Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[reeferfoxx]

So still some small cyano patches on my sand. Yesterday I noticed little brown patches. Scared I got the microscope and test it. Each sample on showed a mix of what looked like dead gha cyano diatoms and 2 or 3 dinos. Which is way down for the thousands. So I dont think dinos are coming back maybe just dirty sand.

Tanks looking good! Don't be afraid of little patches of anything. Treat them like little signals that water quality can be improved. How are nutrients measuring?

 

[OpenOcean33]

Tanks looking good! Don't be afraid of little patches of anything. Treat them like little signals that water quality can be improved. How are nutrients measuring?

When i checked last week it was, temp 78, phosphate .08, nitrate 6, salinity 1.025, alk 10.1, calcium 425, mag 1500. SO im not trying to do a water change because im scared to lower nutrients to much, but it appears to be balancing out. But defenitly keeping a close eye on it.

 

[reeferfoxx]

When i checked last week it was, temp 78, phosphate .08, nitrate 6, salinity 1.025, alk 10.1, calcium 425, mag 1500. SO im not trying to do a water change because im scared to lower nutrients to much, but it appears to be balancing out. But defenitly keeping a close eye on it.

Those are all good numbers. Cyano likes available organic phosphates and other dissolved organics. Your po4 number might be slightly off due to some cyano growth. If you can, test po4 in the morning before lights on and then in the evening just before lights go out. Then once more the next morning. That should give you a more accurate number for po4. If it's higher than 0.08, I would dose nitrates up to 15ppm and keep it stable there for a couple weeks.

 

[OpenOcean33]

Those are all good numbers. Cyano likes available organic phosphates and other dissolved organics. Your po4 number might be slightly off due to some cyano growth. If you can, test po4 in the morning before lights on and then in the evening just before lights go out. Then once more the next morning. That should give you a more accurate number for po4. If it's higher than 0.08, I would dose nitrates up to 15ppm and keep it stable there for a couple weeks.

Ill give it a go, if phosphates are the same should i just let it ride as is ?

 

[reeferfoxx]

Ill give it a go, if phosphates are the same should i just let it ride as is ?

Yep.

 

[OpenOcean33]

fingers crossed

 

[._Z_.]

What fish and other corals do you have. There is one method thats instant....but it takes some hardy fish/coral.

Everything left is LPS and soft coral and fish are just a pair of clowns and a royal gramma.

A $10 microscope off amazon will help tremendously.

I’ve got a pretty decent microscope. I have ostreopsis with some others

 

[reeferfoxx]

I have ostreopsis with some others

UV is a must for Ostreopsis and stable nutrients to help with other unidentified dinos.

 

[Peng]

I've seen way too many reefers leave this hobby because of dino out break.
Recommend the following to fight dino:

1. Identify strain
2. Remove non-essential nutrient suckers such as GFO pellets and many more. Remove carbon dosing equipment. Just a skimmer with mesh carbon.
3. Dose probiotic bacteria
4. Dose phytoplankton combo strains including Thalassiosira weissflogii which consumes silicate
5. Feed your fish, forget about fancy ULNS
6. Know that dinos are a big collection of many strains and they are literally everywhere and only breakout when conditions are suitavke. Make your aquarium biologically diverse and healthy. Don't starve. That's the best way to feed off IMO

 

[reeferfoxx]

I've seen way too many reefers leave this hobby because of dino out break.
Recommend the following to fight dino:

1. Identify strain
2. Remove non-essential nutrient suckers such as GFO pellets and many more. Remove carbon dosing equipment. Just a skimmer with mesh carbon.
3. Dose probiotic bacteria
4. Dose phytoplankton combo strains including the iso type which consumes silicate
5. Feed your fish, forget about fancy ULNS
6. Know that dinos are a big collection of many strains and they are literally everywhere and only breakout when conditions are suitavke. Make your aquarium biologically diverse and healthy. Don't starve. That's the best way to feed off IMO

Preach it!! ;Happy

 

[Zhark17]

@Zhark17 @._Z_. A $10 microscope off amazon will help tremendously.

This is what I have..

They pop up months ago, while my nutrients where N:5-10, P:0.03-0 ppm. So after that I started dirty method, lights out... But even though they receded, theryre back again. Only see them on rocks.
Now, if vibrant isnt a solution, then dont know what to try!
Cheers guys!

 

[saltyhog]

This sounds like spaghetti worms.

I watched your video and its hard to say if it's amphidinium. Typically the flagella will be prominent and in the front of it's movement or direction.

Of course, don't know why I said medusa. I just vacuumed the sand and looked at a few drop of the concentrate from that. Only rare appearance of the dinos in the video. Zero ostreopsis.....haven't seen a sign of them since the morning after starting UV. Why oh why was I so stubborn about doing that?!

 

[saltyhog]

Thanks again, especially to @dwest , @Paullawr and @reeferfoxx . I actually enjoy looking at/working on my tank thanks to you guys help. Took this video tonight....long way to go but the journey looks much more enjoyable than it did a short time ago.

 

[reeferfoxx]

This is what I have..

They pop up months ago, while my nutrients where N:5-10, P:0.03-0 ppm. So after that I started dirty method, lights out... But even though they receded, theryre back again. Only see them on rocks.
Now, if vibrant isnt a solution, then dont know what to try!
Cheers guys!

0-0.03ppm of po4 is basically zero. The dirty method takes time. If you read the first post to this thread, it discusses the importance of dosing nutrients up. A phosphate limited tank typically spurs dino grows or gives them the queue to invade. Since dinos don't ever truly go away, and you are wanting to keep the tank, you have to be persistent with dosing nutrients and testing. You won't have to do it forever but at least until they subside. You mostly have prorocentrum in your image so UV and stable nutrients will help you win the battle.

 

[FunkEngine]

So I'm at a point where I'm not entirely sure of where my actual problem is. Is it high nutrient or low nutrient? I definitely have a horrific dino outbreak (pretty sure amphidinium) and my nutrients always test out at 0, but under the blanket of dinos is a blanket of turf algae (which grows). Do I have too much input and the algae just sucks it down to zero and then dinos explode? Or do I have too little input and the algae is just able to scrap by?

I'm feeding about 1 cube a day and have 5 fish in a ~40 total gallon system.

 

[Zhark17]

0-0.03ppm of po4 is basically zero. The dirty method takes time. If you read the first post to this thread, it discusses the importance of dosing nutrients up. A phosphate limited tank typically spurs dino grows or gives them the queue to invade. Since dinos don't ever truly go away, and you are wanting to keep the tank, you have to be persistent with dosing nutrients and testing. You won't have to do it forever but at least until they subside. You mostly have prorocentrum in your image so UV and stable nutrients will help you win the battle.

Thank u!! Time ago, the other guys told me I had amphidinium, dont know what is better...
So bye bye vibrant!
Ill start with a UV and see, I need some info, dont know how that works. I dont have a Sump so, not sure how to install it.
Quick one! Since my nutrients are high, algaes never appeared; diatoms, hair..., So Ive been told that I need them to crate competency, is that right? Do I need to add silicates?
Thank you all!

 

[dwest]

Thank u!! Time ago, the other guys told me I had amphidinium, dont know what is better...
So bye bye vibrant!
Ill start with a UV and see, I need some info, dont know how that works. I dont have a Sump so, not sure how to install it.
Quick one! Since my nutrients are high, algaes never appeared; diatoms, hair..., So Ive been told that I need them to crate competency, is that right? Do I need to add silicates?
Thank you all!

See post #6232. Good luck.

 

[dwest]

So I'm at a point where I'm not entirely sure of where my actual problem is. Is it high nutrient or low nutrient? I definitely have a horrific dino outbreak (pretty sure amphidinium) and my nutrients always test out at 0, but under the blanket of dinos is a blanket of turf algae (which grows). Do I have too much input and the algae just sucks it down to zero and then dinos explode? Or do I have too little input and the algae is just able to scrap by?

I'm feeding about 1 cube a day and have 5 fish in a ~40 total gallon system.

If you have good test kits and are reading zero, you have too little nutrients. I would have a Hanna ULR phosphate kit for sure.

 

[dwest]

So I'm at a point where I'm not entirely sure of where my actual problem is. Is it high nutrient or low nutrient? I definitely have a horrific dino outbreak (pretty sure amphidinium) and my nutrients always test out at 0, but under the blanket of dinos is a blanket of turf algae (which grows). Do I have too much input and the algae just sucks it down to zero and then dinos explode? Or do I have too little input and the algae is just able to scrap by?

I'm feeding about 1 cube a day and have 5 fish in a ~40 total gallon system.

If reeferfoxx said prorocentrum, I would go with it. You could certainly have many types, but nutrients will help with all of them and UV will help with most of them.

 

[dwest]

Thanks again, especially to @dwest , @Paullawr and @reeferfoxx . I actually enjoy looking at/working on my tank thanks to you guys help. Took this video tonight....long way to go but the journey looks much more enjoyable than it did a short time ago.

Nice tank salty! Your coralline growth is amazing. You running a calcium reactor?