Well I got my hands on a microscope and managed to get some half decent photos..posted for an ID in a separate thread as well, but wanted to update here just in case. Looks like Coolia to me, since the cells are so spherical, but not sure. I'm continuing to dose NeoNitro and NeoPhos every day so that the levels stay consistently elevated. I keep waiting for "stability" but nothing seems to be falling into place at all.
Yes, looks like Coolia to me too. I am about to publish an article on dino treatments, so here is a sneak preview of two relevant sections:
Section 3: Treatment protocols common to ALL dinoflagellate species
- Ensure that the tank always has measurable residual amounts of nitrate and phosphate. Any nitrate test kit will do, but you need Hanna ULR for phosphate. Target roughly 10/.1. If you are 0 on phosphates, be prepared to dose harder than you can imagine. I dosed 2 liters of DIY before I could keep a residual reading. It binds to your rock and sand. Stock up on Hanna reagents!
- It is important to FIRST dose up PO4 to a stable level. Adding nitrate to a depleted tank will hammer your PO4 and stress/kill a lot of coral.
- Dose a nitrate and/or phosphate solution as necessary. Test almost daily -- at least initially -- if you are deficient.
- If your dinos are presently based in the sand, it is recommended that you dose silicates to restore competitive diatom populations. SpongeExcel is the most common source used.
- Avoid water changes unless it is an emergency. Dinos do seem to deplete certain traces. For me it was potassium, iron and Iodine. You will get a mini bloom with a water change. Also, it removes nutrients.
- Stop any amino acid dosing. Same goes for particulate coral foods. The dino mucus webs just grab it all anyway as their food source. Phyto on the other hand SHOULD be okay but monitor. It is also fine to feed the fish more. Fish waste is an ideal food source for competing microorganisms. Your tank needs more of those. Do not rely solely on increased feedings to restore NO3 and PO4.
- Basting off dinos is fine, but avoid "deep cleanings". We do these things to remove films and algae, but we need that population to recover. This is a common cause of relapse.
- If you are dosing 2-part or CaRx, watch your alkalinity. My consumption collapsed during (ostreopsis) outbreaks but rebounded shortly after.
- Higher pH is better than lower pH. I don't know the mechanics of why, but the pattern was unmistakable. I know it helps rebuild coralline. Open some windows when you can.
Yes, dinos can exist in a high nutrient system if the competition is somehow killed off -- most commonly when dosing chemicals to combat cyanobacteria. But 90% (anecdotally) of the time, a dino outbreak follows a period of competitor starvation or removal, so
restoring nutrients is job 1 for restoring competition.
Section 4: Treatment protocol for Ostreopsis, Prorocentrum, Small Cell Amphidinium & Coolia (The Swimmers!)
Tool #1: A properly sized, placed and paced UV install FOR FIGHTING DINOS looks like this:
- Ignore manufacturers recommended specs for sizing and flow! Their numbers are designed to sterilise/kill soft little parasites, bacteria and water borne algae. Those numbers are not designed to eliminate hard shelled protists sporting body armor.
- 1 watt per 3 gallons of tank volume
- Flow should turn over the tank 1-3 times per hour. The bigger the unit relative to tank size, the faster you can go and vice versa. As long as the bulb stays cool enough, you are not running too slow IMO.
- This should be plumbed directly from the display tank and returning back into the display. I used some PVC so that I could just slap it on the side of the tank, plug it in and go. Here is what that looks like. I know you are thinking it is ugly and unnecessary but it is effective, temporary and easy to add/delete.
- Ensure that the darn thing is running properly. The ballast is good and the bulb is less than 12 months old and hasn't been overheated.
- Baste as frequently as you can so that the dinos pass through the UV.
- To varying degrees, these species go swimming at night. Ostreopsis are the most adventurous of the four and I never needed to do a blackout to get them under control. The other three may require a blackout to get them moving into the water column. Try a two day blackout first to see if that is enough. Wrap the tank in cardboard or black trash bags. Turn off the fuge light if you have one going.
- Blacking out the tank without a proper UV in place is very unlikely to help. Yes, dinos are photosynthetic, but so is the needed competition. When the lights come back up you are back where you started.
Tool #2: The Poor Man/Woman's UV
If a UV isn't in the budget, or is stuck on a boat in Long Beach, or you just want to go after these guys a little harder, you can affix sheets of filter floss to the sides of the tank like
this. Ostreopsis really prefer this surface when placed in a high flow/light area. Wherever your dinos seem to be hanging about is the right place to affix the floss. I used suction cups, zip ties to fasten the floss. Repeated basting of infested surfaces is encouraged. Rinse the floss each evening (before the lights go down) in fresh water and replace. It is oddly satisfying.
Tool #3: Removing toxins
All four of these have some level of toxin, with Ostreopsis and Proro having pretty high levels. It is a good idea to run carbon and refresh it more frequently than usual. PSA: IF ANYONE IN THE HOUSEHOLD HAS RESPIRATORY ISSUES LIKE ASTHMA, take some added caution. You want to shut off the skimmer to avoid aerosolizing and improve ventilation. Personally, I ate, drank, smoked and bathed in ostreos without any issue, but there have been reports of respiratory distress in the presence of ostreopsis.
Tool #4 Filtering
Our common dinos are rather small measuring 5-40 microns. The mucus can be trapped and contain many/most of the dinos as long as they choose to remain in the mucus. But as you will see on the microscope slide, they roam fairly freely from the mucus. Perhaps a 5 micron sock could be deployed to trap dinos once syphoned out. I don't have much conviction on efficacy, but if you have the energy it cannot hurt.
