Dinos?

[samuel venner]

Are these are diatoms or dinos ?

it is a new tank however I used some rock from my old tank and most is dry rock.

here’s the photos , I also used the towel method.

I have a microscope coming tomorrow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

They appear to be Diatoms. If this is a newer tank, would not be unusual. Unlike cyano and dino, diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the kibosh on the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass. For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

 

[samuel venner]

Is this defo diatoms ? There has been some bubbles on the surface of the brown algae and I thought if they re accumulated after the paper towel method they could be dinos ?

thanks in advanced

 

[Reefkeeper28]

Is this defo diatoms ? There has been some bubbles on the surface of the brown algae and I thought if they re accumulated after the paper towel method they could be dinos ?

thanks in advanced

I say definitely dinos!

 

[thedon986]

Update with microscope?

 

[attiland]

+1 for microscope is the only way to confirm for sure.
they appear very similar and only next to each other you can tell the difference.

 

[melonheadorion]

with a new tank, i would have a hard time thinking dinos, but at the same time, if you did the at home type test, and they recollected to a snotty type of look, that generally indicates dinos, as far as i know. testing with microscope is the way to go, to confirm

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Diatoms since its a new tank is most likely. whats your nitrate level at?

Dinos usually come from keep levels too low in an established reef

non microscope test = get a water sample with the unknown substance in a glass, ,,, drain out the unknown till it looks clear in the glass.... now put it under your lights for a few hours.. if you have more unknown substance its dinos, but highly unlikely on a new tank.

 

[attiland]

Diatoms since its a new tank is most likely. whats your nitrate level at?

Dinos usually come from keep levels too low in an established reef

just wrong

non microscope test = get a water sample with the unknown substance in a glass, ,,, drain out the unknown till it looks clear in the glass.... now put it under your lights for a few hours.. if you have more unknown substance its dinos, but highly unlikely on a new tank.

They don’t just multiply from nothing but they do clamp together. Regardless of the he age of the tank.

 

[homer1475]

Diatoms since its a new tank is most likely. whats your nitrate level at?

Dinos usually come from keep levels too low in an established reef

What? Dino's most certainly usually start in new tanks with 0 nutrients simply because there is no other microbiome to out compete them.

Without a microscope, we cannot positively identify them. We are all just guessing at this point.