bryopsis from too much light?

[ryanandsix]

just want to let everyone know that this is my first post ever. i started into the saltwater less then a year ago. i took my time to read and make sure i get the right equipement for what i would like to do. after everything was set up and cycled properly, i proceeded to buy my first fish. about two weeks after i had the fishs in my tank, i started growing a very strainge type of algae. went to my local pet shop and was told to add tech m magnesium to get rid of the bryopsis. did that and it was still there. i wanted to rip everything down and start over. this was a 3 month process where i didnt get anything new except snails to help with the algae control. noboby ever said a word to me about the light. finally by mistake, i found out about my 250 watt mh. i read that a new tank doesnt have enough animals to such up the nutrients in the water. in turn created the bryopsis. i cut my light down to 3 hours a day. i would have turned it off completely but i had coraline algae growing so i had to leave it on at least 3 hours a day. can anybody relate to this or had the same problem?

[Original Fin]

I can relate to that. I've got about the same amount of time in the hobby as you. Algae conrol is definitely one of the most challenging aspects of reefing.

I've also had the LFS try to sell me magnesium to control algae. Ive learned to be cautious concerning LFS advice, especially when their answer is to send you home with a bottle of something, and no mention of how to test before and after dosing. Following advice to "just follow the directions on the bottle" is not always a smart thing to do.

I don't necessarily agree that your lighting was the smoking gun for briopsis. First, that strain of algae had to get into your system somehow, either on your rock, corals, or used equipment. The first step to avoiding NA is knowing what to look for and avoiding it. For this reason, my next start up will be done with dry rock.
Next, you need to adress what it is that allows NA to thrive. Lighting is certainly one of those things, but to simulate tropical marine conditions, you need a 12 on, 12 off light cycle, so there's not much you can do about that one. The main thing, IME, that you can limit is nutrients. Run a good skimmer, practice good husbandry, use RODI source water, run GFO, GAC, carbon dose, refugia, deep sand beds, frequent water changes, being careful/knowledgable with food and feeding practices, know how to limit the accumulation of detritus, appropriate clean up crew, knowing your bio capacity and not overstocking the system...all these things help to limit introduced TDS and N&P.

Also, don't underestimate the power of properly sized and placed flow devices.

[ryanandsix]

thank you for replying to me. there's alot of stuff that i left out so that i wasnt writing a book. everything that i bought was brand new except the rock. the rock came from an established tank and i have the strangest creatures already on the rock. my araginite{sorry if some stuff isnt spelled correctly} is two inches deep. i'm moving approx 20 times my tank an hour. 2-750 gph 1-250 gph koralia powerheads and my eshopps overflow. i spent so much time reading and doing all kinds of stuff to cut down the bryopsis. the pet store that i go to is a very well know fish store with marine biologists on staff. everything that was told to me to do was explained very well, at least i thought it was. it was only by dumb luck that i figured the light thing out. i was just curious if anybody else had the same problem. when i cut my light down to 3 hours a day for 2 weeks, thats what FINALLY help the problem. i was running 12 and 12 and the bryopsis just over ran my tank. i spend so much time on my tank. i love the hobby so far except this one problem. i'm using an ro with deionizer and denitrate sock in my bubble trap. my water reading are perfect. the only problem i had was my nitrate was up to 20ppm at its highest part. i didnt think that was too bad and i still had the bryopsis. thats when i started cutting the light back and came across turning it off all together. i'm excited to actually have someone to talk to about this stuff without having to run to my fish store. thank you

[Original Fin]

Hey, you bet.

In my battle with HA and cyano, I learned that they can thrive on the tiniest measurable amount of nitrates and phosphates, so I looked into ways to get those as close to zero as possible, and that's what really helped me. My levels have been undetectable for a long time now. Never had to touch the lighting cycle.

Do you run a macro algae refugium? This helps a ton, and the macro algae of your choice (chaeto works well and is non-invasive to your DT) outcompetes NA in the DT for nutrients. I also dose vodka to reduce N&P, which can be a PITA as far as needing to measure and dose every day, but BRS has an alternative called bio pellets that you run in a reactor, which does the same thing, and it's relatively hands off.

[ryanandsix]

again, thank you for replying. i have been dosing with bio-fuel instead of vodka. as far as a refugium, i know what one is but dont quite understand it. that is actually something that i was going to start looking into. i am very new to this but i want to learn. i appalogize if i sound like an idiot. money and time have not been an issue, to a certain extent. i think a refugium will be my next investment. thank you