Bryiopsys Algae Control.
by
, 09-04-2013 at 02:35 AM (1780 Views)
It looks like the reef keeping gods have decided to test me with as many of the most common problems in starting a marine reef aquarium as possible. Now although I purchase Nutri-SeaWater as my already mixed saltwater I don't have an RO/DI unit (I just purchased one and I am waiting for it to be delivered) so my top off water for evaporation has been coming from my Poland Spring Water Dispenser. No I know bad me for not using RO/DI water from the start but it is what it is. So, this has contributed to a big Bryopsis Algae bloom in my aquarium. Although as pretty as it looked swaying back and forth in the aquarium I did notice how rapidly it was spreading on the rock. So I looked for the most natural solution possible, while avoiding solutions such as raising magnesium levels to extremely high levels. I think some of the many mistakes we make in this hobby, and I am by no means excluded from this is that we look to quick remedies to get fast results for issues in the aquarium. I am trying desperately to avoid this.
I did some research online and found that other hobbyist have had success in naturally removing the Bryopsis Algae using Mexican Turbo Snails and Lettuce Nudibranch. So I headed to Maximum Reef Aquatics in Yonkers, New York and they just happen to have some of the most beautiful looking Lettuce Nudibranchs and some almost gold ball sized Mexican Turbo Snails. So I purchased them and off I went with my solution in hand. After a drip acclimation period of about 1 hour for each species I placed them in my aquarium and they all went to work. It has been three days since I introduced them into my aquarium and 50% of the Bryopsis is gone. At this rate I will have to start supplementing their diet with Algae sheets by the end of the week.