Algae, Dino, or Cyano?

[Medic755]

Hey everyone. Looking for some insight. I’m torn which way to treat. I’m leaning between Dino or Cyano. The problem is that I am color deficient so have a hard time telling if Cyano is red etc. salinity is 1.024 NO3 0.75 (based on algae probably not correct) PO4 0.00-0.01 (again, probably not correct). Alk 8.9 Cal 430 Mag 1300. Any insight would be appreciated

 

[blaxsun]

It's greenish to dark brown in the images, if that helps.

 

[Medic755]

It does, thank you! I’m starting with dinox and vacuuming and then I’ll do Cyano I think

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

If you have a lot of lps or sps I would personally try a more natural approach before dosing the X. I just battled em and found what worked best for my system was slowly raising my nitrates and phosphates naturally by over feeding the fish. Then I dosed it with a ton of pods and ocean magic from algae barn. Three weeks later gone baby gone. Looking back I cant believe how much time and money I wasted chasing quick fixes. It might take a little longer the natural way but will be well worth it for the health of your livestock. Hope it helps. Oh by the way I waited till my nitrates hit 20 before restarting small water changes. Good luck

 

[Medic755]

If you have a lot of lps or sps I would personally try a more natural approach before dosing the X. I just battled em and found what worked best for my system was slowly raising my nitrates and phosphates naturally by over feeding the fish. Then I dosed it with a ton of pods and ocean magic from algae barn. Three weeks later gone baby gone. Looking back I cant believe how much time and money I wasted chasing quick fixes. It might take a little longer the natural way but will be well worth it for the health of your livestock. Hope it helps. Oh by the way I waited till my nitrates hit 20 before restarting small water changes. Good luck

Does it look like Dino’s to you? I’m torn

 

[ahiggins]

The pictures aren’t super clear in detail but do you have filamentous algae anywhere in the tank? Like hair, turf, etc?
The stringy texture reminds me of cyano though. I have beaten Dino’s in the past with nitrate and phosphate dosing with uv sterilization at the same time but I agree. Don’t nuke the tank as your first option. When you try to blow it off with a pipette or turkey baster, what does it do?
Manual removal plus dosing would be my move if I was trying to figure out what it was ASSUMING you don’t have any other algae growing (which will skew your numbers posted). Cyano and dino doesn’t really skew them-in my experience they grow when I bottom out on N and P

 

[sixty_reefer]

From your parameters and pics I’d say you got a mix of both cyano and dinoflagellates

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

I agree with sixty but Im gonna tell you something. DONT chase a girl you dont know. Be patient. Nuisance algae will never give you a proper name or phone number. Thats up to you to find out.

 

[Medic755]

I agree with sixty but Im gonna tell you something. DONT chase a girl you dont know. Be patient. Nuisance algae will never give you a proper name or phone number. Thats up to you to find out.

I really like that saying. So what should I try? I can kill off the Cyano and then work on the Dino by raising nutrients?

 

[Medic755]

The pictures aren’t super clear in detail but do you have filamentous algae anywhere in the tank? Like hair, turf, etc?
The stringy texture reminds me of cyano though. I have beaten Dino’s in the past with nitrate and phosphate dosing with uv sterilization at the same time but I agree. Don’t nuke the tank as your first option. When you try to blow it off with a pipette or turkey baster, what does it do?
Manual removal plus dosing would be my move if I was trying to figure out what it was ASSUMING you don’t have any other algae growing (which will skew your numbers posted). Cyano and dino doesn’t really skew them-in my experience they grow when I bottom out on N and P

I have some in the refugium but not thing large. Some hair and some chaeto. Hair on the back panel that’s hard to reach and scrape effectively

 

[ahiggins]

I agree with sixty but Im gonna tell you something. DONT chase a girl you dont know. Be patient. Nuisance algae will never give you a proper name or phone number. Thats up to you to find out.

Hahahaha nice analogy

 

[ahiggins]

Start by removing as much algae as possible by hand. Eyebrow brushes do wonder on hard to reach places. If your phosphates are still non detectable a few days later, dose phosphates. Then get a read on your nitrate without the uptake by hair algae.
why do you have chaeto and a fuge when you have no nitrate or phosphate? Did you have a ton and that helped. Might be worth while to pull it or take it offline for a bit when you fix your display.