Dinoflagellates? Please help!

[Reefer18]

Dinoflagellates or some other algae type? (Pics attached)

Tank Info:
30 gallon softie reef
5 months old
RO water
Salinity 1.025
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 1
Calcium 440
Alkalinity 8
Phosphate 0 (according to API) I plan on getting a more accurate kit for phosphates

 

[Big G]

Looks like it could be Calothrix. What kind of CUC do you have?

 

[Reefer18]

Looks like it could be Calothrix. What kind of CUC do you have?

Only a skunk cleaner and 1 margarita. I had some turbo snails but the shrimp decided to eat them. I’m ordering more CUC next week which will be 2 Mexican turbos, 3 astraea, 4 ceriths, 6 blue leg hermits, lawnmower blenny and a tuxedo urchin

 

[Big G]

New tank stuff. It will pass but in the meantime. It's a type of cyano that looks a lot like dino. You don't want to even think dino. So cyano eaters are good. Might want to consider adding a few nerites and maybe a fuzzy chilton. Only downside to the chiton is that it sometimes eats the good algae as well. In the meantime, a toothbrush with a net near by or a siphon hose to grab the algae as you remove it.

 

[Reefer18]

New tank stuff. It will pass but in the meantime. It's a type of cyano that looks a lot like dino. You don't want to even think dino. So cyano eaters are good. Might want to consider adding a few nerites and maybe a fuzzy chilton. Only downside to the chiton is that it sometimes eats the good algae as well. In the meantime, a toothbrush with a net near by or a siphon hose to grab the algae as you remove it.

Okay Thank You! I’ll definitely add some nerites too with my order.

 

[mcarroll]

5 months old
Nitrate 1
Phosphate 0

If you're doing anything beyond protein skimming to cause your "low nutrient situation" stop what you're doing. The tank is too new to be subjected to lots of nutrient export tools. Good algae and other beneficial critters also need those nutrients and are still struggling to get established in your tank.

Your pic kinda looks #chrysophyte-like to me. (click that tag) @reeferfoxx has lots of posts on the topic that will help too!!

If you can get a $10 toy microscope (see: Selecting a microscope) you could look at a sample and know almost for sure what it is. Highly recommended on general principle.....feels like a no-brainer at $10. Troubleshooting with a blindfold on is always harder!

TO me your pic looks like a very new tank that may or may not have GFO and carbon being used on it and which has the lights on but a CUC and coral load that's near-zero or zero.

If you don't have corals, I'd probably have the lights off. If you do, then you need a lot more snails.

Only a skunk cleaner and 1 margarita. I had some turbo snails but the shrimp decided to eat them. I’m ordering more CUC next week which will be 2 Mexican turbos, 3 astraea, 4 ceriths, 6 blue leg hermits, lawnmower blenny and a tuxedo urchin

First the snails died....possibly from toxins....possibly from starvation....or a combo....then the shrimp ate them. (Or the shrimp were starving....that could also motivate them.)

Tank is too small for an urchin.
Also too small for that blenny.
Turbo's are probably too big in the long run, but good to get things under control. (Don't let them starve later on by preventing GOOD ALGAE from growing in your tank – they need it.)
Leave the hermits off the order.

 

[Big G]

If you can get a $10 toy microscope (see: Selecting a microscope) you could look at a sample and know almost for sure what it is. Highly recommended on general principle.....feels like a no-brainer at $10. Troubleshooting with a blindfold on is always harder!

Thanks for posting that link. Been kicking around the idea of using a scope. Great thread with lots of discussion and info. Any thoughts on upgrading to a bit better scope or are you still happy with the little guy? Thanks.

 

[mcarroll]

Thanks for posting that link. Been kicking around the idea of using a scope. Great thread with lots of discussion and info. Any thoughts on upgrading to a bit better scope or are you still happy with the little guy? Thanks.

Definitely going to upgrade.....toy scopes are: wobbly since they're plastic and nothing fits together very tight, too light, have no 3d mechanical stage, and no fine focus ability.

Still not sure "how much" to upgrade though. (and I conveniently have no budget anyway )

$10 for a toy scope is still a great value – cuz it works!!

But you get a lot of scope for $50 as well....and it'll be at least partly made of metal!

But I'm still on the fence about many other features.....camera, other light options, bi-/tri-nocular capability, etc.

More practice!

I did get a pack of glass slides, cover slips and a small pack of concave glass slides to help out the experimentation. (The slides with coverslips really make a difference.)