Common /Non-toxic Dinoflagellates & Diatoms?

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Hey everyone, bit of an odd question today, but does anyone know any commonly consumed (be it by fish or inverts) non-toxin producing dinoflagellates or diatoms? From my understanding the species Pyrocystis fusiformis and P. lunula are non-toxic dinoflagellates, but I’m hoping to find some more (and some diatoms too).

I was reading up on mole crabs/sand fleas (Emerita genus) and found that they largely eat (according to a number of different articles) dinoflagellates and diatoms (of course, none of the articles specify which dinos or diatoms). Knowing that many of these creatures are planktonic, it would make sense to me if a lot of other animals consume them too, but I can’t seem to find the names of any commonly eaten species (in fact, just about the only species that pull up when I search are the more dangerous, toxic ones).

Edit: I have no idea why this posted when it did, as I was still typing - my apologies.

Anyway, TLDR; does anyone know any non-toxic, preferably commonly eaten dinos/diatoms species? Also, would any of these dinoflagellates or diatoms bring any nutritional benefit to plankton-eating specimens in an aquarium (be they fish, inverts, corals, or etc.) if fed supplementarily?

 

[damsels are not mean]

Thalassiosira weissflogii is a type of diatom apparently used for some crustacean larvae, reed mariculture sells starter bottles. I am not sure if such things would be any more beneficial to corals than the more popular phytoplankton that a lot of people do in greenwater bottles though. The reason these are fed to shrimp larvae according to their site is that they allow you to feed algae to the larvae longer than you would with something like tetraselmis. There is no mention of nutritional advantage so I suspect the difference is not much to corals.

Dinoflagellates on the other hand are a very diverse group. The word itself usually is meant as the couple of pest slimes that take over tanks under certain conditions. But marine velvet is also a dinoflagellate and on the opposite end of the spectrum the "zooxanthellae" that allow our corals to photosynthesize are also dinoflagellates. It could be beneficial for corals to ingest and incorporate new strains of zooxanthellae and I think i remember reading somewhere (this is about as suspicious as a citation can get) that corallivorous fish actually play an important part in spreading various strains of them to different corals and helping to optimize these zooxanthellae over time. I am sure there are some kinds of pelagic dinos that corals consume as food in the wild but it's hard to say whether it's worth trying to replicate that specific prey item in captivity.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Bump to see if anyone knows any other dino or diatom species that would fit the bill.

 

[fryman]

As damsel said Thalassiosira is a diatom and good feed option for many filter feeding organisms. It is very nutritious supposed to be especially good for bivalve culture but I've used it in a mix for copepods and even brine shrimp.

Thal doesn't grow well in a normal bioreactor, but is easy to culture in a simple glass beaker. I've used 4L erlenmeyer flasks with f2 fertilizer on 12 to 16hr light schedule. No agitation/aeration is needed, although I would swirl the flasks every day or so. You should also add silica (water glass, very cheap) to the culture cause diatoms need silica and normal f2 doesn't have silica.

I got a starter culture from carolina.com

I don't know of any dinos used in aquaculture.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Thalassiosira weissflogii (Unflagellated Diatom :: 5 – 32 microns)- As @fryman mentioned, Thal is a beneficial diatom that consumes silicates, restricting the growth of harmful dinoflagellates and silicates. Another benefit is that cycle time is reduced by adding Thal to your tank!- Raven

 

[Karen00]

I have nothing to add other than this is an interesting thread. I'm glad I found it.

 

[Karen00]

I just read a science paper on culturing pods and they mentioned using the diatoms Phaeodactylon tricornutum and Thalassiosira fluviatilis. These were used in a lab so I don't know how readily available they are. I'm going to start looking into all the ones mentioned here.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I just read a science paper on culturing pods and they mentioned using the diatoms Phaeodactylon tricornutum and Thalassiosira fluviatilis. These were used in a lab so I don't know how readily available they are. I'm going to start looking into all the ones mentioned here.

Thank you! Just found them available at UTEX:

UTEX 646 Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Algae Details | UTEX Number: 646 | Class: Bacillariophyceae | Strain: Phaeodactylum tricornutum | Media: F/2 Medium | Origin: Segelskí_r, Finland | Type Culture: No | Isolation: M.R. Droop (1951) | Deposition: CCAP (3/55) | Relatives: ?UTEX 2089; CCAP 1052/6 aka SMBA 14 [?Millport 14]; SAG...

utex.org

The culture costs a pretty penny, but it is hard to find.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Also, Thalassiosira fluviatilis is apparently considered a synonym for Thalassiosira weissflogii.

 

[Reef Puncher]

Thank you! Just found them available at UTEX:

UTEX 646 Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Algae Details | UTEX Number: 646 | Class: Bacillariophyceae | Strain: Phaeodactylum tricornutum | Media: F/2 Medium | Origin: Segelskí_r, Finland | Type Culture: No | Isolation: M.R. Droop (1951) | Deposition: CCAP (3/55) | Relatives: ?UTEX 2089; CCAP 1052/6 aka SMBA 14 [?Millport 14]; SAG...

utex.org

The culture costs a pretty penny, but it is hard to find.

bull dawg reef sells it cheap. i buy that and there diatom mix phyto to help combat dinos