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- Jul 18, 2019
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I am sorry to post again about this but I'm stumped. Tank running 2 yrs no bad algae. 20 gallon, 3 fish (clown, swissguard basslet, YWG) handful of snails and a hermit. Fed until they looked full every other day. Barely any water changes on the tank during the 2 yrs. RODI 0 TDS water for top off. December 5th 2020 I noticed I was getting brown film algae growth on my glass. Would come back 2x a day when I scraped it. A bit would grow on my sand too. Started covering my corals including a gorgonian, MANY toadstools, zoas, polyps/palys, sinularia, kenya tree, fungia coral. I thought it was diatoms BECAUSE my parameters which have ALWAYS been the same have not fluctuated.
Params always: (tested weekly for 2 yrs)
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate ALWAYS 10-25ppm never reached 0 or close to 0
Phosphate .1-.25 was highest I ever measured, once again never close to 0
Temp-77-79
Salinity usually 1.024-1.025
I treated this outbreak as if it was diatoms. Many huge water changes. Tried replacing the heater. Tried Poly Filter with no color change and did not help. Tried Phosguard, Chemi Pure Blue, Bacteria dosing, adding macroalgae. NOTHING worked, in fact it got worse. The weird thing- ALL my mushroom corals MELTED away. And I mean turned to goo. My beautiful toadstools have ALL melted as well. They crumbled when I tried to brush algae off of them. Everything I removed smelled rotten. All polyps and zoas melted. ALL my CUC is dead. Including my healthy army of stomatella snails which I am devastated about. The only unaffected thing left alive in my tank is fish. My three fish are fine and eating well.
After the death of everything but the fish, I still thought it was diatoms because the 'algae' in question is dust like in nature and never saw any bubbles or long strings. I was really sad and rip cleaned my tank. Scrubbed the whole thing in peroxide and removed all sand and rock. Replaced sand with new sand and got brand new rock. Jump started tank with bottle bacteria and put in fish. All seemed well for 3 days. Then I got home from work and the 'algae' was covering the glass and sand and rock. I am at a loss.
It was suggested that this was dinoflagellates. I was shocked because my nutrients are ALWAYS high and have never bottomed out even when I used Phosguard and ChemiPure blue to treat the 'diatoms'. I looked at it under the microscope and sure enough it looks like dinos. I couldn't take a good pic or video but it sure looks like either Amphidinium or Prorocentrum. Judging by the fact it killed all inverts including corals I think its prorocentrum. Rounded body with divot in the center. Not sesame shaped like ostreopsis. Will try to get a better pic.
My question is: Has anyone else had dinos with high nutrients? Have they killed your corals and melted your mushrooms? Im soooo confused why I have this and why some people can have corals in severe dino outbreaks but all of mine died. Please help. Currently finishing a 3 day blackout with H2o2 dosing and have a UV sterilizer running. Thanks.
Just measured params: Ammonia-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-25ppm Phosphate-.2 Temp 79 Salinity 1.024
first pic is tank before the dinos then next pics speak for themselves..
Params always: (tested weekly for 2 yrs)
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate ALWAYS 10-25ppm never reached 0 or close to 0
Phosphate .1-.25 was highest I ever measured, once again never close to 0
Temp-77-79
Salinity usually 1.024-1.025
I treated this outbreak as if it was diatoms. Many huge water changes. Tried replacing the heater. Tried Poly Filter with no color change and did not help. Tried Phosguard, Chemi Pure Blue, Bacteria dosing, adding macroalgae. NOTHING worked, in fact it got worse. The weird thing- ALL my mushroom corals MELTED away. And I mean turned to goo. My beautiful toadstools have ALL melted as well. They crumbled when I tried to brush algae off of them. Everything I removed smelled rotten. All polyps and zoas melted. ALL my CUC is dead. Including my healthy army of stomatella snails which I am devastated about. The only unaffected thing left alive in my tank is fish. My three fish are fine and eating well.
After the death of everything but the fish, I still thought it was diatoms because the 'algae' in question is dust like in nature and never saw any bubbles or long strings. I was really sad and rip cleaned my tank. Scrubbed the whole thing in peroxide and removed all sand and rock. Replaced sand with new sand and got brand new rock. Jump started tank with bottle bacteria and put in fish. All seemed well for 3 days. Then I got home from work and the 'algae' was covering the glass and sand and rock. I am at a loss.
It was suggested that this was dinoflagellates. I was shocked because my nutrients are ALWAYS high and have never bottomed out even when I used Phosguard and ChemiPure blue to treat the 'diatoms'. I looked at it under the microscope and sure enough it looks like dinos. I couldn't take a good pic or video but it sure looks like either Amphidinium or Prorocentrum. Judging by the fact it killed all inverts including corals I think its prorocentrum. Rounded body with divot in the center. Not sesame shaped like ostreopsis. Will try to get a better pic.
My question is: Has anyone else had dinos with high nutrients? Have they killed your corals and melted your mushrooms? Im soooo confused why I have this and why some people can have corals in severe dino outbreaks but all of mine died. Please help. Currently finishing a 3 day blackout with H2o2 dosing and have a UV sterilizer running. Thanks.
Just measured params: Ammonia-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-25ppm Phosphate-.2 Temp 79 Salinity 1.024
first pic is tank before the dinos then next pics speak for themselves..