::Sigh:: GHA has me seriously thinking of quitting.

I just came from there, having bryopsis for the second time. This time, it didn't exhibit the feathery appearance until it started to die. I've also had it before, I knew what it looked like, and I was fooled.

Hair algae would be weakened by three days with no light. Bryopsis won't skip a beat. I recently had three WEEKS lights out on my FOWLR, and it didn't die. This stuff is tough, and sneaky. I dose vodka, no nitrates, no phosphates, urchins wouldn't eat it. Algaefix killed all algae, even the chaeto, but not the bryopsis. I STILL thought it was gha at this point. With the absence of other algaes, the "gha" started to take off.

Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.

Doubting that it was bryopsis, I raised the magnesium to 1,800 with Kent Tech M, and the bryopsis slowly started to die. It took three weeks for it to start to fade. Any other form of magnesium has not worked for me.

With all due respect, someone here makes a pretty good case that it's not GHA:

none of my fish will graze on it

I've never had any traces of phosphate or nitrate

I got GHA while vodka dosing was going on too..

I've gone thru 3 sea hares...none of which ate my algae....

my tangs don't touch it...Yellow tang, Hippo Tang, Chevron Tang, Unicorn Tang...none of them...also on my 3rd foxface...

I have tried a black out...for 3 days...with nothing.

 

i know i prolly shouldnt say this, but if i were you i would try bio pellets.... i never had big time aglae, a tiny bit hear and there, but i had terrible nitrates and phosphates, regardless how big of a water change i did... i have big fish but not enough to cause me to have high levels, used 0 tds rodi water, i have a big skimmer rated at 400 gallons, ran gfo and had a fuge and still couldnt get the levels down...finally late one night i said screw it and ordered bio pellets and an smr1 reactor... im on my 4 week and its crazy how nice my tank is looking, coralline is starting to takeoff now my phosphates are low, all algae has disappeared, skimmer is pulling out the blackest thick sludge i have ever seen that makes you wanna throw up, and my water looks like nothing is in it...

corals by the day are coloring up more and more, idk so far i am sold on bio pellets, as long as start off slow with them and gradually reach your recommendation based on your gallons its hard to mess up... i never got to where i wanted to quit, but i was getting real upset why i couldnt get my levels down...

 

disregard my last post if you have bryopsis

 

Could you get some pics up and maybe it's some kind of bryopsis that you haven't seen before.

I do highly suggest algaefix if it is gha. Just remove your macro, it was my last resort and worked wonders

 

Do you have any pics? I mean what's going on right now isn't helpful to anyone. Someone presents a response and gets "it's not that." Maybe you can provide photos and readings. Maybe try something instead of shooting everything down?

 

I hate even uploading pictures of my tank when its looking like this :-/

sorry about the flash

 

any thoughts after seeing pics?

 

Man I know it sucks. Sorry. There has to be something, something nOT showing on tests because the algae has it bound up or something.

That doesn't look like other gha I've seen although maybe it's just longer? I'm not sure :\ It looks almost like a maidens hair of sorts...

 

It's bryopsis.

The reason that I was being so insistent, whippy, is because after going through it for the second time, and getting to recognize it even better, I'm surprised how many people have it in their tanks and don't know it. Makes me wonder how many newbies have it when they think it's gha, never get rid of it, then get discouraged and quit the hobby.

 

its not bryopsis...i took some to the LFS...its GHA...and no one can figure out how/why its happening..TDS 0 on RODI...i am buying a new skimmer to skim even more than i am now.....going with a Aqua Medic TurboFloater 5000 Shorty.....maybe my AquaC just isnt getting the waste out as good as it should...