What type of algae is this??

[dastrader]

+1 Looks like bryopsis (can't tell for sure from the picture though)
+1 Kent Marine Tech M (This stuff wiped it out perfectly with no side effects other than maybe a small snail or two)

I had this and nothing would get rid of it. I read all there is on the internet and the Kent Marine seemed worth trying. There are a couple of people with exact instrcutions. I followed them and it all just dissolved in about 1 week to a week and a half. Kept up the Mag level for another couple of weeks to be sure and it has not been back in 4 months. It worked like a charm. (I didn't have to pull it or anything, it just dissolved). Use the Kent (not just any Magnesium).

 

[Fish Brain]

If you want I can stop by and take a look and give you a second opinion.

If it is byropsis, byropsis can be killed with tech M, turf algae is impossible to kill.

 

[9supratt4]

If you want I can stop by and take a look and give you a second opinion.

If it is byropsis, byropsis can be killed with tech M, turf algae is impossible to kill.

Thanks Brian...but I'm 99% that it's bryopsis

I left the lye mixture on it for about 2 hours with pumps off. I turned the pumps back on and it was there just a thick, like nothing happened!! Crap!!

So I was able to get the rock out that was the worst. What do I do with it??

I am going to get the Kent Tech M tomorrow to kill what's left in the tank....hopefully.

 

[dastrader]

I took rocks out and scrubbed them and it just comes back. The only way to get it off the rock is to completely kill the rock and start over with the cooking process. If you are going to use the Kent Tech M, I would just put the rock back in the tank. The Kent worked great for me. I had two or three decent size rocks that were completely covered plus a lot of small patches that it had spread around the tank and even the covered rocks were completely rid of the bryopsis. Considering how long I fought it (about a year) before using the Kent, it was just amazing at how well it worked. Hopefully you get the same results.

 

[Fish Brain]

You could:
1. Treat the bad rock with the rest of the tank using Tech M.
2. Cook the rock (maybe a peroxide soak?).
3. Kill the rock like a sun dried tomato.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Steve, since you got the rock out, I'd try to scrape as much off as possible with a scalpel or maybe even chisel off a thin layer of the rock it was attached to.

If you have no corals on it, I'd also leave it outside to sit in the sun for a day or two. That should kill pretty much anything.

After that, a good scrubbing and rinsing in rodi water, add it back in and raise the mag with Kent-M as others suggested. If it got on that rock, it may also have spread to some other rocks that you haven't noticed yet. Better safe than sorry and with no real side affects other than possible snail loss... it's a no brainer.

Good luck!

 

[Gonzapa]

Steve, since you got the rock out, I'd try to scrape as much off as possible with a scalpel or maybe even chisel off a thin layer of the rock it was attached to.

If you have no corals on it, I'd also leave it outside to sit in the sun for a day or two. That should kill pretty much anything.

After that, a good scrubbing and rinsing in rodi water, add it back in and raise the mag with Kent-M as others suggested. If it got on that rock, it may also have spread to some other rocks that you haven't noticed yet. Better safe than sorry and with no real side affects other than possible snail loss... it's a no brainer.

Good luck!

I kind of disagree with this statement. since you got it out leave it out!Just get another piece od dry rock and replace that one. If you went through the troubble of removing it you should not risk it!

 

[Hawkeye]

Quit looking at things half empty. Think positive. With this beautiful green stuff there - it will be sure to prevent new aiptasia from finding space in the tank!

(ducks and runs for cover for awful joke!!!!)


seriously though - if it is bryopsis, tech M helped me out a lot (exactly as others described). Besides manually pulling the stuff and covering it, and praying an urchin/mexican turbo would have an appetite for the algae, I also pulled a lot of hair out of my own head stressing over the stuff that was killing my corals.

good luck! hopefully you will succeed better than the giants did against washington!

 

[9supratt4]

Ouch Phil!! First the bad joke...then making me re-live the Giants game!! What did I ever do to you...hahahaha

I have the one rock out of the tank and I think I am going to freeze it then bake it in the sun. It has no corals on it anymore, I was able to move the one that was on it. I'd hate to put it back in the tank to treat it with Tech M....seems stupid to me. Anyway....I'm going to Freeze it for a few days....scrub it....bake it.....then reintroduce it to my tank.

The rest of the tank is going to get the Tech M treatment. It just kills me that I have all this bulk magnesium I get from BRS and I'm being told it won't work......

 

[dnov99]

Steve, with the rock you took out, you might as well bleach it as your last step. I kid you not, they dont call this stuff the devil weed for nothing. Even after freezing and baking, it has a chance of returning. Make sure you bleach it...

 

[9supratt4]

Steve, with the rock you took out, you might as well bleach it as your last step. I kid you not, they dont call this stuff the devil weed for nothing. Even after freezing and baking, it has a chance of returning. Make sure you bleach it...

Bleach...what do you mean bleach?? Use bleach on my rock?? I've heard of this, but have always been weary......

 

[dnov99]

Yes bleach as in clorox bleach. Use a 25/75 bleach to water solution and let it soak for a few days. After that let it soak in regular water for a few days and then air dry. Its as good as new. Chlorine bleach will dissolve away very easily after some time...

 

[9supratt4]

Yikes!! Thanks Darren!!

 

[dnov99]

I just did it a few weeks ago with no problems at all, the rock is back in my tank and clean as ever. Its just like when you dump chlorine shock in your swimming pool, after 2 days its gone...

 

[The_Codfather]

I did 300lb of rock covered in bubble algae in 50/50 bleach but it had so much on it it took months to fully dissolve and even then i still gave it a quick dip in muriatic acid.. The muriatic acid is neutralized right away from eating the rock but you can still rinse it in water and sun dry for a week or so.. BTW the muriatic acid is also good to get rid of any copper in rock and rids the rock of any PO4 that maybe in it

 

[PaulM]

That stuff is such a head ache I would just pick up a new piece of rock. Not worth the trouble. I let a piece dry out for 2 months on my back deck and the stuff still returned.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I wouldn’t feel comfortable with just a little freeze and a little air drying/sun baking. Bryopsis can reproduce both sexually and asexually, one of which is a spore phase. Spores tend to be pretty resistant to death and dieing. Therefore, some type of “execution” is necessary if you want to safely re-use that rock.

Bleach is one approach, but I still wouldn’t be happy with just a water soak/rinse and drying. Byproducts of chlorine include other things, one of which are chloramines. Sun drying doesn’t remove these things. Therefore, if I were to use bleach, I’d follow it up with a real good rinse and then a soak in a “de-chlor” solution. After that, another good rinse and then air dry for as many days as you could wait.

I’m not sure how resistant these spores are, but another potential approach might be to bake in the oven at a high temperature for an hour or so. Follow that up with a water soak/rinse to remove as much death as you can. And be ready for a good stink in the house.

 

[dastrader]

Again, I battled this relentlessly for 2 years by manual removal and partial fixes (rock scrubbing etc). I was not able to "cook" my rock in any way because it all had coral attached.

I basically just lived with the bryopsis just trimming it back often. When I upgraded I finally decided to Use the Kent Tech technique. In less than 2 weeks (EVERYTHING was GONE. ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!) Every rock clean, Every spot got!!! I had Zero negative effects. That was 3 months ago and still not a single sign of it coming back!!!!!!

I would just scrub the rock, put it back in and do the Kent Tech M technique. You will NEVER get it completely out of the tank (because of the spores etc) without doing this, unless you pulled out every rock which you cant do.

Good luck. It really did work perfectly.

 

[bmoney]

I had that and tech m is great it does the job, don't know how it works but it dose kill it

 

[9supratt4]

I haven't gotten the Tech M yet, but for some reason the algae has seemed to slow and even disappear a little....weird.

I've also been thinking....they has to be something that eats this stuff or else it would take over the reefs, no??