Diatoms or hair?

[Cbones1979]

Think I knocked dinos out and now the below showed up.
Phosphates .10
Nitrates 10-20
Alk 9
Cal 420
Salinity 1.025

 

[Idoc]

It looks like your dinos may have come back again...but the dusting also looks like diatoms as well. If it's an established system, I would lean toward dinos...if its a new system, I'd lean towards diatoms. But, the best way to know for sure is to get a cheap microscope and take a look! A microscope has been one of the best purchases I've made for my tank.

 

[Cbones1979]

It looks like your dinos may have come back again...but the dusting also looks like diatoms as well. If it's an established system, I would lean toward dinos...if its a new system, I'd lean towards diatoms. But, the best way to know for sure is to get a cheap microscope and take a look! A microscope has been one of the best purchases I've made for my tank.

Somewhat established. Going on 2 years overall and 1 year on this tank. I’ll need to get one. Doing filter test now

 

[Idoc]

Somewhat established. Going on 2 years overall and 1 year on this tank. I’ll need to get one. Doing filter test now

If it is dinos, the microscope really helps to identify which type...which is crucial to determine a plan of action to remove them.

 

[Cbones1979]

Amazing how they ball together

 

[Cbones1979]

If it is dinos, the microscope really helps to identify which type...which is crucial to determine a plan of action to remove them.

It’s next on my list trust me. Just purchased a few other items to wanted to wait.

 

[Cbones1979]

Corals look great, sand not so much...day 2

phosphates .12
Nitrates 10

 

[Flippers4pups]

I would guess dinoflagellates as well.

Diatoms can happen in a established system. What's your source water?

 

[Cbones1979]

I would guess dinoflagellates as well.

Diatoms can happen in a established system. What's your source water?

I use distilled from grocery store. Been using same stuff for 2 years

 

[Cbones1979]

I use distilled from grocery store. Been using same stuff for 2 years

Ever since I added chaeto I noticed this issue

 

[Cbones1979]

Looks worse today. I’ve been dosing h2o2 at night and bact7 in the morn.

growing on glass now too

 

[Cbones1979]

UV light on the way

 

[Cbones1979]

 

[Cbones1979]

Help id ing?

 

[Cbones1979]

 

[Cbones1979]

 

[brian2kgt]

Hard to tell for sure from the pics and vids but they look like Ostreopsis Dinoflagellates to me. Do they kinda come to a point on one side and seem to spin around an anchor point? Check out this video...

 

[Cbones1979]

Hard to tell for sure from the pics and vids but they look like Ostreopsis Dinoflagellates to me. Do they kinda come to a point on one side and seem to spin around an anchor point? Check out this video...

Looks like them

 

[brian2kgt]

I just beat Ostreopsis in my 3 month old tank started with dry rock. My phosphate and nitrate were undetectable since the start and then they showed up. I beat them by doing the following...

1. Dosed and maintained PO4 to 0.1ppm and nitrate to 10ppm
2. Turned off the skimmer
3. Stopped water changes(I believe they can feed on trace elements added thru water changes)
4. Installed a UV
5. 48 hour blackout

Ostreopsis usually enter the water column at night, this is why UV is effective against them. I had some stubborn ones that would not leave my rocks and sand during the night using my regular lighting schedule. I have read of some other people that had this same problem with Ostreopsis. That is why I also did the blackout. After about 24 hours of darkness they all appeared to enter the water column, after 48 hours I turned my lights back on at a low intensity for a couple of hours a day for the first couple days after. Over about a week I slowly ramped my lights back up to the normal intensity and duration and I haven't seen them since.

 

[brian2kgt]

Here is a great PDF for Dino ID that I found here on R2R.