Algae infested test tank - glucose + vinegar experiment

[Miami Reef]

Day 9

I did my first 10% water change to this tank.

This tank looks uglyyyy, but it’s a battleground. I can see all these different types of algaes trying to stake their territory. They all want to win.

It appears the diatoms vanished a long time ago. Diatoms are very good fighters, but they need silica, which is their weakness. I will not dose silica, but I’m pretty confident that if I do, the victory winner would be the diatoms.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Day 9

I did my first 10% water change to this tank.

This tank looks uglyyyy, but it’s a battleground. I can see all these different types of algaes trying to stake their territory. They all want to win.

It appears the diatoms vanished a long time ago. Diatoms are very good fighters, but they need silica, which is their weakness. I will not dose silica, but I’m pretty confident that if I do, the victory winner would be the diatoms.

Are you planning on doing another slide soon? From looking at your first pic and the last one it looks that Cyanobacteria may be winning at the moment (bottom right of the tank in the sand), looking at how the flow is in the tank this could be where organic matter builds up also.

 

[Miami Reef]

Day 11

I did NOT add this limpit. It originally came to my display tank with the KP rocks I added, and I think they like to breed.

I saw baby trochus in this test tank before I made this experiment, but now I see this guy. Looks like he’s eating the ostreopsis. Interesting.

The dinos look pretty bad/ugly. They are starting to look stringy.

Looks like the limpit hitchhiked to the heater (the heater swings and touches the glass)

 

[Miami Reef]

I should probably microscope the dinos now. I had ostreopsis in my display on certain areas and they did not leave at night, and I don’t see them leaving at night in this test tank either.

 

[Garf]

I should probably microscope the dinos now. I had ostreopsis in my display on certain areas and they did not leave at night, and I don’t see them leaving at night in this test tank either.

Way back, I convinced myself Asterina stars ate this stuff. Otherwise, why do they exist?

 

[Miami Reef]

Way back, I convinced myself Asterina stars ate this stuff. Otherwise, why do they exist?

Do you still believe asterina stars eat them?

 

[TokenReefer]

Day 11

I did NOT add this limpit. It originally came to my display tank with the KP rocks I added, and I think they like to breed.

I saw baby trochus in this test tank before I made this experiment, but now I see this guy. Looks like he’s eating the ostreopsis. Interesting.

The dinos look pretty bad/ugly. They are starting to look stringy.

Looks like the limpit hitchhiked to the heater (the heater swings and touches the glass)

This is interesting. I have these limpets multiplying in my sump but I've yet to see one in my DT and I have some dinos on my sandbed... Where are my big tweezers....

 

[Garf]

Do you still believe asterina stars eat them?

B.S. - Page 3

Todays the day I start my Bacterial Scrubber. Gonna be simple to get experiment going; 1) clean skimmer and pump with HCL. 2) rough up screen in form it into a cylinder, to go neatly into the skimmer body. Perhaps heat it to form shape. 3) fix my air pump to the DIY co2 generator and feed...

algaescrubber.net

 

[Miami Reef]

MAJOR UPDATE guys! I need to tag @taricha

So, I found out that my RO/DI was adding phosphates to my water. That’s why phosphates started climbing (last time I checked it was 0.03ppm)

Guess what? Basically all the dinos left. It’s not ostreopsis. And I “beat” it without using a UV!

Wanna know what this is?


CHRYSOPHYTES!!!!

Of course, there are very few dinos in the mix. I microscoped a few different places all around the tank (front and back glass). There are very few Dinos, but some are still there.

Did you guys realize how similar Dinos and chrysos look? They look the SAME!

In addition, I see a lot of white stuff on the front glass. It is either dying algae, bacteria, or both.



My intrusive thoughts are telling me to add GFO to strip this tank to 0.00ppm to see if the dinos will come back.

What do you think, @taricha?

@Garf the limpet was eating chrysos lol.

 

[TokenReefer]

How are you determining it to be one thing? There are multiple things in those slides...no?

 

[Miami Reef]

How are you determining it to be one thing? There are multiple things in those slides...no?

Yes, of course. But I think the chrysophytes are dominating.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Sorry if I don’t share the enthusiasm, I just see a nuisances being replace by another nuisance which is expected to happen here (as they feed on the same macro nutrients) many aquarists experience this. The water change could have added more macro nutrients like (K) and micro nutrients like (fe) that would have been helpful at allowing this one to dominate.

 

[Dan_P]

Parameters:

Temperature: 79.5F
Salinity: 1.025 (refractometer)
nitrate: 3.5ppm (Hannah HR)
phosphates: 0.01ppm

The visual appearance and photomicrographs of your large scale and my very small scale experiments have some similarities.

Two observations

1) only a month is required to make a mess but it also requires some non-intervention, i.e., neglect

2) this ecosystem is doing quite well with the current concentration of nitrate and phosphate.

Prediction. The trajectory of the ecosystem population at this density of organisms and possibly diminishing nitrate and phosphate concentrations (I don’t know what your plans are to maintain these concentrations) with no additions, this mess could move towards a brown ecosystem: weak green growth, heavy dinogflagellate and cyanobacteria growth. With a heavy enough growth it will develop a distinct aroma. Adding carbon without nitrogen and phosphate additions????

 

[Miami Reef]

The visual appearance and photomicrographs of your large scale and my very small scale experiments have some similarities.

Two observations

1) only a month is required to make a mess but it also requires some non-intervention, i.e., neglect

2) this ecosystem is doing quite well with the current concentration of nitrate and phosphate.

Prediction. The trajectory of the ecosystem population at this density of organisms and possibly diminishing nitrate and phosphate concentrations (I don’t know what your plans are to maintain these concentrations) with no additions, this mess could move towards a brown ecosystem: weak green growth, heavy dinogflagellate and cyanobacteria growth. With a heavy enough growth it will develop a distinct aroma. Adding carbon without nitrogen and phosphate additions????

I believe phosphates are currently around 0.03ppm.

Nitrates were 0ppm, but I have a halloween crab that I feed a few pellets a day.

Sorry if I don’t share the enthusiasm, I just see a nuisances being replace by another nuisance which is expected to happen here (as they feed on the same macro nutrients) many aquarists experience this. The water change could have added more macro nutrients like (K) and micro nutrients like (fe) that would have been helpful at allowing this one to dominate.

I think chrysophytes dominated before the water change.
I’m enthusiastic because I’m interested in seeing the characteristics of chrysophytes. I want to learn about them.

 

[TokenReefer]

It seems, to my untrained eye, there are multiple organisms still present. I'm interested in who lasts the longest. Have a feeling it will be dinos but I know nothing about chrysophytes to be fair

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I believe phosphates are currently around 0.03ppm.

Nitrates were 0ppm, but I have a halloween crab that I feed a few pellets a day.


I think chrysophytes dominated before the water change.
I’m enthusiastic because I’m interested in seeing the characteristics of chrysophytes. I want to learn about them.

They are terrible, and they stink! I would walk in my house and it would smell like low tide at the dirtiest beach. I've had chrysophytes in my display a few times, the last time I had them I want to say it was from 0/0np and overdosing ab+ but I don't know that to be the case.

Your right they do look like dinos, small gold round balls, but with no movement . When they take over in more numbers than most other algaes in the tank they will actually get long "snotty" strands and look allot like dino and they are probably more popular than we know, and just get misidentified.

Good luck with your experiment Dr.

 

[Miami Reef]

They are terrible, and they stink! I would walk in my house and it would smell like low tide at the dirtiest beach. I've had chrysophytes in my display a few times, the last time I had them I want to say it was from 0/0np and overdosing ab+ but I don't know that to be the case.

Your right they do look like dinos, small gold round balls, but with no movement . When they take over in more numbers than most other algaes in the tank they will actually get long "snotty" strands and look allot like dino and they are probably more popular than we know, and just get misidentified.

Good luck with your experiment Dr.

Thank you!

I am not anywhere near a doctor. People around me say I should’ve been a scientist though. I do like science a lot.


I’m thinking of testing the parameters, scraping all the glass, and siphon out the junk/change out the filter pad.

I want to see what will grow with new territory.

Edit: just tested this:

PO4: 0.04ppm
Nitrate: 0.0

Look at the filter floss:

 

[Miami Reef]

Alright guys. I did a deep clean. This is exactly what I did:

I scraped the glass of the tank
stirred the sand
I siphoned the tank into a bucket through 1 micron filter socks (yes, 1 micron)
Added the same water back into tank (no water change)
cleaned powerhead under sink
changed HOB filter + added activated carbon.

I will leave the tank alone and see what decides to pop up.

I plan to add ammonia dosing in a few days if nitrates decides to stay at 0.00ppm

 

[Miami Reef]

 

[TokenReefer]

Alright guys. I did a deep clean. This is exactly what I did:

I scraped the glass of the tank
stirred the sand
I siphoned the tank into a bucket through 1 micron filter socks (yes, 1 micron)
Added the same water back into tank (no water change)
cleaned powerhead under sink
changed HOB filter + added activated carbon.

I will leave the tank alone and see what decides to pop up.

I plan to add ammonia dosing in a few days if nitrates decides to stay at 0.00ppm

And you're continuing to feed the one crab? Just so I'm following...