by the Bryopsis, and there should be ‘some’ here – is an essential nutrient>, NO3 is 0
<Should be ‘some’ here as well>, NO2 is 0, pH is 8.3, Calcium is 400. Their food is homemade but I've only been doing that for 2 weeks,
<I would cease this until the algae is under control>
prior to that I was using Mysis shrimp (thawed and rinsed). I change the bulbs out every 6 months. In reference to the "filter media" I was referring to the pads or filters in the 1st part of the refugium.
<I would remove these – a nutrient ‘sink’>
I changed the protein skimmer because I didn't think and was told that it wasn't producing enough skimmate.
<Mmmm, was your system balanced at the time? If it ain’t broke...>
The research I did said the AquaC was one of the most recommended. Yes, I could put the old skimmer in as well.
<I would for the minute>
You suggested "GFO"..I'm not quite sure what that is.
<Granular Ferric Oxide, http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php but if your phosphate is testing low then this might not be a good idea, at least for the long term. Some Po4 is necessary for life>.
I will say that when I use a Polyfilter or a micron pad they come out dark brown within a week which suggests heavy amount of dissolved organics. Would you recommend adding the other protein skimmer?
<Yes I would – are you growing any competing algaes (Chaetomorpha) in a refugium at all here?>
Thanks Simon! Jennifer
<No problem! Simon>

Bryopsis - Possible/Algae Control 11/29/09
Bob and Crew ---
<Shawnda>
I recently set up a new system that I bought from a friend of mine, that was already established. Everything in the system was moved over without much incident. I did not use the old water from his system, nor his sand. The sand that I used is the CaribSea sand that you can buy at any LFS and made up some new fresh water for the system. The rock in the tank was all of the rock from his system.
While, I know I will still go through some "new tank" stages, I won't hit them all. I.e. not much of a cycle, because we kept his rock wet and etc.
However, I am going through this wonderful 'new system' stage, where I am getting this beautiful algae growth. Now, I know some of the algae that I am experiencing is green hair algae ... I always see something a little different. I, unfortunately am unable to get a photo at this time (not one in detail anyways :( ). I have noticed I have a lot of green algae sticking to my glass, upon further inspection, it looks like a leaf/feather. Now, all of my homework and research tells me it is Bryopsis, unfortunately ...
I'm having a hard time finding the exact or a really good picture of Bryopsis. In your great library of photos, do you have a good photo of Bryopsis?
<Are many photos here to help you ID.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&resnum=0&q=bryopsis&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=g9sTS4ueB4PTnAfT883VAw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CB4QsAQwAw>
Also, if it is Bryopsis .. I have read it is a little harder to
get rid of than most other algaes. With that said, what would you recommend for the extermination of such?
<Lawnmower and Bi-Colored Blennies have been known to eat this along with Diadema Urchins. Sadly, there are not too many herbivores that like this stuff if indeed Bryopsis is what it is. I suggest reading here and related articles/FAQ's linked in the header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BryopsisF.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm>
I have tested all my levels in my system, and they are all coming back negative.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrates - 0 (I know obviously there has to be some for it to grow as its nutrients are No3 and Phosphates)
<Yes, being taken in by the nuisance algae.>
Phosphates - assuming 0 (I unfortunately can't test it at this moment in time, because ... I can't find my test :( )
Nitrites - 0
Tank specifications:
40gal breeder
1- 175w Iwaki MH w/ Blueline ballast
2 - 39w 24inch T5'2 (super blue)
Pacific Coast Skimmer rated up to 100gal
Quiet One 2200 for the return
Vortech MP10
I do drip pickling lime into the system, to help keep the parameters stable.
<I have recently read that elevating the levels of magnesium from the normal range (1,280 ppm) to 1,500 – 1,600 ppm will greatly help in eradicating Bryopsis. The theory behind this is that the magnesium stops the photosynthetic processes in the Bryopsis, but does this without affecting other desirable macros. There are also some reports that suspect elevated levels of magnesium can kill desirable invertebrates, but I have never read any documented proof of such. Bob may give his input here in this regard.><<Mmm, nope. You've stated admirably more than I know. RMF>>
Thanks!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Sincerely
Shawnda Etgen

Re: Bryopsis Control - MgCl2 Dosing?  11/15/09
Thanks for your help.
<Welcome>
I've set up a little experiment to see what concentrations do this trick and what brands work.
<Ahh!>
Hoping that simple Epsom salt accomplishes this so people can save the money for better things. One control with only weeds nothing else, one with Kent tech M, one with Aquavitro ions, and one with Epsom salt. Increasing the concentrations slowly until I notice a difference. Doing this in Tupperware with minijet's and some LR. Keeping next to a window. Granted its not the typical environment but should provide some useful information. I guess MgCl2 Is very useful for many things.
<Yes... has many common applications...>
Anyhow will let you know the results.
Also I was reading through some of the nitrate control FAQ's and came across a section where you said 'It could be argued that massive 25% or above water changes can cause more harm than good'.
<Yes; too much instability is often introduced thus. One must be assured of good water quality in what is being replaced>
Can't find any more background information on that. I change the entire volume of my tank 1.5 over each month for nutrient export.
<Wow!>
Seems to be doing the job well since nothing else works. I have not tried a DSB for aesthetic reasons but that's the last resort.
<Best to "remote" this/these... in a sump, refugium... not in main displays in general>
I never really liked the idea of 'maxing out' my biological filter. And if something happened to the bacteria for some reason it would cause the tank to crash and all of the nutrients to be released.. Correct?
<Can possibly>
So basically my question is why would massive water changes cause more harm than excessive nutrients would?
<See above>
Also what is your opinion on the new TC type of Deltec Skimmers? I am looking into upgrading to a better skimmer.
<Very nice, though expensive, units>
http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/09/26/deltec-tc-sc-skimmer-lines-priced-north-american-market/
There is some info on them.. As I am not sure if they have been released yet.
<I think just>
Thank You,
Cassidy
<Thank you Cass. BobF>

Should I rinse frozen food to remove phosphates? 8/2/09
<Hi Jim, Jessy here>
I'm hoping you can help resolve what has become a HUGE disagreement between my wife and I. We have two tanks: one 65 gallon that houses our seahorses, that we've had for about three years, and one 210 gallon fairly new reef tank with numerous fish (9 chromis, 2 clownfish, 1 flame Hawkfish, 1 yellow tang, 1 lawnmower blenny, 1 rusty angel, and 1 Banggai cardinal) established about 3 months ago. The seahorse tank has a chronic massive problem with nuisance hair algae. I very much want to avoid having this same problem with the reef tank. Both tanks are regularly fed various frozen foods:
San Francisco Bay brand Marine Cuisine, Spirulina- and Omega3-enriched brine shrimp, and various brands of frozen mysis. The fundamental question that is the basis of our disagreement is whether or not it is important and beneficial to rinse these frozen foods after thawing them. As the person who has to clean the algae from the glass, rockwork, and every other surface of the seahorse tank, and the person who does all of the testing for nitrates and phosphates, and regularly replaces the phosphate adsorption media, I maintain that it is important to rinse the thawed frozen food in order to remove as much phosphate as possible before feeding the fish and seahorses. As the person who regularly feeds the fish and seahorses, my wife maintains that the "juice" from the frozen food contains important nutrients, and that rinsing the thawed food would remove essential nutrition that was specifically added by the manufacturer for the benefit of the fishes and other filter-feeding creatures in the tanks. We recently asked the local "expert" at our LFS, who said he personally doesn't rinse these types of frozen foods, because it helps feed the filter feeders. I'm hoping that you can help settle this disagreement we're having. I've been unable to get my wife to take the time to actually read the numerous sources I've located online, all of which state the importance of rinsing thawed frozen foods to remove phosphates. What does wetwebmedia.com have to say on this issue? To clarify: not asking for marital advice, just whether to rinse or not to rinse!
Thanks in advance,
<Absolutely yes, you should be rinsing your frozen food. You can do something as simple as putting it in a brine shrimp net and holding it under cold tap water to thaw and rinse it at the same time. The things that
you are rinsing off are mostly the binding agents for the frozen food... and yes it can lead to phosphate problems. Your filter feeders will benefit much more from a dose of phytoplankton or Cyclopeeze than they will from the little particles found in that frozen mush. I'm a huge proponent of PE Mysis, (who also suggest to rinse their product) and I noticed that a lot of the pieces and parts that get rinsed off are the lighter scrap, like tails and legs. When added to the tank, none of the fish even attempt to eat those pieces, passing them by for the meaty portions. I said all that to say, that by not rinsing you're putting unnecessary binding agents in your tank and particles of "food" that are just going to go unused and add to a high nutrient problem. By the way, with the hair algae the best way to combat it is to remove it with your fingers (yes elbow grease is
unavoidable) and I've always had success with large turbo snails. Every time you walk past the tank and they are not eating a patch, just pick them up and plop them on top of it. With continued water quality monitoring and a little bit of time, every hair algae problem treated that way has been solved for me. Now Bryopsis, is a whole other ball of wax. Make sure you're identifying it correctly. Hope that helps. Jessy>

Re: Should I rinse frozen food to remove phosphates? Now Bryopsis, Hair alg. control  8/3/09
Thank you, Jessy, for your reply. Regarding identification: I thought Bryopsis was a type of hair algae. Three questions: 1) What type of  hair algae were you describing the relatively easy control of? 2) How can I tell that one apart from Bryopsis? 3) What do I do if I have Bryopsis?
Thanks!
<I'm talking about the algae referred to as "hair algae"
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grnalgcontfaqs4.htm viewed/discussed here. The
best way to tell if you have Bryopsis is to look at the strands of algae.
For me, Bryopsis always looked like a little fern. Basically a central shaft with smaller hairs branching off of each blade. As opposed to hair algae that just looks like thin green hair. If you have Bryopsis, I suggest
doing a search on WWM for more info, I know there is a vast amount of it.
Two ways I've heard of conquering it were raising the magnesium levels in the water, or the use of a ruby lettuce Nudi. If you do go with a Nudi, please make sure that you cover all power heads because they will find them and get hurt, and also be prepared to pass it along to someone else in need after all the algae is gone because it will die in your tank otherwise.
Regards, Jessy>