Diatoms or Dinoflagellates?

[Andeyking]

As title.
What are these. Been persisting about a month.
Tanks been up for two months.
no3 - 5
po4 - 0.13

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!
Look like Dino

 

[mcarroll]

#chrysophytes I think.....or that plus dino's.

Nutrient levels don't suggest dino's tho.

Guessing this is mostly just a lack of CUC since the tank is only 2 months old yet somehow has had an algae problem for a month already.

What do you have in terms of livestock? (CUC, fish and corals....everything)

Did you start with live rock or dead rock?

 

[Andeyking]

Welcome to R2R!!
Look like Dino

Ah bugger. I figured as much.

 

[Andeyking]

#chrysophytes I think.....or that plus dino's.

Nutrient levels don't suggest dino's tho.

Guessing this is mostly just a lack of CUC since the tank is only 2 months old yet somehow has had an algae problem for a month already.

What do you have in terms of livestock? (CUC, fish and corals....everything)

Did you start with live rock or dead rock?

Tank is reefer 250 so 36"
Cuc is 3 hermits, about 7 trochus snails 1 big turbo, 2 strawberry conch
Livestock 1 sailfin, 2 clowns, 1 chaoti wrasse, 1 melanarus wrasse, 1 chalk goby and 1 red firefish.
Corals are a couple 1" acro frags 1 cyphastrea frag, 1 goni frag
Tank was started with a mix of marco rock and caribsea south sea rock. All dry.

 

[mcarroll]

Livestock 1 sailfin, 2 clowns, 1 chaoti wrasse, 1 melanarus wrasse, 1 chalk goby and 1 red firefish.

Wow – your tank is literally full within two months.

That's going to be hard to manage....and it might not get any easier from today since those fish are going to grow fast.

Starting with live rock would have been a HUGE bonus in your circumstance.

As it is, your rock is almost totally bare. This provides a nice white, almost-sterile, PO4-laden substrate for algae to settle on. Couldn't be more ideal for them.

Your CUC is OK in the mix you have (maybe cancel the hermits) but you probably need 2x or 3x more in numbers to patrol all that naked rock! I'd add 4-5 of whatever snails you like (go for variety AND numbers...favor smaller snails) ever few weeks until there's not much work left for you to do and they're doing almost all.

 

[Andeyking]

Wow – your tank is literally full within two months.

That's going to be hard to manage....and it might not get any easier from today since those fish are going to grow fast.

Starting with live rock would have been a HUGE bonus in your circumstance.

As it is, your rock is almost totally bare. This provides a nice white, almost-sterile, PO4-laden substrate for algae to settle on. Couldn't be more ideal for them.

Your CUC is OK in the mix you have (maybe cancel the hermits) but you probably need 2x or 3x more in numbers to patrol all that naked rock! I'd add 4-5 of whatever snails you like (go for variety AND numbers...favor smaller snails) ever few weeks until there's not much work left for you to do and they're doing almost all.

So you don't believe this is dino?
No3 and po4 haven't really changed in a long while. I've been managing that with chaeto.

 

[fishbox]

I'd say that without a microscope everyone is just guessing what it is. Get yourself a $25 microscope online with 1200 Zoom and figure out what it is exactly

 

[Andeyking]

I'd say that without a microscope everyone is just guessing what it is. Get yourself a $25 microscope online with 1200 Zoom and figure out what it is exactly

Is something like this sufficient

 

[zyer1090]

Dino will happen throughout your period of owning a tank it will come and go and can just show up out of the blue after years of having a mature tank. Where are you getting your water source from the facet or do you run it through a rodi unit?

 

[Andeyking]

Dino will happen throughout your period of owning a tank it will come and go and can just show up out of the blue after years of having a mature tank. Where are you getting your water source from the facet or do you run it through a rodi unit?

Water is RODI that I make myself. I don't have a tds meter on it.

 

[fishbox]

Is something like this sufficient

I can't speak on the one in the link but if it has a way to add drops of water onto a slide, I don't see why you can't make it work. This is what I got. It's a cheaply made kids toy but it does the trick AMSCOPE-KIDS Student Beginner Microscope With LED,100X/400X/1200X Magnification,Includes Accessory Set and Box-red https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071JQFXC4?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

 

[zyer1090]

Water is RODI that I make myself. I don't have a tds meter on it.

How are the filters on the RODI when were they last replaced? How long do you run your lights on a day? How's your flow? So many factors but that's the beauty of this hobby.

 

[Andeyking]

I can't speak on the one in the link but if it has a way to add drops of water onto a slide, I don't see why you can't make it work. This is what I got. It's a cheaply made kids toy but it does the trick AMSCOPE-KIDS Student Beginner Microscope With LED,100X/400X/1200X Magnification,Includes Accessory Set and Box-red https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071JQFXC4?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Perfect. There's an alternative on the UK Amazon that I ordered.

 

[Andeyking]

How are the filters on the RODI when were they last replaced? How long do you run your lights on a day? How's your flow? So many factors but that's the beauty of this hobby.

Unit was purchased second hand. It was running at 0 tds when I got it but the meter wasn't sold with it. Unit has made roughly 150L since purchasing.
Ironically thinking about it, the dinos did start once I swapped over to homemade water. It's difficult to make the connection though as the tank being new it could just have taken longer to arise.
I've sent off a ICP test of tank water and of RO
Lights are t5, 2 tubs from 11-23, all 8 tubs 1-9
Flow is a gyre copy. I do contemplate directing the flow at the rocks to prevent the dinos from forming.

 

[zyer1090]

Unit was purchased second hand. It was running at 0 tds when I got it but the meter wasn't sold with it. Unit has made roughly 150L since purchasing.
Ironically thinking about it, the dinos did start once I swapped over to homemade water. It's difficult to make the connection though as the tank being new it could just have taken longer to arise.
I've sent off a ICP test of tank water and of RO
Lights are t5, 2 tubs from 11-23, all 8 tubs 1-9
Flow is a gyre copy. I do contemplate directing the flow at the rocks to prevent the dinos from forming.

Personally I only run my lights total for 8 hours I have leds so I ramp them up than down back to moonlight and then off. Lets see what the test results return but I think it doesn't hurt to start by leaning off the light because 8 bulbs is over kill for that tank size. Also do you have a refugium if not you should start looking into one I like them over reactors and they have so many benefits that upkeep your tank.

 

[Andeyking]

I'll change the time period, see oif that makes much of a difference.
I do have a refugium, albeit only small as thats the only room I have. Currently have chaeto lit from 23-1300

 

[Andeyking]

Rubbish video I know but this is the best I can get with a cheap microscope.
Any chance of an ID?