Are these dinos? Microscope picture need help identifying

[mcarroll]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318

definitely spend some time on the first post of that thread and read as many of the links as you can.

It does look like dino's to me, but the conditions you described are not what typically generates a dino bloom.

Can you tell us more about how the tank is being run, how old it is, current nitrate and phosphate levels, etc?

 

[Gareth elliott]

It is possible the other nutrient extreme could promote dinos if competition was skewed that way. Most HAB’s on the coasts are caused by an uncommon influx of nutrients, like from fertilizer run off. Perhaps you had similar conditions in your tank?

 

[Will Wohlers]

Tank is a little over a year old. Sps dominant. My po4 is generally .03-.05 nitrates run anywhere from .2-.5. I dose nopox daily 1ml and have for the past 6 months. I run a large fudge with several diff macro algaes heavily skim. And run gfo and carbon in a reactor. My numbers are pretty rock solid. Get amazing growth and colors from my acros. Oh tank is a 40 cube with a 10 gallon sump. Salinity a steady 1.026. I think I've knocked them back whatever they were. I took everything out that I could and dipped and cleaned. I siphoned about half the sand out and haven't done a water change yet this week. I started increasing feedings since this post and I have a uv sterilizer on its way. Salinity I keep at 1.026 steady and temp 78. Today I haven't been able to locate any of the stringy stuff. Not even on frag racks. A couple small patches of Cyano popped up today verified under the microscope. Oh and I have been dosing Dr Tim's the past 5 days. Since the original post I also stopped nopox dosing momentarily as well as unplugged the reactor.

 

[mcarroll]

Those are still very low nutrient levels, so take care not to let them bottom out IMO.

If you want/need to do a water change, just dose nutrients into the new water up to current tank levels so there's minimal/no disturbance.

I would suggest cutting back macro's severely to reduce competition from them AND to reduce the organic carbon load on the tank from them.

Feeding your fish very well is GREAT, but over-feeding is still bad...so don't go too far.

Cyano is a good sign of progress....with luck (and maybe some encouragment) you'll see green algae and then coraline algae cycle in succession. (Is there a lot of coraline growth elsewhere around the tank?)

I would probably lay off of the bacterial additives and keep your organic carbon dosing offline for the near future.

 

[Will Wohlers]

I am getting Cyano blooms. Should I vacuum them out or let them run wild for the time being? Things are looking good so far. Holding steady with maybe 1-2 stands of dino coming back but that's all I can see as of now. Nitrates are hard to increase in this tank regardless of what I do.... phosphates on the other hand climb without using gfo and no pox.

 

[Will Wohlers]

Oh and coraline grows pretty heavy on the glass pumps rocks etc

 

[mcarroll]

Cyano is usually fine to let go as long as it's not growing on other livestock. In most cases it seems to contains itself. (But not all.) So siphon it at your discretion. :)

 

[CDavmd]

I am getting Cyano blooms. Should I vacuum them out or let them run wild for the time being? Things are looking good so far. Holding steady with maybe 1-2 stands of dino coming back but that's all I can see as of now. Nitrates are hard to increase in this tank regardless of what I do.... phosphates on the other hand climb without using gfo and no pox.

I’d just blow it off any corals and rocks. Leave it on sand for now. If it gets too heavy or you see Dino’s mixing in then siphon it out.

Try getting some pharmaceutical nitrate to dose.

Your heading in the right direction

 

[Will Wohlers]

I'm getting a green mat kind of algae growing on the sand in a couple shaded areas. I'm taking this as a sign of other life out competing the dinos?