Algae Help - Bryopsis?

MommaGoose · Jul 14, 2024

Hoping for some help identifying an algae that is seemingly getting worse by the day in my tank. The tank is a relatively newly setup Reef Casa 6 Gallon pico, about 4 months old. I am thinking bryopsis, but am not sure. Really hoping it isn't, as getting Fluconazole in Canada is not the easiest from my initial search.

Lavey29 · Jul 14, 2024

Are you doing daily manual removal? What is your cleaner crew? First pic resembles briopsis but not so much the other one. Ugly phases occur throughout the first year. Nano tanks can be difficult. Is your tank in front of a window?

MommaGoose · Jul 14, 2024

Lavey29 said:
Are you doing daily manual removal? What is your cleaner crew? First pic resembles briopsis but not so much the other one. Ugly phases occur throughout the first year. Nano tanks can be difficult. Is your tank in front of a window?

I have tried to manually remove using gloves and rinsing off in RO water, but it comes back pretty quickly. Current clean up crew is X2 Blue Leg Hermits and X2 Turbo Snails. Neither of which seems all that interested in it, even when its shorter.

Over the past month I have been lowering feeding, as there is only a single clown in the tank, and doing weekly 15% water changes. Both phosphates and nitrates are testing at 0, though I imagine this is because the algae is consuming it.

Lavey29 · Jul 14, 2024

MommaGoose said:
I have tried to manually remove using gloves and rinsing off in RO water, but it comes back pretty quickly. Current clean up crew is X2 Blue Leg Hermits and X2 Turbo Snails. Neither of which seems all that interested in it, even when its shorter.

Over the past month I have been lowering feeding, as there is only a single clown in the tank, and doing weekly 15% water changes. Both phosphates and nitrates are testing at 0, though I imagine this is because the algae is consuming it.

Do you have any corals? If so, cut light to 6 hours with blue and uv only no white. If no coral then no light is required. Add a couple trochus snails to. Hand place snails in algae patches so they have to eat their way out. Scrub rocks in old tank water during water changes not RODI water. Raise magnesium to 1500. It helps weaken GHA type algae. Continue daily manual removal. Bottomed out nutrients leads to bad algae problems.

MommaGoose · Jul 14, 2024

Lavey29 said:
Do you have any corals? If so, cut light to 6 hours with blue and uv only no white. If no coral then no light is required. Add a couple trochus snails to. Hand place snails in algae patches so they have to eat their way out. Scrub rocks in old tank water during water changes not RODI water. Raise magnesium to 1500. It helps weaken GHA type algae. Continue daily manual removal.

Much appreciated. Manual removal has only been a weekly task, so I will up that to daily. There are a few corals right now (zoas, mushrooms, acans) so I will cut back the light a bit.

Lavey29 · Jul 14, 2024

MommaGoose said:
Much appreciated. Manual removal has only been a weekly task, so I will up that to daily. There are a few corals right now (zoas, mushrooms, acans) so I will cut back the light a bit.

If you pull a rock to scrub it use salt water from the tank so you don't kill off your beneficial bacteria. By manually removing what you can daily you give your cleaners a chance to get ahead of it.