Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[saltyhog]

ID please

Video isn't working for me. The magnification isn't really optimal but it appears to be ostreopsis. Very toxic, run GAC and change it often. UV is the treatment of choice for ostreopsis....1 watt/3 gallons display volume, plumbed from and back to the display and flow rate 1-3 times display volume/hour. Faster flow makes it ineffective.

 

[zoaprince]

Video isn't working for me. The magnification isn't really optimal but it appears to be ostreopsis. Very toxic, run GAC and change it often. UV is the treatment of choice for ostreopsis....1 watt/3 gallons display volume, plumbed from and back to the display and flow rate 1-3 times display volume/hour. Faster flow makes it ineffective.

I looked at a video of ostreopsis and it's defintly it. They spin around the tip. thanks!

 

[ScottB]

Next time I see my friend that is a ocean biologist works at Tampa bay aquarium i am going to see if she will do a article on dinos she may help us all understand how to eliminate them and keep them away.

Can you ask her to focus on large cell amphidinium? For coolia, prorocentrum, ostreopsis, and small cell, I believe we have pretty solid consensus on treatment. To a slightly lesser degree we understand most potential root causes as well.

But LC amphids have such strong defenses and take forever to resolve.

 

[OpenOcean33]

Ok guys, dinos in my tank have disapeared for about 3 weeks. I am seeing an alarming growth of GHA in my tank. Looks like to much for CUC to handle any advice moving forward to reduce GHA but not go back to dinos I worked hard and dobt want to go back. Phos .08 nitrate. 08 and alk is 9 Salinity 1.025

 

[ScottB]

Ok guys, dinos in my tank have disapeared for about 3 weeks. I am seeing an alarming growth of GHA in my tank. Looks like to much for CUC to handle any advice moving forward to reduce GHA but not go back to dinos I worked hard and dobt want to go back. Phos .08 nitrate. 08 and alk is 9 Salinity 1.025

It is a pretty common "rebound" thing to happen. Either GHA or cyano.

As much manual removal as possible. Double up on clean up crew. But you personally are responsible for the long hair GHA. Most won't eat the "old growth" GHA. Urchin or sea hare if it really starts getting away from you.

Some might suggest Vibrant, but be real careful there. I like the way it really softens up the GHA to make it easier to remove, but it does tend to remove nutrients.

 

[fishhead1973]

Can you ask her to focus on large cell amphidinium? For coolia, prorocentrum, ostreopsis, and small cell, I believe we have pretty solid consensus on treatment. To a slightly lesser degree we understand most potential root causes as well.

But LC amphids have such strong defenses and take forever to resolve.

I will

 

[Biff0rz]

@ScottB any experience with Microbacter CLEAN? I meant to add MB7 but added the clean stuff to my tank. I remember your words about not using Vibrant, I hope I didn't set myself back..

 

[ScottB]

@ScottB any experience with Microbacter CLEAN? I meant to add MB7 but added the clean stuff to my tank. I remember your words about not using Vibrant, I hope I didn't set myself back..

No need to sweat that. All of these bacteria solutions are going to consume nutrients, some more aggressively than others. I don't have any special knowledge about what is in one solution versus another. Just maintain nutrient levels.

 

[I’m Batman]

Im good at identifying so what do i have growing in my tank?

I keep seeing mixed ID’s on these. Amphidinium or ostreopsis?

 

[saltyhog]

I keep seeing mixed ID’s on these. Amphidinium or ostreopsis?

Definitely not ostreopsis. I do think amphidinium is correct.

 

[Marc2952]

Been months since beating dinos and they have never come back. Nutrients have stayed super stable thanks guys.

 

[I’m Batman]

Definitely not ostreopsis. I do think amphidinium is correct.

Roomba movement?

 

[saltyhog]

Roomba movement?

That's a pretty good description of amphidinium movement! Ostreopsis move like they are tethered by an invisible string.

Ostreopsis.


Here's the rather chaotic (like a Bingo ball tumbler) movement of coolia dinos.


This one has some Roomba movement with amphidinium.

 

[chadfish]

@ScottB any experience with Microbacter CLEAN? I meant to add MB7 but added the clean stuff to my tank. I remember your words about not using Vibrant, I hope I didn't set myself back..

I just used it for dinos. I’m not psyched. It may have worked, but it stressed everyone out, my BTA, Kenya Tree, Zoas, fish, everyone was stressed. Snails started falling off the walls upside down.. Not only is the dino affected, but all the algaein the tank, so I think they are starving.

I recommend overwhelming the dino with live phytoplankton. After one day of MicroBacter clean, I dosed 0.1 ounces per gal, (so 4 ounces per 40 gal), per day. I think this is the real reason for my current success. They are out-competing the dinos, which I knocked down with the Microbacter Clean and a 50micron filter. Mine were ostreopsis which are relatively large and susceptible to mechanical filtration.
So far so good. I lost one firefish but things are going back to normal now

 

[ScottB]

Been months since beating dinos and they have never come back. Nutrients have stayed super stable thanks guys.

Nice to see all that happy fire in the tank. Don't change A THING!

 

[Biff0rz]

I picked up some goop off the sandbed, sorry for the length of the video, but, is this dino's? It looks like the sesame shaped ones:


Also, this looks like a Pod? With Dinos(?):


Pretty cool watching the pods intestines processing food, crazy

 

[taricha]

Ostreopsis, yep. Nice video.

And also some cyano, looks like maybe moving like spirulina.

 

[Biff0rz]

Ostreopsis, yep. Nice video.

And also some cyano, looks like maybe moving like spirulina.

Thanks! So UV / H2O2 / Microbacter7 to attack it ? I've reduced lighting a lot which has pulled it back a lot, should I cut the lights for 5 days while also doing UV?

 

[ScottB]

Thanks! So UV / H2O2 / Microbacter7 to attack it ? I've reduced lighting a lot which has pulled it back a lot, should I cut the lights for 5 days while also doing UV?

UV is your most valuable tool against ostreopsis. 1 watt per 3 gallons with very slow flow to maximise contact time. Slow like 1/2 the speed the manufacturer recommends.

You won't like this, but you should run the UV directly into/out of the display. It is very temporary. Couple weeks and you should be done.

 

[Kongar]

Well, it was a good Dino free run from about the third week of December to now - just about three months of no dinos. Tank has been looking great. But they are unfortunately back.

I can say for a fact that neither my nitrates or phosphates bottomed out. I test twice a week. Nitrates have been between 2-5, and phosphates have been between .05 and .1 there have been no disturbances, no major deaths, and only gentle siphoning of 1/4 of my sandbed at the first of the month. So as far as I can tell, I didn’t do anything “wrong”. But here we are again.

luckily though, I identified it early so it shouldn’t get out of hand. I’m going to hit it with dinox right out of the gate since that was successful last time, and it didn’t seem to bother any of my inhabitants except some snails after like the 6th dose. I don’t know what it is about this tank that breeds dinos, but man, if there was a market for selling bottled dinos - I’d be a millionaire.

I guess this is just what this tank is going to do. I didn’t microscope it, but it’s exactly the same stuff as last time. Figured I’d be past this point in a tank almost a year old. I’ll let you guys know how it goes. We’ll see if dinox performs again.