Bayer Dip and Tank Update

So as of today the Red Bugs on the Blue Stag have not returned so I'll call that a success. However, after dipping the zoa frags a few times it seems that the Byprosis is just as resilient as ever. It kind of faded away for a day or so looking like it would die off, but was back a couple days later in full force. I need to find a way to take care of this stuff cheaply. Yes I know, some of you may say that there is nothing cheap about this hobby and I will agree to some point, but the point of this blog is to find a way to keep reefs somewhat inexpensively. The majority of us, including myself, don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on keeping reefs.



Back to the Byprosis. I've thought about using a Lettuce Nudibranch in the tank to take care of the it, but that is yet to be determined. The only other method I've seen around is to use Tech-M to raise the Magnesium levels up for a certain period of time. It seems there is something in it that isn't in other Magnesium supplements that kills off the algae, chemical X if you will. This concerns me though because there isn't a way to test for that chemical and we don't even know what it is.

In other news, everything is still doing good. I'm really liking the 3/4" of sand in the display rather than 3". It's a lot easier to take care of because I just blow it out when I blow off the rocks. All the corals are doing good as well. I'll be adding a piece of my chalice over there soon once I can find a spot for it.

My main concern now is figuring out how to keep nitrates and phosphates down in both tanks. The frag tank should be easy right? There is no fish over there and just two SMALL snails, but I seem to have more issues over there than with the display. Even with a heavy water change they still seem to stay up -.-.

With the display it's a little easier, but not really. There is no algae growth in there except all the coraline on the glass and everything else. All the corals, besides the temperamental green slimer frag, are doing well with growth and good polyp extension. I feed the clowns and goby 3-4 times a week and the starfish when I feed the anemones. Come to think of it now... the anemones in the frag tank may be where the waste is coming from. 5 anemones, 2 RBTA and 3 RFA, could definitely put off enough waste to cause nitrate and phosphate issues.

Well that's all for now. Another update and maybe some pictures and other info coming later on in the week. Stay tuned!