Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[seastar]

@mcarroll I am linking a thread I started that noticed my ORP was super low and I thought that was probably due to dinos. Anyone else notice the same thing?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/can-dinos-cause-really-low-orp.325625/#post-4035164

I'll continue updating there.

 

[tsav87]

Who would have thought that after doing a 25% water change I would be dosing PO4 as to not lower it from 0.08ppm. [emoji23]

NO3 creeped up from 8ppm to 12ppm so I decided to do a water change and bring it back to 8ppm.

Crazy new world this is post dino outbreak.

 

[sfin52]

I have found that with phosphates back in the tank my lps are looking so much better and has pushed out a new polyp

 

[tsav87]

I have found that with phosphates back in the tank my lps are looking so much better and has pushed out a new polyp

Yep my euphyllia are quite bouncey.

 

[mcarroll]

@mcarroll I am linking a thread I started that noticed my ORP was super low and I thought that was probably due to dinos. Anyone else notice the same thing?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/can-dinos-cause-really-low-orp.325625/#post-4035164

I'll continue updating there.

Excellent – I'll check it out!! Drop a notice here when you post big updates so we know to check it out!

 

[taricha]

Ok. here's a version of a Dino testing protocol for those without microscope. I think it may be more helpful than flying blind. There's two version: first is just good for telling if you have mostly cyano or not (more helpful than it sounds). 2nd is a modified paper towel test to filter out cyano and distinguish between diatoms and dinos by the regrouping tendency of dinos.
anyway...
Test 1: Peroxide Test - dinos/diatoms don't bubble.
Do you see brown/rust/red colored strings or mats that lessen overnight and strengthen during the day? bubbles during lights on? Odds are 99% it's cyano or dinos. Here's how you can tell if it's mostly cyano...
Suck up some material. I didn't have much to work with, left is cyano, right is a few dinos in debris.

left pic: samples, center pic: cyano, right pic: detritus with Large Cell Amphidinium Dinoflagellates hiding in it. Note how those strands could be interpreted as cyano or dino mucus. Let's find out which...
Add water until you have 100mL of sample, then add 5mL of common 3% hydrogen peroxide.
The cyano starts showing bubbles at 3mL or so, but by 5mL of H2O2 it should become really clear...

All cyano strands developed lots of bubbles. Even the tiny ones. Some start floating up.

No bubble production at the site of dinos. Right pic, the brown patches are dino clumps. Only one very tiny bubble in the center of the pic.

Should be really clear where you have significant cyano present and where you don't.

2nd Test in another post....

 

[taricha]

Ok. here's a version of a Dino testing protocol for those without microscope. I think it may be more helpful than flying blind. There's two version: first is just good for telling if you have mostly cyano or not (more helpful than it sounds). 2nd is a modified paper towel test to filter out cyano and distinguish between diatoms and dinos by the regrouping tendency of dinos...
Test 1: Peroxide Test - dinos/diatoms don't bubble.
2nd Test in another post....

2nd Test: Coffee Filter Test

Find a brown patch or strings, take samples ( I pulled a mix of dinos/cyano), add tank water until you have 100mL, put in a container you can shake thoroughly

Filters: filter size can be seen by holding it up to a diffuse light and see what is visible. Far left: paper towel - too small to allow many dinos through. center left: coffee filter - just right. Center right: filter floss - too large and allows cyano through. Far right: filter pad - way too large.

All same magnification - Left: coffee filter, Center: paper towel, Right: Large Cell Amphidinium Dinos (brown cells) and debris. Paper towel is likely to block too much and let through almost no dino cells.

after pouring through the coffee filter, the water looks very clear...

but after 15 minutes even the small # of dino cells in this sample form visible brown clumps.

and microscope confirms that these brown clumps are in fact where dinos have gathered together and pulled their mucus and debris with them.
Diatoms will also pass through the coffee filter like dinos, but will not re-gather in brown clumps/strings like this.

You will still need a microscope at some point to be certain what kind of Dino you have, and plus the microscopic world of a reef tank is super-cool, but maybe this can help some people figure out if they have dinos or not.

 

[Scubabeth]

2nd Test: Coffee Filter Test

Find a brown patch or strings, take samples ( I pulled a mix of dinos/cyano), add tank water until you have 100mL, put in a container you can shake thoroughly

Filters: filter size can be seen by holding it up to a diffuse light and see what is visible. Far left: paper towel - too small to allow many dinos through. center left: coffee filter - just right. Center right: filter floss - too large and allows cyano through. Far right: filter pad - way too large.

All same magnification - Left: coffee filter, Center: paper towel, Right: Large Cell Amphidinium Dinos (brown cells) and debris. Paper towel is likely to block too much and let through almost no dino cells.

after pouring through the coffee filter, the water looks very clear...

but after 15 minutes even the small # of dino cells in this sample form visible brown clumps.

and microscope confirms that these brown clumps are in fact where dinos have gathered together and pulled their mucus and debris with them.
Diatoms will also pass through the coffee filter like dinos, but will not re-gather in brown clumps/strings like this.

You will still need a microscope at some point to be certain what kind of Dino you have, and plus the microscopic world of a reef tank is super-cool, but maybe this can help some people figure out if they have dinos or not.

Well, done, @taricha! Great info; clear, concise directions/photos will help many until they get a scope! Thanks for posting!

 

[sfin52]

@mcarroll just blew off the rocks and found a little hair algea.

 

[mcarroll]

@mcarroll just blew off the rocks and found a little hair algea.

Good news!

And a polyp of some kind! Know what he is, or is he a hitchhiker?

 

[sfin52]

I have it posted in the anemone forum for help. I believe it to be a pseudocorynactis from the link @Amoo posted. Definitely a hitchhiker (ball anemone).

 

[mcarroll]

strawberry anemone?

 

[mcarroll]

It's basically a mushroom.....get rid of it (maybe sell it.....not saying kill it) if you plan to keep stony corals.

Strangely, Wikipedia has a decent writeup for Corynactis.

 

[sfin52]

strawberry anemone?

Don't think so those are from colder waters.

 

[sfin52]

It's basically a mushroom.....get rid of it (maybe sell it.....not saying kill it) if you plan to keep stony corals.

Strangely, Wikipedia has a decent writeup for Corynactis.

I have a couple of lps but mostly soft corals.

 

[mcarroll]

Same group though....Coralimorph.....a mushroom. They've apparently found them just about everywhere at this point....one paper I looked at said there's a thought that they may go back to the Gondwana supercontinent. Pretty cool, but I wouldn't try to keep them with stony corals.

 

[Amoo]

Oh lord, I got tagged into the Dino thread and was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

@mcarroll if you care, bottom of this article http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/10/inverts

Sorry but the Dino thread is someplace I hope to not be visiting again anytime in the near future

 

[sfin52]

@Amoo sorry just giving you some props

 

[Amoo]

@Amoo sorry just giving you some props

If I get Dinos I'm mailing them to your house

 

[XNavyDiver]

72 hour blackout ends at 4p today. Cardboard will be coming off the tank when I get home from work.