Bryopsis. Do I have it? And what can I do?

[aschroeder]

I have a nasty algae consuming my nano. It's been a losing battle for months now. I was convinced it was Bryopsis, but now I'm not sure. I don't have a camera good enough for a photo, but it grows in fast spreading clumps with thin grassy stalks. The stalks do have some signs of the hairy fern extensions I see in Bryopsis photos, but I really have to look hard to find any that look that way. So now I'm not sure what I have.

It started on a couple frag rocks and quickly spread. It grows so thick that I could grab one frag rock and lift several of them out of the tank since the algae had connected the rocks together.

I tried the Magnesium Kent M method, but it didn't seem to affect it. In desperation, I pulled out a rock and poured Kent M directly on it. After letting it sit a minute I put it back in the tank. It destroyed the algae and I was thrilled so I treated all of the rocks with no harm to my coral. Two weeks later, new sprouts formed and it grew right back. :(

I'm desperate. In a 20 gallon nano is there any creature I can add that will help eat this stuff? A lawnmower blenny, crab, or other critter?

It looks kind of like this, but the algae stocks are not quite so "hairy" and fern-like.
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/4507/4bryopsisvigw1.jpg

[NitroxBreather]

check Nitrates, increase flow, IMO Bryopsis seems to thrive is low flow situation, >Mg should help,

[aschroeder]

I do have average to low flow. I have a variety of soft coral so I wasn't too concerned about it. I'll add some flow and see what happens.

Any animals that will eat this stuff? I've read that Lettuce Nudibranches work, but I doubt I could buy one locally. And I don't really want to pay overnight shipping for something so inexpensive.

[aschroeder]

Any other advice?

[AZDesertRat]

The bryopsis I had looked almost like feathers and had a blue tint to it under the actinic lighting. Lettuce nudibranchs wiped it out in a matter of a few weeks and it has never returned. I also hear you can eliminate it with elevated magnesium levels but have no experience with that.

[aschroeder]

Mine has some feathers, but you have to search for it. It's thick and green and spreads extremely fast. My biggest regret is I allowed it to spread to my main rocks from the frag rocks it came in on.

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11975987#post11975987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aschroeder
Mine has some feathers, but you have to search for it. It's thick and green and spreads extremely fast. My biggest regret is I allowed it to spread to my main rocks from the frag rocks it came in on.
Look for pictures of feather caulerpa see if it looks like it.
If so basically the soution is to pull by hand.

[aschroeder]

Definitely not feather caulerpa. It's not even close to that feathery and I've had that in another tank before. I'll try to take a picture of the stuff. It's either Bryopsis or some rabid type of hair algae.

[jiperalta]

turf algae?

[jdieck]

Well if it is briopsis, high magnesium (1500 to 1700 ppm) could help kill it.

[Avi]

For a conversation about dealing with bryopsis, take a look at this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1113109&highlight=ro

....it discusses jdieck's suggestion

[kenwendyb]

Does it look like this and does it feel like a bristle brush?




http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/kenwendyb/fish/IMG_0156.jpg
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg143/kenwendyb/fish/IMG_0141.jpg