Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[gbroadbridge]

Folks,

I have some gold coloured stuff on my sand which is photosynthetic.

All the tank params are normal and this is not a new tank.
This tank has had a problem with Ostreopsis previously, but this is not the same.

I took a sample and put in on the microscope and it doesn't seem to be a dino but would appreciate any input.

 

[ScottB]

Dare I ask... is there a nice summary document out there with some of the more consensus lines of thinking on how to best kill dinoflagellates? Thx

I am not familiar with one document that reflects a consensus protocol. Generally speaking there are two, one for large cell amphidinium and another for the other four. Now that golf season is largely over, I might just sit down and give that a try. Pass it around to some old-timers on this thread for editing. Include links to the Dinoflagellate ID Guide.

 

[ScottB]

Folks,

I have some gold coloured stuff on my sand which is photosynthetic.

All the tank params are normal and this is not a new tank.
This tank has had a problem with Ostreopsis previously, but this is not the same.

I took a sample and put in on the microscope and it doesn't seem to be a dino but would appreciate any input.

Given the small size and speed, I have to go with small cell amphidinium. You can follow the same protocol as you did with ostreopsis as they do swim at night and a properly sized UV will work. They may need more encouragement to get moving, so a blackout may be necessary.

 

[Yodeling]

Dare I ask... is there a nice summary document out there with some of the more consensus lines of thinking on how to best kill dinoflagellates? Thx

If there was a definitive guide to killing dinoflagellates, this thread wouldn’t be almost 600 pages. There have been many suggested “remedies” over the years, but anyone has yet to provide definitive proof that any specific method works 100%.

I remember in the mid 2000s I completely eradicated a massive Dino outbreak in 3 days with a blackout and a large dose of Maracyn. Now, was Maracyn actually responsible for killing the Dino? Did it contribute? Not sure. Pretty much every success story is along these same lines. People try a bunch of different stuff and sometimes they are successful.

 

[ScottB]

Every SW tank with some vintage has some blend of dinos in it. Like bacteria, they are unavoidable. The question becomes, how healthy is the competition? Are all the surfaces already or still inhabited by the competition? Bacterial film? Film algae? Diatoms? Coralline algae?

If you starve the competition, they become food for dinos. If you kill the competition (Chemiclean is good for this) then the dinos will hold that space until the competitive population is rebuilt.

 

[m0jjen]

Id please, poor digital microscope picture but its all i got. Thinking ostreopsis

 

[Miami Reef]

Guys. I think I made a GREAT discovery!

Is it just my tank, or has anyone else tried raising nitrates and phosphates but other algaes aren’t taking hold?

I’m not getting any algae growth even though I followed the instructions here.

I did an ICP test and I found out my zinc and iron are undetectable!! I also have other elements that support algae growth which is very low.

I’m starting a continuous dose of cheato grow (trace elements - no NO3/PO4) and I’m expecting my Dino’s to get the final nail to their coffin!

If you also tried raising your nutrients with no luck…try getting an ICP test to see if you’re also limited in essential elements (which corals also need!)

 

[gbroadbridge]

Given the small size and speed, I have to go with small cell amphidinium. You can follow the same protocol as you did with ostreopsis as they do swim at night and a properly sized UV will work. They may need more encouragement to get moving, so a blackout may be necessary.

Thanks,

It's annoying that these problem crop up in the 10g in the office and never in the 80g in the lounge room.

They both have UV, 40w pentair in the lounge and a 13w aqua one in the nano.

Anyway, I chucked in a strombus snail and he is munching it and doesnt seem to be getting ill, so perhaps it is just a diatom type algae.

thanks again

 

[ScottB]

Thanks,

It's annoying that these problem crop up in the 10g in the office and never in the 80g in the lounge room.

They both have UV, 40w pentair in the lounge and a 13w aqua one in the nano.

Anyway, I chucked in a strombus snail and he is munching it and doesnt seem to be getting ill, so perhaps it is just a diatom type algae.

thanks again

Maybe time to replace the 13 watt bulb? It would also be easy to black out the tank for a couple days once you've confirmed the UV is operating properly. Amphids have very low/no toxicity so they can have predators.

Under a scope diatoms are very distinctive looking. Almost like a long diamond shape.

 

[Yodeling]

Update on my Ostreopsis treatment.

So I installed my Pentair 50W HO UV two days ago and followed it up with a 1 day blackout. Today, I don't see new dino forming in the tank. I'm still seeing old strands of dino and I've been cleaning them off with a toothbrush, but places where I've cleaned, they don't seem to be coming back. Corals, fish, and snails seem happy. I'm hoping I'm on the right track.

I only noticed the dino about a week ago and it wasn't a huge outbreak by any means.

 

[ScottB]

Update on my Ostreopsis treatment.

So I installed my Pentair 50W HO UV two days ago and followed it up with a 1 day blackout. Today, I don't see new dino forming in the tank. I'm still seeing old strands of dino and I've been cleaning them off with a toothbrush, but places where I've cleaned, they don't seem to be coming back. Corals, fish, and snails seem happy. I'm hoping I'm on the right track.

I only noticed the dino about a week ago and it wasn't a huge outbreak by any means.

Good update. IME, ostreos are the quickest to solve for with a proper UV implementation. There is a rare case where they hang on somehow, but really rare. I think it was @Biff0rz that just couldn't shale them. Never figured that one out.

Nutrients in a good spot?

 

[Yodeling]

Good update. IME, ostreos are the quickest to solve for with a proper UV implementation. There is a rare case where they hang on somehow, but really rare. I think it was @Biff0rz that just couldn't shale them. Never figured that one out.

Nutrients in a good spot?

Thanks. I've been keeping No3 at 5-10 and Po4 at 0.06-0.08 using a doser and adjusting as needed. I've also been running Carbon.

 

[ScottB]

Thanks. I've been keeping No3 at 5-10 and Po4 at 0.06-0.08 using a doser and adjusting as needed. I've also been running Carbon.

Perfect. Don't be alarmed if you get a small transition to some cyano once the dinos lose hold. Very normal. Syphon it out and carry on.

 

[Miami Reef]

Perfect. Don't be alarmed if you get a small transition to some cyano once the dinos lose hold. Very normal. Syphon it out and carry on.

I agree. I got the same and the cyano went away. It’s believed the cyano directly feeds on the dying dinos which is exactly what we want.

Right now I’m in the transitioning stage into the green algaes! I won the battle with Dino’s!

 

[ScottB]

I agree. I got the same and the cyano went away. It’s believed the cyano directly feeds on the dying dinos which is exactly what we want.

Right now I’m in the transitioning stage into the green algaes! I won the battle with Dino’s!

Like clockwork. Green algae is next. Ideally mostly film but whatever.

Then finally returns the coralline!

 

[gbroadbridge]

Every SW tank with some vintage has some blend of dinos in it. Like bacteria, they are unavoidable. The question becomes, how healthy is the competition? Are all the surfaces already or still inhabited by the competition? Bacterial film? Film algae? Diatoms? Coralline algae?

If you starve the competition, they become food for dinos. If you kill the competition (Chemiclean is good for this) then the dinos will hold that space until the competitive population is rebuilt.

Yes, everything in our glass boxes depends on everything else.

The explosions of Dinos in the last few years is a direct result of tanks without biological diversity.

We never used to see this with live rock harvested from the ocean.

I'm starting to think that go fast is the answer, just chuck in all the fish and coral you can once the tank can handle it, and get the diversity going as soon as possible.

Regards
Graham

 

[Miami Reef]

Like clockwork. Green algae is next. Ideally mostly film but whatever.

Then finally returns the coralline!

I am having the film! It’s so hard that my scraper can’t even remove it!

 

[ScottB]

Yes, everything in our glass boxes depends on everything else.

The explosions of Dinos in the last few years is a direct result of tanks without biological diversity.

We never used to see this with live rock harvested from the ocean.

I'm starting to think that go fast is the answer, just chuck in all the fish and coral you can once the tank can handle it, and get the diversity going as soon as possible.

Regards
Graham

Exactly. Could not agree more.

The last build I worked on, we did exactly that. Started with 200lbs of live rock, threw in some bacteria, a dozen smaller fish, a bunch of softies, LPS and even SPS. Every week we added more fish and corals until it was fully stocked in about 6 weeks.

Lost one fish and a small handful of SPS. Barely any uglies. I did have to dose some phosphates for a few weeks but the tank is sailing along nicely since. This tank is featured in my build thread.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Exactly. Could not agree more.

The last build I worked on, we did exactly that. Started with 200lbs of live rock, threw in some bacteria, a dozen smaller fish, a bunch of softies, LPS and even SPS. Every week we added more fish and corals until it was fully stocked in about 6 weeks.

Lost one fish and a small handful of SPS. Barely any uglies. I did have to dose some phosphates for a few weeks but the tank is sailing along nicely since. This tank is featured in my build thread.

Dosing phosphate and nitrate is what I did with a recent tank build.

Cheap from ebay

 

[Yodeling]

Well folks, seems like Ostreopsis is completely gone!

Yesterday, I still saw some straggling strings in many spots, but I was not getting any new dino growth even after 8 hours of lighting. Today, I've looked and looked and I cannot find any dino anywhere! Gone. That's less than a week after raising No3/Po4 and about 3 days after installing UV.

Not declaring victory yet, and I'll still take some samples from random spots to see if I can spot those buggers with a microscope. I assume AWC should stay off for the next few weeks.