Well the biological solution did not work as planned. I had no other avenues of choice…….I would have to resort to Chemical Warfare…..a Weapon of Mass Destruction :bad:. But…..how can such a weapon exist that would be selective enough to destroy the advancing wall of green forest that seemed to grow on everything? What could I use that would kill the bryopsis, yet not harm my corals, fish, invertebrates and the other “good” floral and fauna?
This is where my skepticism as a chemist comes in. This chemical attack would be widespread. It will be in the water and globally applied. It will touch everything in the tank and sump and be metabolized, ingested and used in the respiratory process.
Eureka! I saw an advertisement for Ultra Algae, a “solution against algae growth”. Heck, it was even in German, and the definition of an expert is someone/something from outside the immediate area. This was from another country and was just being imported, therefore it had to be good stuff, right? Being the skeptic though, I continued slowly with due diligence and checked out the references, googled the stuff to see what others were saying, read the testaments from reefers waging the same war as I was. The stuff sounded like it was exactly what I needed, so I bought some along with some other fellow reefers.
We read the directions carefully, both in English and German. This chemical concoction would not only take care of bryopsis, but would also remove “hairy or plague type algae growth in Reef tanks” as well as dinoflagellates! Sounded deliciously evil, just what the doctor ordered! I connected with a few other reefers that were fighting the good battle with this new weapon and we became the agents of chemical terrorism.
I dosed this magic liquid elixir wondering what it was and what it was going to do to my tank. Yes, I dosed it religiously according to the directions and my broken interpretation of the German language. I delivered this lethal agent of destruction on my reef for 20 days, letting the powerheads disperse the unknown chemical into the water and throughout my system. I watched the tank daily for signs and symptoms of impending death. What would it look like? Would I then battle increased nitrates and phosphates? How would I decontaminate my tank and get the dead and dying bryopsis out? Should I wear gloves to prevent poisoning myself through skin absorption?
At day 20, a bad omen unveiled itself. A few of my sps corals had white tips, a bad sign. The bryopsis, however, was doing well. A frantic call was placed to my fellow chemical dosing terrorists yielded similar results, some more drastic than others. I stopped dosing and started massive water changes, silently cursing in German (funny how it is easier to pick up swear words in another language than it is to learn how to converse politely). I did not lose any corals, but other reefers did. I now have a stockpile of Algae X for anyone that may wish to try it out in their tank.
Next: Heavy Metal
Last edited by BeakerBob; 10-24-2009 at 07:53 AM.
Reason: spelling corrected
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