OK Experts - Dinoflagellates or Diatoms (Photo)

[Dana Riddle]

 

[Reefing Madness]

Neither, looks like bacteria, or fungus.

 

[mcarroll]

Ok...guessing here...

The first photo looks like a siphonous green algae to me.

Like bryopsis....maybe actual bryopsis....but there are lots of other siphonous green aglae. I haven't found too many good microscope photos of bryopsis, so I don't have anything on hand to share and compare. Anyone else maybe?

Or...

Dino's connected to a substrate like hair algae or filamentous cyano.

I've never seen pictures of this form from a tank that has a dino bloom if these are dino's.

But being epiphytic is very much a thing for them, so it could be dino's....either of a type we don't usually see, or in a state that we don't usually see them in.

 

[mcarroll]

Similar to this?

Sorry missed the link on that image:
http://cfb.unh.edu/phycokey/Choices...idales/BRYOPSIS/Bryopsis_Image_page.htm#pic02

 

[mcarroll]

That page has some decent photos of dino's in epiphytic associations (toward the bottom) and they don't seem to stop looking like semi-spherical dino's:
http://www.jochemnet.de/fiu/bot4404/BOT4404_5.html

I'm more in favor of siphonous green, or maybe even a chrysophyte....

 

[mcarroll]

Check out the chrysophyte section on phycokey...seems like some potentials there, but nothing exact:

Still not getting anything for the second photo....hm! ;Bookworm

 

[mcarroll]

For the second photo, this just came in on post #1604 from my dino thread.....a possibility based on color and that it presents "like a mild dino bloom".

Thoughts?

 

[Beardo]

I would say epithytic diatoms.

 

[Dana Riddle]

For the second photo, this just came in on post #1604 from my dino thread.....a possibility based on color and that it presents "like a mild dino bloom".

Thoughts?

Sanjay Joshi sent a link to a phycologist up in Maryland, and I sent a pic to him for ID. No reply yet. I'm leaning towards something that contains accessory pigments such as peridinin, fucoxanthin, etc. My continuing education continues...

 

[Hans-Werner]

I am quite sure it is a Licmophora like diatom. Also the inner structure with the plastids looks like a diatom.
It for sure is no chrysophyt. Chrysophyts are oval to spindle shaped flagellates which may sit in a clear housing like someone has shown above. Nevertheless the spindle shaped cell remains clearly visible.
I am pretty sure it is no dinoflagellate since dinoflagellates are globular, ovoid or oval disc shaped cells which may have an armor with some spines. I have never seen a rod or wedge shaped dinoflagellate and I am microscoping since my earliest youth (for around 40 years now) and have some books on protists, algae and microbiology.

 

[Dana Riddle]

I am quite sure it is a Licmophora like diatom. Also the inner structure with the plastids looks like a diatom.
It for sure is no chrysophyt. Chrysophyts are oval to spindle shaped flagellates which may sit in a clear housing like someone has shown above. Nevertheless the spindle shaped cell remains clearly visible.
I am pretty sure it is no dinoflagellate since dinoflagellates are globular, ovoid or oval disc shaped cells which may have an armor with some spines. I have never seen a rod or wedge shaped dinoflagellate and I am microscoping since my earliest youth (for around 40 years now) and have some books on protists, algae and microbiology.

Thanks! Whatever it is, Trochus snails are slowly controlling the population with no apparent signs of toxicity.

 

[Hans-Werner]

Figure 4 shows a Licmophora sp. that comes very, very close to your image, Dana.

 

[Jose Mayo]

Cyanobacteria toxic algae:

http://www.seaweed.ie/algae/cyanophytatoxins.php

 

[mcarroll]

I am quite sure it is a Licmophora like diatom.

Figure 4 shows a Licmophora sp. that comes very, very close to your image, Dana.

Cyanobacteria toxic algae:

http://www.seaweed.ie/algae/cyanophytatoxins.php

I take it that first link is the diatom itself and the other photos are showing it epiphytic?

So are Figure 4 and the photo the same dino's on a strand of cyano or other algae? (I.e. that's not part of the diatom, right?)

 

[mcarroll]

It's impossible to look through pictures of diatoms without saying wow.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Cyanobacteria toxic algae:

http://www.seaweed.ie/algae/cyanophytatoxins.php

I don't that site has the correct Id.

 

[Hans-Werner]

So are Figure 4 and the photo the same dino's on a strand of cyano or other algae? (I.e. that's not part of the diatom, right?)

The first image in figure 4 shows Licmophora sp. on another alga, a hair alga just as in Dana´s picture. The other two images show species of chain forming diatoms.

I had my doubts about the image of Jose too but in the key of one of my algae books I came across an image of Chamaesiphon which is a epiphytic (growing on other algae) cyanobacterium which forms spores at the end of short hairs. I think the image of Jose may show this cyanobacterium but the color of the image in the book shows a cyan (bluish green) colored cyanobacterium not brownish as at the image of Jose.

 

[Dana Riddle]

In my 50+ years of keeping marine aquaria plus managing a commercial coral farm for a couple of years, I NEVER had any issues with diatoms/dinoflagellate outbreaks. So, this episode is a first for me - and makes me thankful for those with expertise in the field who are willing to share thoughts and insights. Thank you all!

 

[Dana Riddle]

I tend to think I'm dealing with a diatom as opposed to a cyanobacteria based simply on the golden-brown coloration of my specimens (possibly indicative of the accessory pigment fucoxanthin.) I think I can confirm diatoms by volatizing a sample and looking for the silica remains. Not as easy as it sounds, beginning with my volativity oven not surviving the move.

 

[mcarroll]

You said "volatility oven". Heh heh.

(sorry)