Dinoflagellate Identification Guide

[ScottB]

Like so many others, I have fallen into the many rounds of bottoming out followed by chemiclean and so on. Currently have a horrible outbreak of cyano that is proving very difficult to get rid of, in addition to the Dino’s.

Hoping to get an ID on my Dino’s, and any advice on how to attack the cyano at the same time. When manually removing the cyano are you filtering the water and returning it to the tank? Otherwise how are you keep from Bottoming out again. How eles can I battle it as I am losing corals and it just won’t go away.

Thanks for the help this has been a never ending battle and my wife is about ready to kill me for the amount of time I have been spending on the tank.

Sorry I missed this post. Looks most like large cell amphidinium. Did they move around like slowish bumper cars? Or were they fast moving? @taricha may have a higher conviction ID for you.

For cyano, yes I just filter them out into a sock. Try to solve for the dinos first. I find cyano to be a transitory condition that will settle out once the biome -- and the nutrient levels -- stay consistently in a range. For my systems, 100:1 seems to work as in NO3 10 and PO4 .1.

 

[NaClH20Reefer]

Hard to ID at 100X. I typically ask for 400X. That said, were they SWIMMING at all? Describe the movement pattern if they were swimming. Almost all of the dinos swim while diatoms chrysophytes do not.

I wish the little cheap microscope would have focused at 400x, but no, they didn’t seam to move at all. Which is a good sign from reading what you just said.

I’ve just never had diatoms last this long, somewhat go away at night. RODI water is zero TDS.

 

[sawdonkey]

Can anyone help me with an ID? I got some good images and video (with my daughter narrating). Just can’t tell which one they are. They don’t seem to go away when the lights go out, and they mostly stick to the sandbed.
EDIT: after watching a few I’d vids, I’m fairly certain this ostreopsis. Anyone disagree?

I pulled out my chaeto ball a couple of months ago and it seems to have created an imbalance. Tank has been running for a long time although I moved about a year ago. Most of my live rock has been going for over ten years.

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

Can anyone help me with an ID? I got some good images and video (with my daughter narrating). Just can’t tell which one they are. They don’t seem to go away when the lights go out, and they mostly stick to the sandbed.
EDIT: after watching a few I’d vids, I’m fairly certain this ostreopsis. Anyone disagree?

I pulled out my chaeto ball a couple of months ago and it seems to have created an imbalance. Tank has been running for a long time although I moved about a year ago. Most of my live rock has been going for over ten years.

Osteo

 

[deadcs]

Hi, anyone could tell me if these are dinos?







thank you very much!!!!

 

[taricha]

Hi, anyone could tell me if these are dinos?


thank you very much!!!!

the 3rd video posted looks most persuasive to me. Small cell amphidinium.

 

[rennjidk]

Is it possible to ID with this image quality?

 

[ScottB]

Is it possible to ID with this image quality?

Difficult to confirm for sure based on these images, so lets talk about the swim pattern. Do they swim as though the pointy end is somehow invisibly tethered? If so, certainly ostreopsis. The almond shape is also a tell, but pictures can fool ya.

 

[Reefchik]

I have tried to ID my dinos using the guide linked here, but it looks like I may have multiple types?! I am hoping someone can pretty please help me identify what I'm dealing with @taricha ? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

 

[taricha]

it looks like I may have multiple types?

I see some amphidinium, some ostreopsis, some harmless diatoms, and maybe some other swimming cells I can't ID from video.

 

[Reefchik]

I see some amphidinium, some ostreopsis, some harmless diatoms, and maybe some other swimming cells I can't ID from video.

Thank you so much! I was thinking the tiniest ones look a lot like the small cell amphidinium, but regardless it looks like I have my hands full, ugh. I have never dealt with dinos before, but this is also my first time starting a new tank from scratch, it's only about 4 months old. I've been increasing my nutrients as they do keep bottoming out, and I have a UV unit on the way, so fingers crossed that I start getting it under control soon. I have dialed my light back but not done a full blackout yet, and am trying to do as much manual removal as I can. Thanks so much for all your help and advice in this thread!

 

[lmfbs]

Hi I'm hoping for an ID on these dinos. I think they could be Amphidinium, except that I'm finding quite a few dead snails, which makes me think they're the more toxic type. Once I know the type, hopefully I can figure out how to treat them.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lmfbs]

Just bumping this - I'm a bit stuck on an ID

 

[MarkSC]

Large or small cell amphidinium? Something else?

 

[lmfbs]

Large or small cell amphidinium? Something else?

Some of those look similar to mine which I think are amphidinium but there are a few sesame shaped ones too which could be ostreopsis? (The irony of me trying to ID these when I'm struggling with my own is not lost on me)

 

[thedon986]

Hi I'm hoping for an ID on these dinos. I think they could be Amphidinium, except that I'm finding quite a few dead snails, which makes me think they're the more toxic type. Once I know the type, hopefully I can figure out how to treat them.

Thanks in advance!

I want to say large cell, but could be prorocentrum?? Doesn't seem symmetrical enough for prorocentrum though.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I see ostreo and amphidium and often these appear when biological deficiencies are present.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which works as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED AMINO OR ADD NOPOX which is food for dinos, however you can feed coral, food which will help no3 and po4 to increase. If increasing nutrients, try to keep no3 to about 5 until you are done battling these cells.
Doing a daily siphoning will help greatly But . . . . . Siphoning will reduce nutrients , so siphon the water into/through a filter sock and save the water and return it back to tank. Obviously clean the filter sock each time.
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

 

[thedon986]

Large or small cell amphidinium? Something else?

This is hard to say. Do you find them exclusively on the sand? If so, likely large cell. Small cell like other surfaces too, to an extent.

 

[thedon986]

Thank you so much! I was thinking the tiniest ones look a lot like the small cell amphidinium, but regardless it looks like I have my hands full, ugh. I have never dealt with dinos before, but this is also my first time starting a new tank from scratch, it's only about 4 months old. I've been increasing my nutrients as they do keep bottoming out, and I have a UV unit on the way, so fingers crossed that I start getting it under control soon. I have dialed my light back but not done a full blackout yet, and am trying to do as much manual removal as I can. Thanks so much for all your help and advice in this thread!

I've found manual removal to be pointless. They just replicate and fill the void too fast. I also think you may be removing other things that can't replicate as fast as dinos. I was siphoning into 1 micron socks daily and the next day they would be back just as strong. Keep up the diatom growth and dose sodium silicate if you aren't already.

 

[lmfbs]

I see ostreo and amphidium and often these appear when biological deficiencies are present.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which works as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED AMINO OR ADD NOPOX which is food for dinos, however you can feed coral, food which will help no3 and po4 to increase. If increasing nutrients, try to keep no3 to about 5 until you are done battling these cells.
Doing a daily siphoning will help greatly But . . . . . Siphoning will reduce nutrients , so siphon the water into/through a filter sock and save the water and return it back to tank. Obviously clean the filter sock each time.
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

So interestingly, I've been dealing with high nitrates and phosphate for months (~50ppm nitrate, 0.1+ phos) and have been carbon dosing to address it. Last night phos was 0.08 and nitrate was 25.1, so I started ramping down the vinegar today. I have a filter roller and no filter sock. I can do lights off (they definitely disappear when the light is off) but I had understood amphidium goes into the sand at night rather than into the water column?

Now I've written this I realise you could be responding to @MarkSC not me...