Bryopsis algae

^ yep, it grows great in prime reef conditions! Peroxide dip your rocks (50/50 mix with tank water) for about 8 mins, pull off as much of it as you can first though. Then I'd really recomend using kent Tech M magnesium (its the other surf in it that does the work, not the Mg itself so it needs to be Kent's) to slowly raise your mg to 1800-1900 and keep it at that for at least 4 weeks to really knock out the bryopsis.

E

it's definitely an opportunist And would probably grow in the bathtub if it had a shot

chip it off the rock or re mount the frags

As was mentioned in an earlier post, Kent Tech M is the stuff that people are having success in riding their tanks of Bryopsis. Although it is a magnesium solution, most believe it is actually one of the other unknown elements or some suggest an impurity in Kent Tech M that takes care of Bryopsis and not just the magnesium. You will find by reading that others have raised their magnesium levels using other products and not had any success. I had a friend successfully treat his tank with it, and now a year plus later it has not returned. Prior to using the Kent Tech M he tried everything that has been listed in this thread and then some. Just make sure you have a good magnesium test kit, Google and do some reading. Basically you slowly raise the magnesium levels, maintain them for some period of time, and then let them drop back down. Good luck with it.

When I finally get the money to do my upgrade (maybe Christmas present!), I'm going to start with marco rocks and maybe a few of my unaffected rocks.

As for frags, I would do what gotareef suggested, chip them off and remount, you don't want this stuff in your tank.

I had a horrible outbreak of this about 2 yrs ago. It bloomed out of some cheap, second-hand live rock I bought. My opinion is that the rock had sequestered a lot of phosphate in the previous owner's tank...calcium carbonate binds phosphates then gives them up like a time release fertilizer. I've since gotten rid of most of that live rock.

However, I still have a few colonies of zoas that are attached to that rock. If I let my GFO get old or if flow through the GFO drops, the Bryopsis comes raging back but only on those little pieces.

If large amounts of phosphate have been sequestered like this, I don't know if there is any treatment for the rock other than time...

Most algae outbreaks are your tanks way of balancing. It is for the most part telling you that something is out of whack. Start with the basics. First what type of water are you using? If you are not using RODI then that would be my first suggestion. Next, test for alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium. Get those three stabilized and don't worry about anything else. Rinse all your frozen food in RODI water, most is Phosphate heavy. Take a turkey baster to your rock work once per week. If you are unsure about your skimmer, toss in a filter sock on your overflow. Those things can be made using craft felt from Walmart for about 0.50 a piece.

What most don't seem to realize is that the ocean has its own ups and downs. There are algae blooms here in Maine and around the globe. The key is to find the food source, eliminate it and let it starve. Now some like Bryopsis is a bit more difficult, but there are two things to keep in mind. Hair algae can be mistaken for Bryoposis, and either can be beaten.

I say this all the time, but just don't panic. This doesn't require conventional weapons that can cost millions of dollars and an untold number of lives. Patience can be a virtue, and many things will pass on their own, if you just make slight changes to your tank husbandry. Just don't expect that it will correct itself overnight. But you will see positive changes that will eventually lead to the tank you covet. How long might it take, well for me close to three months. The before and after pictures of my tank I posted on an earlier thread is proof of what I speak, at least in my case.

Of course this is all just my opinion, and I could be wrong.