Dino ID. Looks like Amphidinium

[Ziggy17]

Hi all, been battling these guys for awhile.

water

Nitrate- 10-15
Phos .03-.09
Temp 78.5
PH 8.15- 8.3
Salinity 34 ppt
Alk 8.3
Calc 400
Mag 1380

l

Tank is about 7 months old. these popped up during my dry rock cycle. Thought they were diatoms but they never went away. Grabbed a scope, and sure enough, Dinos. My phos was at zero and nitrate was low. I’ve since corrected that and I’ve been manually siphoning these out, recently as often as daily using A 5 micron sock in the sump and running the water back into the system with that. Skimmer is on 24/7. just want to confirm these are what I think they are and I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing until something else can outcompete these guys. I also have a healthy population of pods in there and I does phyto every second day to feed the pods.


Thanks.

zig.

 

[boacvh]

Dosing silicates helped me with those. . Worst case scenario you just end up in the same place a few weeks later. But it worked for me. Just know it gets worse before it gets better, need lots of patience. Good luck!

 

[Ziggy17]

So you think it’s large cell as well? I’ve read about silicates as well. I’m hoping the diatoms start to outcompete the DinoS over time…

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all, been battling these guys for awhile.

water

Nitrate- 10-15
Phos .03-.09
Temp 78.5
PH 8.15- 8.3
Salinity 34 ppt
Alk 8.3
Calc 400
Mag 1380

l

Tank is about 7 months old. these popped up during my dry rock cycle. Thought they were diatoms but they never went away. Grabbed a scope, and sure enough, Dinos. My phos was at zero and nitrate was low. I’ve since corrected that and I’ve been manually siphoning these out, recently as often as daily using A 5 micron sock in the sump and running the water back into the system with that. Skimmer is on 24/7. just want to confirm these are what I think they are and I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing until something else can outcompete these guys. I also have a healthy population of pods in there and I does phyto every second day to feed the pods.


Thanks.

zig.

These look like procentrum which colonize quickly. Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which works as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

 

[Uncle99]

I’d say your doing the correct things, but, if phosphate is 0.03ppm, I’d bump that to .1ppm to ensure no testing error, and dose bacteria and phyto daily.

 

[thedon986]

So you think it’s large cell as well? I’ve read about silicates as well. I’m hoping the diatoms start to outcompete the DinoS over time…

They will eventually; beware if you are using GFO it will absorb the silicates. Some other things might as well so be sure to check.

 

[Ziggy17]

These look like procentrum which colonize quickly. Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which works as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

I actually did that protocol at the end of July and they came back. Took a few weeks, but they eventually came back.

 

[Ziggy17]

They will eventually; beware if you are using GFO it will absorb the silicates. Some other things might as well so be sure to check.

I don’t use any nutrient scrubbing media. Just 2 filter socks and a protein skimmer In the sump.

 

[Lavey29]

I actually did that protocol at the end of July and they came back. Took a few weeks, but they eventually came back.

That's because you didn't address the problem that caused them in the first place.

 

[Ziggy17]

I’d say you’re doing the correct things, but, if phosphate is 0.03ppm, I’d bump that to .1ppm to ensure no testing error, and dose bacteria and phyto daily.

I agree, however I see that swing almost every other day. Some days it’s .09 others it goes down to .03. I test every morning at 7am with a Hanna checker. I think the swings are related to my phyto dosing regiment.
I should add that I’ve been dosing microbacter7 for 2 months daily. 15 mls per dose. I’ve also dosed Dr Tim’s one and only to establish various bacteria To the system.

 

[Ziggy17]

That's because you didn't address the problem that caused them in the first place.

How so?

 

[Lavey29]

How so?

Well for instance, in your phosphate range you show .03 on the low side. Given the margin for error with our testing equipment your phosphate could actually be 0.00 which in and of itself can lead to dino problems.

 

[Ziggy17]

Well for instance, in your phosphate range you show .03 on the low side. Given the margin for error with our testing equipment your phosphate could actually be 0.00 which in and of itself can lead to dino problems.

I agree about the MFE with test kits. Hanna seems to be one of the better ones, which is what I use for phos.
I have no problems running a bit higher, but I’m trying to straddle the line of getting rid of them, and not having such high nutrients that I end up with new nutrient related issues.

 

[Lavey29]

I agree about the MFE with test kits. Hanna seems to be one of the better ones, which is what I use for phos.
I have no problems running a bit higher, but I’m trying to straddle the line of getting rid of them, and not having such high nutrients that I end up with new nutrient related issues.

Yes the balance is tricky. My phosphate sits routinely at .2 to .3 so you will have no issues at .1 to .15 to help keep dinos at bay.

 

[Ziggy17]

Yes the balance is tricky. My phosphate sits routinely at .2 to .3 so you will have no issues at .1 to .15 to help keep dinos at bay.

That’s encouraging to know. I’ll bump it up with neophos. That way my tank won’t become a sewer with sky high nitrates.

 

[Ziggy17]

I should also add that I just scraped off some of the brown on the back glass and saw 98% diatoms to 2% dinos. So not sure why the diatoms won’t travel down to the sand bed and out compete the DinoS there. ‍

 

[Lavey29]

That’s encouraging to know. I’ll bump it up with neophos. That way my tank won’t become a sewer with sky high nitrates.

I keep nitrates 10 to 20

 

[vetteguy53081]

I actually did that protocol at the end of July and they came back. Took a few weeks, but they eventually came back.

Did you do complete blackout ? did you clean filters daily and empty skimmer cup?

 

[Lavey29]

I should also add that I just scraped off some of the brown on the back glass and saw 98% diatoms to 2% dinos. So not sure why the diatoms won’t travel down to the sand bed and out compete the DinoS there. ‍

These are not overnight battle. Think weeks or couple months to resolve.

 

[Ziggy17]

Did you do complete blackout ? did you clean filters daily and empty skimmer cup?

I turned off the skimmer for the first 4 days and ran an air pump into the return to pump O2 in the tank during those days. Basically an O2 scrub during the first 4. Indeed changed out the socks every day but later read that a 200 micron sock won’t pick them out of the water. Which is why I went out and bought a 5 micron sock for the siphon removal. And my Dinos stay off the rocks and glass and stay on the sand bed.