moonlighting

[marinelife]

I know this was asked before and no one answered it so I want to ask again. I added two 25 Watt Party blue bulbs to my 180 Gallon Reef Tank for moonlighting. They are on for 3 hours a night. Ever since adding then I have gotten algae (see picture). I have tried to use water change and Marc Weiss Phosphate and Silicate Magnet. Both have not helped. Anyone else have this same problem when you added moonlights. It is working it way all over the tank.

[Rin]

Welcome to hair algae/bryopsis hell. It's quite crowded down here as you can see. Tremble in fear as this scourge takes over your entire tank. You'll be the embarrassment of all your aquaria friends.

Seriously, my stuff looked exactly like that. When the algae gets longer, it will begin to feather out. It eventually took over everything. I could write a book on the problems I've had with this crap.

I replaced my sump with a refugium/sump setup. The algae began to die almost immediately. It's only been 6 days since the refuge started running and the bryopsis ain't quite dead. It still covers most of my rockwork, but at least it looks like it's no longer thriving.

Time will tell.

As for your problem, if you think the algae started with the bulbs, ditch them. Go with a special bulb that is more true to the blue end of the spectrum. I have no idea were to find a bulb like that.

Good Luck

[marinelife]

thanks for the reply, I have turned off the bulbs, they will not be one anymore until I find different ones. I have a sump/ref combo going on now bit I still got the algae. I have added the Phosphate & Silicate magnet and no luck there either.

[myreef]

I personally don't think it is the bulbs. I had three 25 watt blue GE bulbs on my tank for moonlight for almost 2 years with no detrimental problems. I have two on there now, since I need the space to add a 3rd halide recently. IMHO, I would look elsewhere for the problem. I think it may be coincidental.

If anything I would ditch the Marc Weiss products. Have you tested your water parameters? If not, get some good test kits and have at it. If you have, what were the results?
Good luck!

[naser]

and if you have a filter bag, throw it away,,,,

[organicreefer]

its not youre moonlights.it looks like a combination of derbesia and bryopsis to me.as rin has stated it can become a chronic problem.allowing small tufts to grow is not a good idea as it releases spores into the aquarium creating new tufts. pulling it out doesnt really work either ,it always seems to grow back even bigger.if it is isolated to a few spots/ rocks, i would ditch the rocks now .it simply isnt worth the trouble ,trust me.you need to nip that stuff in the bud .

[naser]

slow down on feeding your fish. start heavy skimming,...

[marinelife]

Thanks for the replies, I started using the Marc Weiss product as a recommended to me from other reefers to help fight the problem. Right now I have water going and will be doing a water change tonight. Water par has ested good. I have removed the carbon bag that I had in there last week. Organicreefer you are right, it can not be pulled, If I do pull it, it just grows right back. I wish it was on a rock I could pull out, none of my rocks come be pulled out. I hope a few water changes will help.

[SPasse]

Marinelife,

The moonlights are not your problem.

They contribute so little output that they would not stimulate any kind of plant growth, good or bad.

As far as Marc Weiss products, well just do a search on the various boards. Quite frankly, I have yet to see any of their products that I would recommend.

Nitrate and phosphate removal agents, sponges etc. can have a limited use and do occasionally help, but nuisance algae is often able to “get at” nutrients before these chemical agents are able to do so.

You have and underlying nutrient problem.

Today, my personal approach is to use a combination of DSB/mud bed algae filtration to keep nuisance algae under control.

A DSB/mudbed removes the Nitrates from a system.

Vigorously growing macro algae removes Phosphates and Sulfates. The marco algae also seem to inhibit nuisance algae by biochemical suppression.

A good skimmer can also be added to this mix, but that is another discussion.

Regards,

Scott Passe

[marinelife]

Thanks for the reply, I have stopped using the product but have talked with a few other about the same product that use it ans say it works, I think if you search for jus that product there are a few threads about it. I know how his other products are and would never use them. I have the same type filter as you say, I have a sump with DSB and Caulerpa growing, just waiting for the Caulerpa to grow enough to stop the bad algae. I am going to do a few water changes over the next few weeks and see if that helps. I will be doing a 45 gallon water change today on the 180, you think that would be enough to help?

[SPasse]

Marinelife,

I visited your web page to get some more info on your system

Tell me about the details of your DSB, I.e. particle size, depth, etc.

Are you using the miracle mud? If not do you supplement iron?

Regards,

Scott Passe

[organicreefer]

spasse,
im just setting up and stocking my refugium(30g tall) to try to rid myself of the bryopsis too,and i would love youre advice as well
i dont have any "mud" ,i used regular "#0"cc sand from my lfs to make a 7-8 inch bed in my refugium(the same stuff for a 4" bed in the display -120)
the refugium is lit by a 65w loa 24/7 and so far ive just added some snails a single hermit and a couple peppermint shrimp(the peppers are on the way out ,so far ive seen them eat bristle worms and a snail )
just a few days ago i added the first macro,grape caleurpa.
id like any and all tips/pointers you can give .you mention supplementing iron.do you ?does it help with the macro growth?
what macros should i add? what critters?thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

marinelife,
what product are you talking about ,specifically?

[marinelife]

my sand bed is a mix of different sands, I have very fine grade making up the most of it and a few little larger sizes. It is 4 inches in the sump and about 6 inches in the tank. I supplement with Reef Solutions.

[Rob]

Howdy Marinelife,

If I had a digital camera and posted a picture of my algae-occupied "reef" tank, it would look just like yours. I understand your level of frustration, and am watching closely to see how this thread develops.

Hey Rin, thanks for posting that picture, it's helping me understand how to do this. What kind of lighting do you have over that refugium?

Someday I want to actually enjoy this tank, not just do the weeding whenever I have a spare moment at home.

[Rin]

Hey Rob,

Sorry about the slow response. I've been away for the holidays.

It's Oceanic's 55 watt PC. I chose it for the broad spectrum of light. I think the box said it was somewhere around 6900 Kelvin.

It's doing well. The algae has grown 50% since the picture was taken above.

[snoopdog]

I think it is not your bulbs or really anything you are doing. Most mature tanks will go through this at one time or another. There is a simple cure though. It had gotten to where over 60 percent of my tank was covered in this. I purchased many emerald crabs and I will off what I could with my hand. It will not go away overnight the emeralds take a while to mow it down. I think mine went totally away in about 6 weeks with 15 emerald crabs in a 75 gallon.

[marinelife]

I was thinking of getting a few emerald crabs but am afraid to put them in because I do not want have something in the tank that will hurt any of the corals. With the tank being 180 gallons it maybe hard to remove them if they cause problems.

[snoopdog]

I never had a problem, but most died from starvation after the algea died.

[Northman_with_reef]

I know many people, here in Norway, who has the same problem.

The things that helps best(Here In The Far North) is:

*Tearing of the algea

*Increasing numbers of snails and hermits

*Tweaking your skimmer for best performance

*Nutrient poor water

That should do it !!!!

Good luck Killing the Bryopsis.