Finally an easy solution to bryopsis!

[Peter Eichler]

Even at 2200+ ppm my snails were just fine. Astrea, Turbo, Stomatella, and Cerith mainly.

[Znut Reefer]

Interesting. T.Wallce do you have many acros in your system?

[TWallace]

I have 2 acros, but I'm pretty new to SPS. One is a bali green slimer which is doing great, the other is a mille which isn't so great. It only extends polyps at night. The mille was bleached when I bought it because the store had a pump malfunction which electrocuted the tank. It lost its color as a result, but had good polyp extension in the store and it was cheap, so I bought it. I have several other SPS which are all doing great: pocillopora, stylophora, hydnophora and montipora capricornus. None of them were affected by the magnesium overdose.

[Randall_James]

Originally posted by diciple
go to sponsors site that sells randys two part sytem can get the mag cheap

1 box epsom salts, 1 qt of water = lots of mag supplement..

Any grocery store is selling his 2 part btw

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

[Mr31415]

Nope. It is mentioned specifically you want Magnesium with Cloride NOT sulphate - as is the case with Epsom salts.

[jdieck]

Right, some of the negative effects may be due to excesive Sulphate ions comming from using only Epsom Salts.
Ideally you want to use a mix of 10 to 1 Magnesium Chloride (MagFlake) to Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom Salts).
If you will be using MagFlake be easy on it and do not increase magnesium more than 50 ppm per day and watch for Ammonia which might be the other negative effect. Although MagFlake has been safe to use it is produced using a process with Ammonia. Limiting the daily increase will give the system a chance to process any ammonia that may be present.

[neelix]

Hmm that would explain it. Iused the 2 part formula, maybe 2 much on the epsom salts??

[Randall_James]

Originally posted by Mr31415
Nope. It is mentioned specifically you want Magnesium with Cloride NOT sulphate - as is the case with Epsom salts.

Where did they mention this? I guess I missed that part as did someone else

[jdieck]

Originally posted by neelix
Hmm that would explain it. Iused the 2 part formula, maybe 2 much on the epsom salts??

Depends on what you used for your part 3, Even if you used the mix of Epsom and Mag Flake that is only a ratio of 5:3. Because the Calcium part adds Chloride and the Alkalinity part adds Sodium, the mixed part three in proportion of 5:3 is right as you are already adding some chloride with the calcium part but used as a Magnesium supplement alone you need to up the chloride portion of the supplement by making it 10:1

[neelix]

Originally posted by jdieck
Depends on what you used for your part 3, Even if you used the mix of Epsom and Mag Flake that is only a ratio of 5:3. Because the Calcium part adds Chloride and the Alkalinity part adds Sodium, the mixed part three in proportion of 5:3 is right as you are already adding some chloride with the calcium part but used as a Magnesium supplement alone you need to up the chloride portion of the supplement by making it 10:1

Just to make sure I have this straight, you are saying 10 parts mag flake to 1 part epsom salts? The formula I used was 7.25 cups mag to 3/4 ES. Since I use kalk for calcium support.

[SPS4Life]

Thanks for the info it will be remebered.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by neelix
Just to make sure I have this straight, you are saying 10 parts mag flake to 1 part epsom salts? The formula I used was 7.25 cups mag to 3/4 ES. Since I use kalk for calcium support.

7.25 to .75 is a ratio of 9.7:1, close enough to 10:1

[parkavenuereef]

can i just say you have made my day with this thread!! you really have i have had the same issue and i will be crazy amounts of Mag. in the morning to get rid of this stuff!! THANK YOU!!!!!

[Dudester]

This is amazing, revolutionary information! OK, maybe an exaggeration, but I'm incredibly happy to have stumbled onto this thread. I've been pruning bryopsis for more than a year, and I'm ready to take down my 30g tank and upgrade. I've actually fragged out all of my corals that were infested with bryopsis, and they're sitting on an egg crate rack so I can sort of quarantine them until my new tank is up and running. I've cut away and disposed of a lot of coral as I do not want to infect my new tank, and I've gotten rid of many of the LR that has constantly been a nuissance due to bryopsis. I think I'll give this hyper-Mg a try -- are there many others out there who can confirm the success of this treatment?

Thanks so much for sharing this information! If this pans out to work this well in other tanks, with few downsides to the other tank inhabitants, this would be ThOTM material!

[Khairilasny]

Very informative thread....thanks for sharing!!

[joeychitwood]

Extremely interesting. Having lost a tank to Bryopsis algae, despite trying every method of removal ever suggested, I'll keep this idea handy. It will be interesting to see the results of others trying the cure.

[AIMFish]

Is this a permanent solution or will the bryopsis return when Mag goes down and nutrients rise?

[neelix]

Has anyone else begun this process? Please keep us posted

[TWallace]

Originally posted by AIMFish
Is this a permanent solution or will the bryopsis return when Mag goes down and nutrients rise?

I'm not sure. I imagine if my magnesium goes back down, the bryopsis may return. I'll take that as a sign that my magnesium is low though and raise it up.

[Gary Majchrzak]

better purchase a Mg test kit- Salifert makes an easy to use accurate Mg test

[neelix]

Originally posted by Gary Majchrzak
better purchase a Mg test kit- Salifert makes an easy to use accurate Mg test

Salifert is on B/O. I couldn't find it anywhere. Ordered a Sera Mag kit instead.

[amcarrig]

After breaking down a 90 because of bryopsis (and majano and anthellia infestations), I was heartbroken to see it start to grow in my now 10 month old 180 reef even though I started that tank completely "sterile." I am so very glad that someone may have potentially found an easy solution to getting rid of this algal menace. I'll let you all know how I make out. Thanks so much for this info!

[TWallace]

If you've been following the other thread on Reef Frontiers, there has been some side effects for some people. Namely some corals/anemones bleached, but did not die. In my tank, a pulsing sinularia and my yellow polyped toadstool leathers all bleached. All of my yellow toadstools are frags from the same parent colony. My green polyped toadstool did not bleach. Others have had zoanthids bleach (but none of my thousands of zoanthids were affected). Someone had a BTA bleach, though my GBTA did not. So far I haven't heard of anything that died from the magnesium overdose. Seems to be mostly softies that can bleach from this.

[HowardW]

<<< Seems to be mostly softies that can bleach from this. >>>


It's possible that some people are dosing magnesium and raising levels too quickly, or aren't testing to know their exact levels, or the enhanced mag is altering other water parameters.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by HowardW
<<< Seems to be mostly softies that can bleach from this. >>>


It's possible that some people are dosing magnesium and raising levels too quickly, or aren't testing to know their exact levels, or the enhanced mag is altering other water parameters.

Or as I mentioned before it can also be that the supplement being used for magnesium may be increasing the levels of Sulfates disproportionately.