Algae ID

[super_glue_foot]

Can someone please help ID and or give tips on how to fix? It looks like 2 different kinds of algae.

Nitrate - 10 ppm
Phosphate - .08

 

[Aquadude1]

Looks like dinos and a hair algae. Its a pretty normal combo.

My recommendation would be
Add silicates
Keep Nitrate and Phosphate up and stable
Hold off on water changes
Run carbon

Add inverts
My preferably is astreas and red/blue leg hermits

Optional:
Keep the lighting spectrum on the whiter side.
Add biodiversity through something like tampa bay saltwater live sand.

 

[super_glue_foot]

Looks like dinos and a hair algae. Its a pretty normal combo.

My recommendation would be
Add silicates
Keep Nitrate and Phosphate up and stable
Hold off on water changes
Run carbon

Add inverts
My preferably is astreas and red/blue leg hermits

Optional:
Keep the lighting spectrum on the whiter side.
Add biodiversity through something like tampa bay saltwater live sand.

Thank you!

I will note, the hair algae is slimy and the lettuce Nudibranch didn’t really eat it

 

[Aquadude1]

Looks like dinos and a hair algae. Its a pretty normal combo.

My recommendation would be
Add silicates
Keep Nitrate and Phosphate up and stable
Hold off on water changes
Run carbon

Add inverts
My preferably is astreas and red/blue leg hermits

Optional:
Keep the lighting spectrum on the whiter side.
Add biodiversity through something like tampa bay saltwater live sand.

Thank you!

I will note, the hair algae is slimy and the lettuce Nudibranch didn’t really eat it

The dinos on it are probably toxic most things wont eat it. The clean up crew is more helpful i find with the green algaes are healthy and dinos are not overgrown

 

[super_glue_foot]

Thank you! How would you recommend me adding silicates?

 

[Aquadude1]

Thank you! How would you recommend me adding silicates?

I would use something like Brightwell sponge excel

 

[super_glue_foot]

I would use something like Brightwell sponge excel

Thank you!

Question, if the hair algae is Diatoms, wouldn’t silicate make them worse?

 

[Aquadude1]

I would use something like Brightwell sponge excel

Thank you!

Question, if the hair algae is Diatoms, wouldn’t silicate make them worse?

I see Dinoflagellates on the hair algae and rocks, not much diatoms(its hard to tell under blue light). You want diatoms to grow they can out compete the dinos(Dinoflagellates) for surface area.

 

[mh0ward]

You definitely have dinoflagellates and its easier to treat for them if you know what type, but for that you'd likely need a microscope. Fortunately, UV sterilizers are effective against many of them. I have a thread here from when I first got dinos: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/just-joined-the-dino-club.1076833/#post-12932705. I only ended up having them for about a week or 2 since I was able to recognize them quickly. I ended up doing two things. First was getting a Green Killing Machine UV sterilizer that I ran until they were no longer visible. And the other was clipping a filter pad in front of a high flow area (in my case in front of my wavemaker)... whenever the dinos would "free swim", they would basically end up clinging to the filter pad, which you could then unclip, rinse them out in the sink, reclip, repeat. Good luck!

 

[Aquadude1]

I dont think its necessary to ID dinos I treat them all the same.

There are several different methods for dealing with them that work, but I think the most important thing with fighting dinos is picking one method and sticking with.

 

[super_glue_foot]

Thank you both!

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Instead of Brightwell’s product you can save a lot of money buying “Waterglass” (sodium silicate) on eBay or Amazon from a business called Loudwolf. A bottle of it will last you forever, you can find dosing instructions here on r2r. It’s something like a drop or two for every 10 gallons.