Dinos AGAIN... this time with elevated nutrients??

[JosephM]

I just got over my Dino outbreak a couple weeks ago and it looks like I have some popping up again. My nitrates are ~25ppm and phosphates 0.1ppm. It looks like Dinos but when I check under a microscope I didn’t see any movement like I did when I had ostreopsis Dinos. But again it’s a cheap microscope that’s hard to get a good look. It’s popping up in a few places. Could explain why my corals aren’t as happy again. Any ideas what this could be if it’s not Dinos?

 

[Spare time]

One other way I found dinos to come about is disturbing the biofilter or removing rock.

Not saying that is the case here but it's one other way.

 

[Spare time]

Since you have elevated waste, have you considered dosing competition? Something like waste away, pns probio, or microbacter clean may be useful

 

[JosephM]

One other way I found dinos to come about is disturbing the biofilter or removing rock.

Not saying that is the case here but it's one other way.

The only way I’ve disturbed it is by adding more bio-filtration

Since you have elevated waste, have you considered dosing competition? Something like waste away, pns probio, or microbacter clean may be useful

I’ve been dosing leftover MB7 since my last fight of Dinos. Just squirt some in about every other night or when I remember

 

[zoaprince]

can it be cyano? mind posting an image of what they look like under a microscope?

 

[JosephM]

can it be cyano? mind posting an image of what they look like under a microscope?

I’ll try and get a pic tomorrow. Still got about an hr and a half of work then I gotta do hw when I get home

 

[thedon986]

With nutrients that high you could definitely dose competition and knock out two birds with one stone. Just don’t bottom out. I don’t think to beat dinos you don’t need very elevated nutrients, just consistently not zero. Some options would be phyto, bacteria like microbacter7, silica, or even light carbon dosing. I have used all of these in my fight against dinos. I think phyto has been the best for my amphidinium dinos.

 

[JosephM]

With nutrients that high you could definitely dose competition and knock out two birds with one stone. Just don’t bottom out. I don’t think to beat dinos you don’t need very elevated nutrients, just consistently not zero. Some options would be phyto, bacteria like microbacter7, silica, or even light carbon dosing. I have used all of these in my fight against dinos. I think phyto has been the best for my amphidinium dinos.

I dose phyto everyday and MB7 occasionally. I have silicates I use to culture diatoms, how much silica should I dose into my reef?

 

[JosephM]

There is zero movement and they’re tiny cells. Even 1200x magnification can’t pick up their cell shape. Here’s the best pics I could get. First and third are at 1200x second is 400x

 

[saltyhog]

Not dinos, looks like chrysophytes.

 

[thedon986]

I dose phyto everyday and MB7 occasionally. I have silicates I use to culture diatoms, how much silica should I dose into my reef?

Enough to force a diatom bloom. I was dosing water glass, so a high concentration but unknown % for the one I bought, at 80 drops a day for a 70 gallon and had no adverse side effects.

 

[JosephM]

Not dinos, looks like chrysophytes.

Never heard of that one. Is it bacterial? What causes it and how do solve it?

Enough to force a diatom bloom. I was dosing water glass, so a high concentration but unknown % for the one I bought, at 80 drops a day for a 70 gallon and had no adverse side effects.

You know, Ive never had a diatom bloom. Would be interesting to experience it lol.

 

[thedon986]

Never heard of that one. Is it bacterial? What causes it and how do solve it?

You know, Ive never had a diatom bloom. Would be interesting to experience it lol.

Even dosing that much silica I never saw a bloom by eye, but could see them under the microscope and they let off lots of bubbles. Kind of like freshwater plants and how they “pearl”.

 

[JosephM]

Even dosing that much silica I never saw a bloom by eye, but could see them under the microscope and they let off lots of bubbles. Kind of like freshwater plants and how they “pearl”.

Where can I buy silica? I only have like 6oz since culturing diatoms doesn’t take a lot and I don’t wanna use it all on my tank and have none left for culturing

 

[thedon986]

Amazon or maybe a local lab suppliers for water glass. Also brightwell SpongeExcel is silica but a diluted concentration and also more expensive than water glass. I got sodium silicate from a local pottery supplier. Worked well but unknown concentration.

 

[JosephM]

Amazon or maybe a local lab suppliers for water glass. Also brightwell SpongeExcel is silica but a diluted concentration and also more expensive than water glass. I got sodium silicate from a local pottery supplier. Worked well but unknown concentration.

I’ll look into it, thank you!