Dinoflagellates

Nick Barbier

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I have dinos in my 125g mixed reef tank. At first, I thought that the tank had red cyano bacteria, but there are bubbles and the patches seem to disappear after the lights are turned off. From what I've read, dinos thrive in ultra low nutrient conditions. The PO4 level in my tank is 0.14. I would consider that to be average for a phosphate level. The dkh is 8.2, and the Ca is 430. I would not expect to see dinos with those tank parameters. So why do I have dinos if my PO4 is not low? And more importantly, what's the best way to get rid of them?
 

Seadoc

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I suggest you confirm the presence with a small microscope. Even those cheap "toy-like" ones are useful. If indeed you have dinos, finding the type of organism will determine the corrective measures to take. There is a very large tread in R2R for those dealing with dinos:

 
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Nick Barbier

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Nick Barbier

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From what I have read and even videos I've seen (like from BRS TV), dinos can be either brown, reddish brown, or red.
The biggest visual determination (without a microscope) would be that dinos produce bubbles and cyano does not. Also, due to their photosynthetic properties, dinos seem to disappear after the tank lights are turned off. What is growing in my tank exhibits these properties.
I know that dinos and cyano treatments are completely different. Dinos seem to thrive in low/ultra low nutrient tanks, while cyano seems to thrive in medium/high nutrient tanks.
I am skimming and use Bio Digest bacteria (once a month) in my tank. Also, I use Red Sea Reef Energy as prescribed for coral health and growth. As previously stated, the PO4 is 0.14.
 
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