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[SMSREEF]

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[SMSREEF]

@Ohashimz
Would you be able to help me identify this? Please see pics above. Also I’m not sure I focused on the right thing with the microscope. Maybe it’s the small round things on the slide that are out of focus.

Not sure I’m going about this the right way with dosing nitrate with potassium nitrate and phosphate (potassium phosphate).

 

[road_runner]

Sorry it's been crazy busy today am behind
Will get back to you soon

 

[road_runner]

Can you get some pics of the algae?
Is it on sand and rocks or only rocks?
Does it disappear during night and come back with light on?
You already said its slimy correct?
What are you dosing exactly?
What carbon did you dose and for how long?

 

[SMSREEF]

@Ohashimz

I don’t have sand.
Rocks are staying clean I think due to coraline and biofilm. It grows on newly exposed rock and back glass where snails can’t get to it.

It lessens at night comes back during day. Height of light cycle starts making microbubbles.

Yes slimy.

Dose kalk at night.
Calcium and alkalinity during day.

Just started this weekend K-NO3 and K-PO4.
But only once to get levels up. Seems like it’s not growing as bad anymore last couple days.

Carbon I’ve used for 2 years, ROX Carbon from BRS.

No GFO or anything else.

 

[road_runner]

Pictures are not clear, it look like green hair algae...is it long hair like or is it slime?

 

[road_runner]

..

 

[road_runner]

What's your twat kits?
Take better picture for the algae please.
Take some of the algae out, out it in a cup of salt water and take a picture you might get better picture.

 

[SMSREEF]

Pictures are not clear, it look like green hair algae...is it long hair like or is it slime?

I’ll get more pics tomorrow. It’s kinda brownish color. I had green hair algae about 2 years ago and it always stayed together and I was able to pull out of tank, this sort of melts when I try to pull any out.

 

[road_runner]

..

 

[SMSREEF]

What's your twat kits?
Take better picture for the algae please.
Take some of the algae out, out it in a cup of salt water and take a picture you might get better picture.

Test kit
Kh = Hanna
Ca and KH was Red Sea until I realized it is expired by 2 years I got a Salifert and my calcium was well over 500 and expired Red Sea was giving me 450 result.
Now everything is salifert.
Thinking about ordering the ultra low phosphate Hanna because the light colors are a killer, but it’s pricy...

 

[SMSREEF]

Yeh the microscope pictures really look like a strain of cyano. Btw cyano is not always red. There are brown cyano.
There is a cyano vs dino va distom test method I have put on a post a while back..it involve testing using a cup and a filter..have u seen that post? If you have, can you do that test so we get more data?

I have not seen it. I’ll search for it.

 

[road_runner]

Test kit
Kh = Hanna
Ca and KH was Red Sea until I realized it is expired by 2 years I got a Salifert and my calcium was well over 500 and expired Red Sea was giving me 450 result.
Now everything is salifert.
Thinking about ordering the ultra low phosphate Hanna because the light colors are a killer, but it’s pricy...

How are you testing your po4 no3 then?

 

[road_runner]

..

 

[SMSREEF]

How are you testing your po4 no3 then?

Salifert right now

 

[SMSREEF]

To identify dinoflagellates you'll need to siphon some algae into a container preferably with a lid or cap. After filling up the container shake the water up vigorously to break up the algae. Then filter the water through a paper towel or filter sock, the water should be rather clear. Leave the water exposed to ambient light in this container for 30-120 minutes. In my experience dinoflagellate algae will be the only type that aggregates back together quickly in the container

Dinoflagellates will disperse in the container completely after being shaken and will pass through the filter almost completely with only detritus remaining in the filter. Once the filtered water has been left sitting in ambient light for about an hour they will organize back together into their typical slimy appearance. Dinos seem to be the most neutrally buoyant of the three.

Cyanobacteria will typically stay matted together even after shaking the capped container vigorously with lots of small bits resembling torn paper. Most of the algae will be caught in the filter with the detritus but the filtered water will still be discolored. The algae will not organize back into colonies after an hour. The water tends to stay brown but sometimes the cyano settles on the bottom of the container. Cyano seems to be close to neutrally buoyant most of the time.

Diatoms will disperse much more than cyano when shaken vigorously into a brownish tint but sometimes tiny bits stay together like the cyano. Much more of the diatoms will pass the filter compared to the cyano. The diatoms will not reorganize after the filter and they tend to be more negatively buoyant than the cyano or dinos so they settle on the bottom of the container faster.

This sounds like a great experiment! I’ll have time this weekend.

I really appreciate your insight and help figuring this out!

 

[road_runner]

Salifert right now

I have a hunch your po4 and or no3 are not really zero.
Either one of is zero other is high
Ir both are not zero...

 

[SMSREEF]

Another interesting piece of info, may not be important but not sure...

Snails definitely eat it. It was growing on one of the algae on my rock and snail was able to get to it hanging onto the glass. Cleaned it right up.

 

[road_runner]

...

 

[road_runner]

Lets cross check the tests.
Do the cup filter test method
And see what data we can get.