Dinoflagellates and pH

backwoodssteve · Jan 12, 2015

Has anybody who has had dinoflagellates noticed a pH drop to 7.5 to 7.8 with the outbreak. If so will it correct itself after I deal with the outbreak. will the lower pH be detrimental to my corals and fish. I have attempted to raise the pH during this outbreak with a buffer but it is also raising my alkalinity. I attempted dosing hydrogen peroxide at 1 mil per 10 gallons of tank water for a week with my lights cut back to 5 hours. That slowed it down but did not stop it. I have since purchased a product called ultra algae X buy fauna Marin . am now hoping that will work.

Ddavis · Jan 12, 2015

Where is the rest of your chemistry - alk, cal, mag, nitrate and phosphate? How old is the tank? If it is Dino has something changed recently like the removal or addition of fish?

backwoodssteve · Jan 12, 2015

The tank is approximately 6 months old before the outbreak of dino all levels were perfect. Now with the outbreak not knowing what I was dealing with first I was dosing a alkalinity and pH buffer did Ryan bring the pH of which raise my alkalinity then I saw my calcium going up then I saw the outbreak of dino. Now since all that has happened I have shut my calcium reactor off and stop dosing the buffer and my levels are calcium 500 mph 76 phosphate normal magnesium normal nitrates 0 alkalinity 14 . How is dosing with the buffer for the pH before I realize I had dino and thought I had a water issue I believe the Dino came on some live rock I got with some corals and sponges.

backwoodssteve · Jan 12, 2015

phosphate and magnesium I have tested at the fish store

Ddavis · Jan 12, 2015

First I would focus on getting your parameters balanced where they should be. This article will tell you the proper levels: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

Stop chasing PH it will not help. Your Alk and Calcium are high so let them drop with the corals that are in your tank and your weekly water changes. There is a method of eliminating these by raising PH to 8.6 but I would suggest that things should be in balance before you try that method and you should be testing for cal, alk and mag as you go.

I would suggest getting a test kit and test for nitrates and phosphates in your water. That is most likely the problem. Adding things like Algae X or peroxide will not fix the problem until you find the source. Lights out will help but if the problem is still there when the lights come back on it will come back. What is the TDS of your RODI water? Randy also seems to recommend carbon. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php#11

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 13, 2015

If the pH really was 7.5, that would be a concern, but it may just be testing error.

I've not heard if dinos reducing pH, but raising pH with limewater (not a buffer) is one if the potential treatments for dinos.

backwoodssteve · Jan 13, 2015

I tested with both a blue lab pH meter and my regular API testing kit then took it to the fish store for confirmation. I first attempted to fix the problem with kalkwasser then I got the bright well buffer.kalkwasser didn't seem to have any affect on the dino's but it did raise my alkalinity.I was reading that dinos thrive in a lower pH and use oxygen in reproduction. lack of oxygen in my water would raise co2 levels which in turn would raise my alkalinity and lower my ph?so I put an air stone in my sump.which I was pulling air from outside the cabinet and then the airline from my protein skimmer. I also pulled out side the cabinet to a window with a small HEPA filter on it.all my parameters were perfect until I had a bloom of dinos. pH then crashed through dosing products to fix my ph. I raised my alkalinity and calcium. I have done water changes the first one right when I saw the bad pH then another one two weeks later 50 gallons each time.150 gallon tank .I read a lot about the algae X it seems like a good product with reduction of my lights. I also shut my calcium reactor off during this.but have continued dosing aqua medic plancto and Brightwell my co bacter 7.

Robthorn · Jan 13, 2015

Open a window or two. Your ph should go up.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 13, 2015

backwoodssteve said:
I tested with both a blue lab pH meter and my regular API testing kit then took it to the fish store for confirmation. I first attempted to fix the problem with kalkwasser then I got the bright well buffer.kalkwasser didn't seem to have any affect on the dino's but it did raise my alkalinity.I was reading that dinos thrive in a lower pH and use oxygen in reproduction. lack of oxygen in my water would raise co2 levels which in turn would raise my alkalinity and lower my ph?.

That's partly true.

Limewater raises pH more than a buffer per unit of alkalinity added, but it does add alkalinity.

Higher pH reduces the available CO2 (not O2), and it is the limited CO2 that is hypothesized to be the reason that high pH can deter dinos. Like many photosynthetic organisms, they need CO2 to grow, so high pH limits their growth.

Lack of O2 doesn't impact pH one way or the other.