Dino identification under microscope

[aeoluson]

Hi all,

I’m trying to figure out what I’m dealing with in my tank and could use some help with identification.

The tank is about 6 months old. Over the last month while I’ve been getting a dusty brown to greenish coating across the sandbed. It comes back pretty quickly after I disturb it, sometimes within a few hours. It is not really slimy, and I don’t see much of anything on the rocks yet. Some of the heavier areas look a little stringy, but I’m not seeing a lot of bubbles.

Current parameters are roughly:

NO3: 7.7 ppm
PO4: 0.09 ppm
Alk: 8.1 dKH
Salinity: 35 ppt

I was really careful with nutrients and even dosed nitrate and phosphate when they were close to 0. Not sure why I still got dinos. I did clean the sandbed quite often during water change. Maybe that mess up the biome.

I picked up a microscope and sampled the film directly from the sand. I’m seeing quite a few golden brown oval cells that are actively moving. I attached a video of them under the microscope.

Does this look like Amphidinium, Prorocentrum, or something else?


Also interested in what has worked best for people dealing with this type. I already run UV, although I understand it may not help much if this is large cell Amphidinium. I’m curious about silicate dosing, encouraging diatoms, reducing sandbed cleaning, or anything else that has worked long term.

Thanks for the help!

 

[aeoluson]

Here is the sandbed under white light

 

[MikeReefs]

Yes this is Large Cell/Small cell. The small cell ones are fast moving. They cover rock and sand and burrow when lights go out. Bacteria dosing using Mb7 or MicrobLift special blend. You need to outcompete them. Increase your microbiome this could be done by adding Aflifesource or live sand/rock. Silicate dosing is another method. This is how I beat large/small cell. The aftermath was large amounts of green hair Algea

 

[aeoluson]

Yes this is Large Cell/Small cell. The small cell ones are fast moving. They cover rock and sand and burrow when lights go out. Bacteria dosing using Mb7 or MicrobLift special blend. You need to outcompete them. Increase your microbiome this could be done by adding Aflifesource or live sand/rock. Silicate dosing is another method. This is how I beat large/small cell. The aftermath was large amounts of green hair Algea

Thanks for the reply. Does this type of dino cause immediate harm that need to be dealt with quickly? Is silicate dosing a faster/more aggressive approach?

 

[MikeReefs]

Thanks for the reply. Does this type of dino cause immediate harm that need to be dealt with quickly? Is silicate dosing a faster/more aggressive approach?

It’s one of the least toxic Dino’s. It won’t harm fish at least from my experience. But can harm sensitive corals like sps. If inverts eat it can kill them. They usually won’t touch it though. The problem is when Dino’s take over not much other Algea have the realestate to grown and as a result inverts starve. Throw in some Algea pellets or seaweed during this phase.

Another thing make sure your Nitrate and Phosphate isn’t bottomed out if it is raise them. It could take months to beat Dino’s

Silicate approach is aggressive and your take will look horrible. I was siphoning the Dino strands into a 1micron sock and returning the water back into the tank