Amphidinium Dinoflagellate Treatment Methods

[Arthur_Dent]

Anyone care to weigh in on what flavor of dino I am dealing with here? Small cell or large cell?

 

[ScottB]

Anyone care to weigh in on what flavor of dino I am dealing with here? Small cell or large cell?

Curved beak in first photo is a tell for LC Amphids.

You know it is getting rough out there when folks are shooting dino photos under heavy blues, through and orange filter, and photoshopping to saturate. Good photos. I could not get the video to play. I could hear some audio though.

 

[Arthur_Dent]

Thanks, Scott! Will handle appropriately. And yeah, I can't snap a Pic without photoshop. Lol.

I'll re-upload the vid. Not sure what the issue is, but r2r doesn't seem to like footage straight off my phone.

 

[Arthur_Dent]

When you say curved beak, you mean this one, correct?

 

[Arthur_Dent]

Here are the videos in case anyone can benefit from them. Hopefully they work this time.

 

[Jason_1982]

No. totally possible without Si additions. Some just outcompete with close proximity algae. Some have had success with persistent export and other interventions. I'd personally use Si if I got them again, but not necessary.

This is the right philosophy, most amphidnium outbreaks are not harmful, and so attempts to treat it shouldn't be too aggressive. Export is a great primary tool.

To this point i am finding my small cell amph. Like the tips of sps corals causing them to recede. They may not be toxic but they kill my sps

 

[taricha]

To this point i am finding my small cell amph. Like the tips of sps corals causing them to recede. They may not be toxic but they kill my sps

the mechanisms for how exactly direct dino contact kills corals is unknown. We assume toxins, but we don't know for sure, and other guesses seem less likely.
Amphidinium can be toxic, small cell has more reports of toxin-like effects than large.

 

[BC1906]

the mechanisms for how exactly direct dino contact kills corals is unknown. We assume toxins, but we don't know for sure, and other guesses seem less likely.
Amphidinium can be toxic, small cell has more reports of toxin-like effects than large.

These small cell? Haven't really been able to get confident answer yet.

 

[taricha]

These small cell? Haven't really been able to get confident answer yet.

well since you asked for a confident answer. I can confidently tell you that neither of those are problem dinos.
The two in center having a tickle fight with their flagella might be something like a euglena. They have the shape-changing blobby-ness, but they lack the orange eyespot, so I don't think euglena is exactly right.
The other cigar shaped zooming flagellates are probably cryptomonas or similar.
No problem cells in that video.

 

[BC1906]

well since you asked for a confident answer. I can confidently tell you that neither of those are problem dinos.
The two in center having a tickle fight with their flagella might be something like a euglena. They have the shape-changing blobby-ness, but they lack the orange eyespot, so I don't think euglena is exactly right.
The other cigar shaped zooming flagellates are probably cryptomonas or similar.
No problem cells in that video.

So would what you see be causing this? Makes it look like a mat of diatoms.

 

[taricha]

The previous video was from the brown patch on the sand? @BC1906

 

[BC1906]

The previous video was from the brown patch on the sand? @BC1906

Yeah. Here's a new sample from about 30mins ago. I scooped up right where that patch is in the pic. I cut and trimmed a couple of vids in this one that shows some differently things I saw.

 

[taricha]

Here's a new sample from about 30mins ago. I scooped up right where that patch is in the pic.

Now we're cooking.
Large cell amphidinium. A few other things here and there. But mostly those.

 

[BC1906]

Now we're cooking.
Large cell amphidinium. A few other things here and there. But mostly those.

Thank you very much! I did my first dose of silica last week so hopefully that will start to help. I appreciate your help!

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Bit of a double dip between and the main Dino thread.



I've been sharing a 120g apartment with Large Cell for a couple of weeks now. So far I've been dosing nutrients and keeping NO3 around 10 and PO4 about 0.1-0.14 with daily dosing. I'm getting a ton of hair algea on the rock work, have to brush it off weekly and then empty the clogged floss cups. So I have brown crud on the sand (dinos) and hair algea all over the rocks which leaves the tank looking like a metaphor for 2020.



So, to get to the point, I have silica coming today so I'll start dosing that, but as far as hair algea... Do I just "suck it up, buttercup" and just keep dosing nutrients and keep brushing the stuff off every week? Do I slow down the dosing, since nutrients are obviously available since this stuff grows back like weeds.



I've got 6 golf ball sized turbos which love the stuff, but theyve been mostly eating off the back glass and leave the rock work alone... I've gone as far as plucking them off the back and transplanting them to the rocks, only to find them back in their spot within hours. And when they do eat it, they can't keep up it seems... I don't see them move during the day, they just sit in the corner..... Not sure if they don't wanna touch it because of dinos... But I don't really see any dinos on the GHA, just the sandbed.



Halp? Lol

 

[attiland]

Bit of a double dip between and the main Dino thread.



I've been sharing a 120g apartment with Large Cell for a couple of weeks now. So far I've been dosing nutrients and keeping NO3 around 10 and PO4 about 0.1-0.14 with daily dosing. I'm getting a ton of hair algea on the rock work, have to brush it off weekly and then empty the clogged floss cups. So I have brown crud on the sand (dinos) and hair algea all over the rocks which leaves the tank looking like a metaphor for 2020.



So, to get to the point, I have silica coming today so I'll start dosing that, but as far as hair algea... Do I just "suck it up, buttercup" and just keep dosing nutrients and keep brushing the stuff off every week? Do I slow down the dosing, since nutrients are obviously available since this stuff grows back like weeds.



I've got 6 golf ball sized turbos which love the stuff, but theyve been mostly eating off the back glass and leave the rock work alone... I've gone as far as plucking them off the back and transplanting them to the rocks, only to find them back in their spot within hours. And when they do eat it, they can't keep up it seems... I don't see them move during the day, they just sit in the corner..... Not sure if they don't wanna touch it because of dinos... But I don't really see any dinos on the GHA, just the sandbed.



Halp? Lol

Silica will help. I my case that was a breakthrough in the fighting. Good luck with your fight

 

[taricha]

Herbivores will try to avoid Foods if distasteful microalgae is growing as epiphyte on it. Also one of the pretty widespread responses to toxins in many invertebrates is that grazing slows way down or stops.

So for a little while you may need to export the GHA manually.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Herbivores will try to avoid Foods if distasteful microalgae is growing as epiphyte on it. Also one of the pretty widespread responses to toxins in many invertebrates is that grazing slows way down or stops.

So for a little while you may need to export the GHA manually.

Got it. OK, back to brushing. I'm assuming I need to continue dosing no3/PO4 along with silicates?

 

[taricha]

Right. Bottoming out PO4 and NO3 prevents the system from moving out of the dino phase.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Well, I got my Hanna Silica LR in and to my surprise my source water is 0.34ppm silica (took 2 readings 0.37 and 0.31). Tank reading 0.20-0.21. Which would explain the abundance of sponges in my sump.

That being said what are good alternatives (within $ reason) for Si test kits? Talking to Hanna, they don't advise using their kit on saltwater and can't guarantee the accuracy of the result. What is everyone using?

Rodi (6 stage) is showing 0 TDS, DI still looks "OK", but I'm wondering if I need to change all the filters once LC have cleared...all the filters and membranes are just over a year old, DI changed every few months.

Goong to start dosing Sponge Excel at 0.1ppm/day and see how things go.