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What type of algae is this??
- Thread starter 9supratt4
- Start date
Hmmmm....Mike....I like being a hero!!! LOL
radiata
NJRC Member
Steve,
Good luck with your search for a valid Bryopsis eater:
"Sea hares, nudibranchs, urchins, emerald crabs, chitons, and even the larger Astrae tuber will nip at both of these species [Bryopsis pennata and B. plumosa], but rarely consume it with any effectiveness."
The above quote is from one of the best algae ID sites I know of on the web (http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54&Itemid=81).
If we knew the location on the planet where Bryopsis originates, we might able to identify the local consumer. (Hmmm... the site didn't mention abalone as a failed try...)
What percentage of your rock do you estimate to be infected?
Regards,
Bob
various factors make for life in the reef to be very different than what we can imitate in our tanks.
Example -The level of nitrates/nutrients that can be measured on the reef is extremely tiny compared to what is found in our glass boxes. There is no way for that type of explosive algae growth UNLESS humans mess with the environment.
Humans mess with the environment by:
1. Using a TON of lawn fertilizer to keep our lawns beautiful, green and all the excess nitrate run-off goes right into the ocean.
2. Removal of core species of fish/animals that are helpful for the environment. examples are fish and inverts that filter feed the water.
3. Loss of diadema urchins in the east coast (root cause still debated). Although the silver lining is Martin Moe captive breeding these inverts (amazing).
In essence, there should be very little real estate in the wild for any algae to grow unless it's an invasive species.
The problem with trying to introduce a natural predator in our tanks is that unless it exclusively dines on that item - it'***** and miss. How many people have bought "peppermint shrimp" to tackle aiptasia only to watch them laugh with glee at us while eating fish food? Same goes for emerald crabs and bubble algae.
I'm +1 with dastrader - tech M saved countless hours and time for me. I bought 2 gallon jugs of the stuff during a group buy and was sooooo wonderfully pleased with the results against bryopsis. I think they are $30 a jug but well worth it.
As Willy Wonka so clearly state, “Wrong, sir! Wrong!”
But you are right in that nitrates do pollute our rivers, it's just the source that is wrong.To clarify, the runoff from agricultural fields pollute our rivers, streams (and oceans, if the farm is close to the waterfront). Actually you can’t find a better “filter” then turf grass. No nitrates are going to get past our lawns. It’s those gosh darn farmers that are polluting the water, not Joe Blow fertilizing his lawn. This misunderstand about lawn fertilizers by the general public has been cause for golf courses not being built, when in fact they would be a benefit to the environment by “cleaning” the water that would run off of them.
I disagree Paul in FLA for instance in a lot of the rivers that home to manatees you see a large algae blooms that had never been there before. While you may be right in saying that grasses do a good job of using nitrates there is going to be a runoff that is just not taken in by the grasses. Golf courses may be less likely to have this problem as they have professionals doing the treatments but you have a lot of people dumping glorious amounts of fertilizers that makes Scotts shareholders giggle with glee.
My comments were based on actual studies performed on golf courses. And you are correct in that agronomists determine application rates on these courses, so the fertilizers are put down correctly.
I just looked up the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Report and there they claim 10% of the nitrogen and 30% of the phosphorus comes from urban / suburban sources. They conclude that this is from misapplication (overuse) of fertilizers to lawns. I would be curious as to how they came up with those numbers and attributed them to urban/suburban sources.
So we have a bunch of dumb homeowners (or overzealous landscapers who what to produce that super green lawn) who don’t know how to apply fertilizer properly. But again, this only accounts for 10% of the nitrogen…..where’s the other 90% coming from?
I think this is great that we bring up these concerns. Good stuff James. Now the question is whether or not I should buy more, or sell my Scotts stock shares.
I just looked up the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Report and there they claim 10% of the nitrogen and 30% of the phosphorus comes from urban / suburban sources. They conclude that this is from misapplication (overuse) of fertilizers to lawns. I would be curious as to how they came up with those numbers and attributed them to urban/suburban sources.
So we have a bunch of dumb homeowners (or overzealous landscapers who what to produce that super green lawn) who don’t know how to apply fertilizer properly. But again, this only accounts for 10% of the nitrogen…..where’s the other 90% coming from?
I think this is great that we bring up these concerns. Good stuff James. Now the question is whether or not I should buy more, or sell my Scotts stock shares.
So you really are just a lobbyist for Scotts and Arnold Palmer golf courses?
Well, I went with Gary Player instead of Arnie.
dnov99
FRAG SWAP VENDOR
It will grow back. How long has it been since you pulled it out??
So I didn't get the Tech M....after talking to a couple people that also had Bryopsis....they raised their Mag with the BRS stuff and got rid of the bryopsis. Now I know I have to get the Mag up to about 1600, correct?? My Salifert kit only goes to 1500 and I just tested the level and the color didn't change at the 1500....so I know it is higher than 1500, but I don't know how high it is.
Is there another way of testing to find out the exact amount??
BTW....the bryopsis is going nuts....I've been pulling out algae...which I think is bryopsis...at a rate of a tennis ball sized amount every 2 weeks.
Is there another way of testing to find out the exact amount??
BTW....the bryopsis is going nuts....I've been pulling out algae...which I think is bryopsis...at a rate of a tennis ball sized amount every 2 weeks.