Need help with an algae/dino id

[Steamreefer]

Hey all.

I.m 100int
15ish months old
Alk 9
Cal 450-475
Mag 1350
Nitrate 2.5
Phos fluctuating due to dosing neo phos

Phos did bottom out and I'm not sure for how long, possibly weeks. But i do feed alot of frozen food and use reef roids occasionally.

Currently dosing neophos at about a cap or 2 a day.

Seemed to have started after dosing aqua forest bio mud 1 day, probably a coincidence along with a 20% water change but this stuff has been taking over my sand bed

I realize I need a microscope. May need to get 1 soon. This stuff whatever it is almost completely disappears at night and slowly but steadily takes over by the evening. Only seems to grow on the sand.

It VERY easily blows off sand.

Doesn't have any bubbles attached to strings

Flow has zero effect. I've got a power head blasting it, zero change. Actually got worse lol

Where its really thick it actually waves in the flow. Would blowing off easily indicate diatoms?

I've siphoned, peroxide and started dosing neophos. Also skipped the last water change and started cleaning the mechanical filtration less.

What's your next move

Buy a microscope

Try chemi clean

Keep adding phosphate and play it out

Uv sterilizer

 

[Steamreefer]

I should also mention i recently rented a par meter, top of my rocks were 4-450 for quite some time and still 2-300 on much of the lower tank. Needless to say I reduced them way down all in 1 shot around the same time of the 20% water change mentioned.

 

[RobertK]

Looks like dinos to me. My next move would be to buy a microscope, nothing fancy is needed. It will confirm this is dinos and tell you what type you have, which will help guide further steps. Keep dosing phosphate as needed to keep it above zero.

 

[Dan_P]

Hey all.

I.m 100int
15ish months old
Alk 9
Cal 450-475
Mag 1350
Nitrate 2.5
Phos fluctuating due to dosing neo phos

Phos did bottom out and I'm not sure for how long, possibly weeks. But i do feed alot of frozen food and use reef roids occasionally.

Currently dosing neophos at about a cap or 2 a day.

Seemed to have started after dosing aqua forest bio mud 1 day, probably a coincidence along with a 20% water change but this stuff has been taking over my sand bed

I realize I need a microscope. May need to get 1 soon. This stuff whatever it is almost completely disappears at night and slowly but steadily takes over by the evening. Only seems to grow on the sand.

It VERY easily blows off sand.

Doesn't have any bubbles attached to strings

Flow has zero effect. I've got a power head blasting it, zero change. Actually got worse lol

Where its really thick it actually waves in the flow. Would blowing off easily indicate diatoms?

I've siphoned, peroxide and started dosing neophos. Also skipped the last water change and started cleaning the mechanical filtration less.

What's your next move

Buy a microscope

Try chemi clean

Keep adding phosphate and play it out

Uv sterilizer

The growth habit really looks like cyanobacteria, except for the color. Cyanobacteria is easily removed, but mechanically, it behaves like skin rather then a powder. Its film or mat is resilient to physical damage. A microscope will be a great help.

 

[RobertK]

Cyano is also easily ID'd with a microscope!

 

[Steamreefer]

OK, heading to Amazon.

How do people get such good pictures on their phone through a microscope?

 

[Steamreefer]

1 for dinos
1 for cyano

 

[Steamreefer]

The growth habit really looks like cyanobacteria, except for the color. Cyanobacteria is easily removed, but mechanically, it behaves like skin rather then a powder. Its film or mat is resilient to physical damage. A microscope will be a great help.

Yeah I remember it fondly from my freshwater days, stinky and slimey

This stuff disappears like dust. Even a fish flicking it's tail will leave a white spot

 

[RobertK]

How do people get such good pictures on their phone through a microscope?

I use one of these. There are cheaper ones made of plastic if you don't want to spend that much, but this one is all metal and adjusts in X, Y and Z axes so you can align it with your scope well. There are other similar ones, I think Celestron makes one as well. If you do get this one I'd suggest paying the extra $5 for the wireless remote, that way you can take a photo without the camera shaking.

 

[mcarroll]

I realize I need a microscope. May need to get 1 soon. This stuff whatever it is almost completely disappears at night and slowly but steadily takes over by the evening. Only seems to grow on the sand.

It VERY easily blows off sand.

Doesn't have any bubbles attached to strings

Flow has zero effect. I've got a power head blasting it, zero change. Actually got worse lol

Where its really thick it actually waves in the flow. Would blowing off easily indicate diatoms?

I've siphoned, peroxide and started dosing neophos. Also skipped the last water change and started cleaning the mechanical filtration less.

What's your next move

Buy a microscope

Try chemi clean

Keep adding phosphate and play it out

Uv sterilizer

Until you can get a microscopic view:

1) Read the first post of the big dino thread in the nuisance alge forum: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/

2) Perform the "shake test" described there. Take a sample of the algae and some water. Shake it to smithereens. Place the sample under your tank lights or in the sun for a while and see if it regroups into a mass. Only dino's will do that. Otherwise you have diatom, cyano or a combo.

3) Target a PO4 concentration of 0.10 ppm when you dose. Check again in an hour and see if you already need to re-dose.

4) How is your cleanup crew and pods? If pods have disappeared and CUC appears drunk (or dead) then you have toxic dino's.

5) How is your UV set up? Often the UV instructions are just for clearing up greenwater.

 

[Steamreefer]

Will definitely try the shake test!! Thank you!

Cuc is maybe 10-15 snails, 2 conch, 1 tuxedo urchin, 1 blood shrimp and a few tiny hermits. They appear to be fine.

I dont have a uv

 

[Steamreefer]

Just scooped some in a small container and shook it. Seems hard to even scoop up as soon as you disturb it even the slightest it disappears.

 

[RobertK]

try sucking it up with a turkey baster

 

[mcarroll]

Just scooped some in a small container and shook it. Seems hard to even scoop up as soon as you disturb it even the slightest it disappears.

IMO this seems unlikely to be dino's. "Powdery" consistency is not very characteristic of them at the very least.

Sounds like diatoms. However, the color (at least in that photo in post 1) is not very characteristic of diatoms tho.

Almost every other common pest algae has a sliminess or stickiness to it....diatoms to not (at least commonly).

So....?

Keep trying on that sample....you can scoop up a little media with the algae and water, it won't hurt.