Dinoflagellates or Diatoms? Need help identifying

[nubireefjakarta]

Im leaning towards dinos (maybe amphidinium dinoflagellates) but I saw my foxface occasionally grazing it and eating from the sandbed which could indicate diatoms. It’s not stringy, doesn’t have any mucus or slimy looking, no bubbles, more of a dusty look and more pronounced during peak lighting. So far, I’ve install a UV, incresed feeding, no waterchanges. Right now Im waiting for my phosphate up, to increase it to 0.08-0.1

Nutrients
No3 10
Po4 0.03

*yes i don’t have a microscope…

 

[mcarroll]

Too red to be dino's – most likely cyano IMO.

Nutrients are too high for dinos to be triggered.

You can do the "shake up" test if you don't have a microscope:

Take a sample with some water. Shake it to smithereens. Then place the sample under your lights for a while to see if anything regroups. If so, that's dino's. Cyano and diatoms won't move.

FYI, even a $12 toy microscope will work....any basic microscope, nothing fancy required. Highly recommended for general curiosity. :)

Selecting a microscope​

 

[nubireefjakarta]

Follow up picture during peak hours

Also added my phosphate testing

 

[nubireefjakarta]

Too red to be dino's – most likely cyano IMO.

Nutrients are too high for dinos to be triggered.

You can do the "shake up" test if you don't have a microscope:

Take a sample with some water. Shake it to smithereens. Then place the sample under your lights for a while to see if anything regroups. If so, that's dino's. Cyano and diatoms won't move.

FYI, even a $12 toy microscope will work....any basic microscope, nothing fancy required. Highly recommended for general curiosity. :)

Selecting a microscope​

Thanks for the advice. Will try to do it.

 

[Science/G]

Looks like dinoflagellates to me.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Are you able to get photos under white lights? Is it on your rock to or just the sand?

 

[CHSUB]

As mentioned, I just got a scope for $50 and makes ID easy and fun. However you really don’t need to ID, just remove. An example is if your dogs poops on the floor, ID is not really necessary but removal is suggested and desirable.

 

[nubireefjakarta]

It’s just on the sandbed.

Are you able to get photos under white lights? Is it on your rock to or just the sand?

 

[Subsea]

As mentioned, I just got a scope for $50 and makes ID easy and fun. However you really don’t need to ID, just remove. An example is if your dogs poops on the floor, ID is not really necessary but removal is suggested and desirable.

Too funny.

 

[nubireefjakarta]

Looks like dinoflagellates to me.

Will adding phosphate help eliminates it? Phos is currently 0-0.03, I’m thinking to add phos to 0.08-0.1, trying to get the 100:1 ratio

 

[Subsea]

Will adding phosphate help eliminates it? Phos is currently 0-0.03, I’m thinking to add phos to 0.08-0.1, trying to get the 100:1 ratio

The ratio of phosphate to nitrogen is not important. What is important is that you have sufficient quantity of nutrients. When nutrients are limited, opportunistic algae’s like Dinoflagellata thrive.

As I viewed some of your other thereads with similar post, I got confused as to which tank we are dealing with here.

I my experiences, diatoms are your best offense against Cyanobacteria & Dinoflagellets. For that purpose some dose silicates. I dose silicates because of ornamental sponges in my systems.

 

[nubireefjakarta]

The ratio of phosphate to nitrogen is not important. What is important is that you have sufficient quantity of nutrients. When nutrients are limited, opportunistic algae’s like Dinoflagellata thrive.

As I viewed some of your other thereads with similar post, I got confused as to which tank we are dealing with here.

I my experiences, diatoms are your best offense against Cyanobacteria & Dinoflagellets. For that purpose some dose silicates. I dose silicates because of ornamental sponges in my systems.

Appreciate the advice, thank you.

 

[Science/G]

I've had dinoflagellates in my classroom aquarium when my nutrients were high and when they were low. The thing that I did that worked for me, was a lot of manual removal, followed by Coral snow with microbacter7.