Dino ID (microscope pics)

[djf91]

Hello Everyone,

Been battling this on the sandbed for about the past month. Had some Dino’s also on the rock work but UV seemed to take care of those but now I have this brown mat that’s forms every day when lights come on and seems unaffected by UV. Was sure it was some type of Dino so started dosing liquid glass about a week ago. Seems to have helped as I clearly see Diatoms under the scope. Was just looking for a positive ID on Dino species. Thanks.

 

[djf91]

February 4, 2023

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[Uncle99]

That be Dino’ IME, common, golden type, varies somewhat.

At night, when they leave the substrate, UV would be lowering the ability to multiply, thus, reducing numbers.
Keep nitrate and phosphate available and stable, a daily phytoplankton hit, change sock/floss when lights come on each day, lightly suck out from sand when lights on, a dash of bacteria in a bottle.

If you keep your parameters pinned, the good guy algae and bacterium will eventually outcompete those bad guy types (cyano and Dino) and that stuff will just go on its own…..until water becomes unstable or unbalanced in nutrients availability….then they can return.

 

[dwest]

@taricha

 

[djf91]

 

[Dan_P]

Looks like 1 part diatom, 1 part Prorocentrum

 

[bvanfish]

Osteoporosis or procentrum

 

[djf91]

Thanks for the ID help guys. Nitrates are 15, phosphate 0.06. Dosing Liquid glass nightly for the past week. Continue to dose this until it’s all diatoms right?

 

[dwest]

I’m thinking prorocentrum also. Lots of good diatoms as well. I’d do what you are doing. But if you have UV, a blackout might help as well to get them in the water column.

Dinoflagellate Identification Guide

I've had this laying around for a while. Had some recent interest, so I tweaked it a bit and am posting it. Not really about cures just ID pictures, videos, and a few short facts. Hope it can be helpful.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[taricha]

Yep, what Dan said. Equal parts prorocentrum dinos and diatoms.
Vacuum the brown patches, let the diatoms grow back faster than the dinos.

 

[djf91]

So, I’ve got some good news (hopefully I don’t jinx it). It appears I have beat my Prorocentrum Dino’s.

First, I’ll say what didn’t work for me:

UV helped clear up my Ostreopsis problem on the rocks but had no effect on the prorocentrum on the sand bed.

Raising Nitrate and Phosphate to 20 and 0.2 didn’t seem to have an effect.

Dosing silica for 3 weeks didn’t seem to improve things. While it did grow diatoms, the Dino’s grew just fast along side them.

What worked for me:

I bought the sand and mud activator from Indo pacific sea farms about a week ago. I added it to a depression in my sand and then covered over it with my sand. In addition I also did a 48 hour blackout the same day I received it. I would assume the bacteria and other microbes permeated through my sand bed and outcompeted the prorocentrum for space. My sand is now 99% clear of Dino’s for the past 4 days.

I have also been dosing a half gallon of phytoplankton (Nannochloropsis) per day for the past month. I turned the UV sterilizer off about 3 days ago. This may have allowed the phyto to survive and outcompete. My money is still on the IPSF sand though.

Now I will bring down my nutrient to appropriate levels.

I think this proves just how important biodiversity is in our aquariums. Back in the 2000’s and early 2010’s we used to have constant supplies of indopacific live rock to the trade, and I think this why we hardly ever saw dinoflagellates in peoples aquariums.

I hope this helps somebody battling Dinoflagellates on their sand bed.

 

[djf91]

So, unfortunately the sand started to get a some brown dusting to it again over the past couple days. I figured it was likely the prorocentrum Dino’s coming back. I decided to put some of it under the scope and to my surprise it appears to be mostly diatoms. I did find several Dino’s, but what I found more of was what appear to be different species of of diatoms I had not seen previously.