Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[iLMaRiO]

what are these? can someone ID?
i'm not sure they are dinos

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

what are these? can someone ID?
i'm not sure they are dinos

Maybe someone else has better eyesight than me, but it's very hard to tell from that Pic. It could be LC...maybe, but it's really hard to tell.

Any chance you could take a better one?

 

[iLMaRiO]

difficult to take a better one, i'm unable to use greater magnification with the microscope

 

[ScottB]

@Yazreef I recently beat Ostreo using almost exactly the same steps as you described (blues only, shorter photo period, 24/7 UV, heavy bacteria dosing, carbon, keeping nutrients up). What finally got me over the hump was turning up the flow through the UV. The UV at 1x turnover wasn’t doing much, but when I turned it up to 3x turnover, I saw results almost instantly. Although at that time the Ostreo was already having a tough time due to microbial competition.

Ostreos are the most responsive to a good UV implementation. Other species less so.

But the last two words in your post are the most often UNDER appreciated. Microbial Competition is the key to defeating and preventing dinoflagellates.

 

[ScottB]

Ok here is a quick update for those of you that want to beat Dinos ( I confirmed that I have ostreosis and anphidinium and proro via microscope:

I followed simple steps and the tank is looking so much better already. A week or so and I will be dino free:

Leave only blue light on your aquarium ( no reds/ greens/ whites.

Dosing bacteria and microbes: microbacter 7 and reef enhance per bottle directions

Dosing Silica ( used brightwell aquatics ) (per bottle directions)

Installed a UV sterilizer running 24/7 ( 18w for my 75 gallon installed in the display)

Keep nitrates above 10 and phosphates above 0.10 ( dosing brightwell phos and nitro daily)

Install 5 micron filter socks in your sump

Blew off dinos from rocks and sand daily so The UV and the filter socks capture it

You must run carbon for the toxins from dinos


Ps: turn off uv, skimmer and carbon for 4 hours while dosing Macrobacter 7.

Well played!

 

[ScottB]

do you know why some dinos are MUCH bigger then other?

Small cell amphidinium are about 1/5th the size of all the others. They are also faster swimmers.

 

[iLMaRiO]

why are you all suggesting microbacter 7? zeobak from zeovit isn't as good as mb7?

 

[iLMaRiO]

Small cell amphidinium are about 1/5th the size of all the others. They are also faster swimmers.

so, is not a microscope issue? i've tought at different "water level", with the bigger ones swimming in the upper levels

 

[Eldritch_blast]

Have made about 6 slides with 2 samples, one taken from a marine pure ball in fuge area, another from the sand bed. Dinos are mostly on sand bed, a couple strands on rocks, and in the refugium on the marine pure blocks.
Can someone help me ID? I haven’t been able to find any with movement yet, they all appear motionless but perhaps I need to hunt a bit better. I did take some video, but they aren’t really moving . Let me know if I should keep sampling and hunting for some movers? Or if there’s a way to wake them up or something haha

Prorocentrum? ID Possible with these people photos, or attempt better?

 

[Yazannreef]

Anphidinium small and large cells from what I see

 

[Yazannreef]

Have made about 6 slides with 2 samples, one taken from a marine pure ball in fuge area, another from the sand bed. Dinos are mostly on sand bed, a couple strands on rocks, and in the refugium on the marine pure blocks.
Can someone help me ID? I haven’t been able to find any with movement yet, they all appear motionless but perhaps I need to hunt a bit better. I did take some video, but they aren’t really moving . Let me know if I should keep sampling and hunting for some movers? Or if there’s a way to wake them up or something haha

Prorocentrum? ID Possible with these people photos, or attempt better?

Just follow the bacteria and the silica dosing as posted above.
UV won't have a big affect on them.
I suggest to lower your light period and leave blues only till you get them out of there!!

 

[Eldritch_blast]

Just follow the bacteria and the silica dosing as posted above.
UV won't have a big affect on them.
I suggest to lower your light period and leave blues only till you get them out of there!!

Right on, thank you!

 

[Yazannreef]

Right on, thank you!

No problem. Don't forget to get you po4 and no3 numbers up.

It's crazy how in my tank when I raised the nutrients level not just that dinoflagellates started dying but also my acro's started coloring up like crazy. I had a couple that were dull for the longest and all of a suddenly the yellows and orange/ pinks started showing up.

I'm at 0.15 po4 and 15 no3.
Raise them slowly if you are low on nutrients. I would suggest 0.02 per day for po4 and 2ppm for no3 per day till you achieve the desired amounts

 

[Eldritch_blast]

No problem. Don't forget to get you po4 and no3 numbers up.

It's crazy how in my tank when I raised the nutrients level not just that dinoflagellates started dying but also my acro's started coloring up like crazy. I had a couple that were dull for the longest and all of a suddenly the yellows and orange/ pinks started showing up.

I'm at 0.15 po4 and 15 no3.
Raise them slowly if you are low on nutrients. I would suggest 0.02 per day for po4 and 2ppm for no3 per day till you achieve the desired amounts

Was just browsing through your thread actually. Appreciate the rundown here. The community has really prepared some darn good battle plans.

 

[Yazannreef]

why are you all suggesting microbacter 7? zeobak from zeovit isn't as good as mb7?

Because it's been around for a while and it's tested and proven effective. Zeobak could also work but not a lot of people experience with it for dino combat. You can always try both one each day if you would like.

 

[Yazannreef]

Was just browsing through your thread actually. Appreciate the rundown here. The community has really prepared some darn good battle plans.

I appreciate it. It's first hand experience here like some other members here. It's great we have to go thru these issues and come out victorious at the end. Here is my tank 1 week after treatment. The rocks were filthy covered q week ago. The last acro had no colors and now its fully colored. Crazy!!

 

[Yazannreef]

Th

I appreciate it. It's first hand experience here like some other members here. It's great we have to go thru these issues and come out victorious at the end. Here is my tank 1 week after treatment. The rocks were filthy covered q week ago. The last acro had no colors and now its fully colored. Crazy!!

The dust like on the frag plugs is diatom which was the goal. It was stringy dinos before. Science and what it can do!!

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Got a new bulb for my Lifegard Promax 55w.

LET THERE BE NIGHT!

PS. Never done a blackout... Issues with fully covering up the top of the tank? (since there are full glass lids I would guess not... But figured I'd ask).

 

[Yazannreef]

Got a new bulb for my Lifegard Promax 55w.

LET THERE BE NIGHT!

PS. Never done a blackout... Issues with fully covering up the top of the tank? (since there are full glass lids I would guess not... But figured I'd ask).

Not sure you need to blackout honestly unless you don't have any corals that can suffer.

I managed to beat a variety of dinos with not blackout in a week window.

Good luck.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Not sure you need to blackout honestly unless you don't have any corals that can suffer.

I managed to beat a variety of dinos with not blackout in a week window.

Good luck.

Need to force them into the water colum so the UV does its job.

I've beaten Ostreopsis and LC without it before, but the Prorocentrum are being stubborn.

I'm only going to do a 24...maaaaybe 48 hrs blackout as I don't want to tick off my acros.