My system is a 100-gallon bare-bottomed SPS grow-out system, and it is filtered by a Reef Octopus eSsence S-130 skimmer and an 8"x8"x4" MarinePure plate. The system's nitrates hover around 8ppm, and phosphates hover between 0.03ppm and 0.1ppm, but I do not have algae anywhere, which is strange. My photoperiod is from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and it is powered by a six-bulb ATI SunPower with a bulb combination of three ATI Blue Plus bulbs and three ATI Coral Plus bulbs. Dosing consists of ESV B-Ionic three-part, AcroPower, and CoralAmino, but I have temporarily discontinued the dosing of amino acids.
In the recent couple of weeks, I have noticed a stringy, brown, substance covering the walls of the display tank, which I believe are dinoflagellates. I ordered a microscope, which I will receive today, in hopes of identifying the species. It doesn't have gas bubbles trapped within the strands, which seems to be typical of dinoflagellates. I recently performed a three-day blackout, but the substance returned within a day. In the evenings, I scrape the substance off of the walls, but it reappears overnight, even with the lights off—I wake to long strings on the walls hours before the lights come on.
I have read through Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?, but there's just so much information, anecdotes, and shared experiences that make me feel a bit overwhelmed. So, I want to let this thread serve as the documentation of my battle.
Below, you can see what the substance looks like as it covers the walls and corals.
In the recent couple of weeks, I have noticed a stringy, brown, substance covering the walls of the display tank, which I believe are dinoflagellates. I ordered a microscope, which I will receive today, in hopes of identifying the species. It doesn't have gas bubbles trapped within the strands, which seems to be typical of dinoflagellates. I recently performed a three-day blackout, but the substance returned within a day. In the evenings, I scrape the substance off of the walls, but it reappears overnight, even with the lights off—I wake to long strings on the walls hours before the lights come on.
I have read through Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?, but there's just so much information, anecdotes, and shared experiences that make me feel a bit overwhelmed. So, I want to let this thread serve as the documentation of my battle.
Below, you can see what the substance looks like as it covers the walls and corals.
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