Dinos? Diatoms? Other? please help ID

[ReefLab]

I looked through all the threads I could and I still need your help

Tank has been set up about 8 months.
Salinity: 1.025
Alk: 6.94
Ca: 382
NO3: 2ppm
PO4: 0.00ppm

a note about PO4, I use the Hanna low range (not ultra low range) checker and I have been getting very high readings above .15ppm for the life of the tank. I just recently am getting low readings so I stopped GFO and cut back refugium light time.
The growth does not dissipate over night like what people say is typical of dinoflagellates. It also does not have and air bubbles. It does grow back very quickly (within a day) after the sand bed is clear. I know there is some green cyano in the tank but this is not very clear to me.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

 

[ReefLab]

I did the test where you put some into a cup and shake it up to see if it forms an aggregate and it did form an aggregate again, all floating on the top.

 

[ReefLab]

Bump

 

[ReefLab]

Bump

 

[JD2716]

I have the same thing going on right now. Any ideas?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Beginning of dino. Early stage, so you can beat it. Follow this 5 day formula. . . . .
Blow the matter loose with a turkey baster and either siphon or net the loose matter. Then turn off your white lights and keep blue very low so tank is almost dark.
Add at NIGHT 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for 5 days. During day, dose same 1ml of liquid bacteria such as Bacter 7. Do not add or feed coral foods as it is fuel for dino's. Siphon and loosen any of the dino and net or remove on day 3 and day 5.
Day 5 should be all gone. You can bring blues to 50% and whites to 10%. Gradually bring whites up every few days. Continue to dose peroxide at night for another 2 weeks BUT at .5ml per 10 gallons. You will beat the dino !!!

 

[bjc451]

Beginning of dino. Early stage, so you can beat it. Follow this 5 day formula. . . . .
Blow the matter loose with a turkey baster and either siphon or net the loose matter. Then turn off your white lights and keep blue very low so tank is almost dark.
Add at NIGHT 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for 5 days. During day, dose same 1ml of liquid bacteria such as Bacter 7. Do not add or feed coral foods as it is fuel for dino's. Siphon and loosen any of the dino and net or remove on day 3 and day 5.
Day 5 should be all gone. You can bring blues to 50% and whites to 10%. Gradually bring whites up every few days. Continue to dose peroxide at night for another 2 weeks BUT at .5ml per 10 gallons. You will beat the dino !!!

Should be a stickie

 

[ReefLab]

Beginning of dino. Early stage, so you can beat it. Follow this 5 day formula. . . . .
Blow the matter loose with a turkey baster and either siphon or net the loose matter. Then turn off your white lights and keep blue very low so tank is almost dark.
Add at NIGHT 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for 5 days. During day, dose same 1ml of liquid bacteria such as Bacter 7. Do not add or feed coral foods as it is fuel for dino's. Siphon and loosen any of the dino and net or remove on day 3 and day 5.
Day 5 should be all gone. You can bring blues to 50% and whites to 10%. Gradually bring whites up every few days. Continue to dose peroxide at night for another 2 weeks BUT at .5ml per 10 gallons. You will beat the dino !!!

Thank you for dropping by. I wonder if ill even be able to find hydrogen peroxide the way the stores are right now.. Would Vibrant be an okay option for bacteria?

Also, any opinion on the characteristics of this growth? (not dissipating at night and no air bubbles present)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you for dropping by. I wonder if ill even be able to find hydrogen peroxide the way the stores are right now.. Would Vibrant be an okay option for bacteria?

Also, any opinion on the characteristics of this growth? (not dissipating at night and no air bubbles present)

No vibrant which is for algae. Neighbor, someone must have it. I know my Walmart and grocery store both have it right now. Not dissipating at night because it has had light all day and air bubbles may not be present if you have good flow

 

[ReefLab]

No vibrant which is for algae. Neighbor, someone must have it. I know my Walmart and grocery store both have it right now. Not dissipating at night because it has had light all day and air bubbles may not be present if you have good flow

Found some H2O2 under the guest room sink still sealed! Just ordered some MicroBacter7. Any reason to not just kill the lights completely? The room my tank is in gets quite a bit of ambient sun light during the day

 

[vetteguy53081]

Found some H2O2 under the guest room sink still sealed! Just ordered some MicroBacter7. Any reason to not just kill the lights completely? The room my tank is in gets quite a bit of ambient sun light during the day

Killing lights completely would be Ideal. THE FORMULA I GAVE YOU WAS TO ALLOW ANY CORAL A LITTLE uv, BUT BLACKOUT IS BEST.

 

[ReefLab]

Killing lights completely would be Ideal. THE FORMULA I GAVE YOU WAS TO ALLOW ANY CORAL A LITTLE uv, BUT BLACKOUT IS BEST.

thank you!! I’ll update the thread in a week. Hopefully they’re gone!

 

[ReefLab]

Killing lights completely would be Ideal. THE FORMULA I GAVE YOU WAS TO ALLOW ANY CORAL A LITTLE uv, BUT BLACKOUT IS BEST.

The growth has definitely receded with dosing H2O2 and Bacter7. Ive dosed both for 6 days now at 1mL per 10gal and today I noticed my dwarf Cerith snails racing to get above the water line and I've lost one Nerite snail. The Cerith snails have not shown this behavior before so I'm considering to stop dosing H2O2. Any advice?

The Dino growth is still present and looks like it could be gone within a matter of days. I haven't manually removed any during this period and today im planning to siphon as much as I can in 5 gallons (105gallon system).

 

[vetteguy53081]

The growth has definitely receded with dosing H2O2 and Bacter7. Ive dosed both for 6 days now at 1mL per 10gal and today I noticed my dwarf Cerith snails racing to get above the water line and I've lost one Nerite snail. The Cerith snails have not shown this behavior before so I'm considering to stop dosing H2O2. Any advice?

The Dino growth is still present and looks like it could be gone within a matter of days. I haven't manually removed any during this period and today im planning to siphon as much as I can in 5 gallons (105gallon system).

present dino as it is diminishing could be releasing toxins. have you done a Nitrate and ammonia test?

 

[esther]

I noticed that when I dosed H2O2 my alkalinity skyrocketed. Maybe check that as well.

 

[ReefLab]

present dino as it is diminishing could be releasing toxins. have you done a Nitrate and ammonia test?

Nitrates undetectable as of last night. Dosed 1ppm using KNO3. Haven't done an NH4 test but ill do that tonight.

I noticed that when I dosed H2O2 my alkalinity skyrocketed. Maybe check that as well.

I did notice about a .5dKH increase last night. I assumed it was because lights have been off but I did not change my dosing schedule from with Triton as I wanted my levels a bit higher anyways.

 

[ReefLab]

@vetteguy53081 Ah man. NH4 read at .2 with Red Sea test kit. Alk stable. NO3 up to 10ppm from 0. PO4 up to 0.06 from 0.00.
I stirred up the sand bed quite bit today, blew off all the rocks and cleaned out my refugium. Added a baffle in the sump for some mechanical filtration to try and get some of the crap out of the water that I blew out. Ended up changing about 15 gallons (15% roughly). Do I do another big water change or just let the tank go through a mini cycle?

 

[vetteguy53081]

@vetteguy53081 Ah man. NH4 read at .2 with Red Sea test kit. Alk stable. NO3 up to 10ppm from 0. PO4 up to 0.06 from 0.00.
I stirred up the sand bed quite bit today, blew off all the rocks and cleaned out my refugium. Added a baffle in the sump for some mechanical filtration to try and get some of the crap out of the water that I blew out. Ended up changing about 15 gallons (15% roughly). Do I do another big water change or just let the tank go through a mini cycle?

One more should calm tank down

 

[ReefLab]

To update the thread, I've been continuing the 1mL/10gallons H2O2 at night and 1mL/10gallons Microbacter7 in the morning. Ive also been dosing about .2ppm silicate everyday the past 4 days and feeding heavier to elevate NO3 and PO4.

Corals surprisingly look better than they ever have (heavy feeding?). Sand bed doesn't look great, but better. More Cyano growing on the rocks now. Rocks have much less growth..

Going to siphon the sand bed tomorrow and hopefully they don't grow back!

 

[Robert Binz]

Beginning of dino. Early stage, so you can beat it. Follow this 5 day formula. . . . .
Blow the matter loose with a turkey baster and either siphon or net the loose matter. Then turn off your white lights and keep blue very low so tank is almost dark.
Add at NIGHT 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for 5 days. During day, dose same 1ml of liquid bacteria such as Bacter 7. Do not add or feed coral foods as it is fuel for dino's. Siphon and loosen any of the dino and net or remove on day 3 and day 5.
Day 5 should be all gone. You can bring blues to 50% and whites to 10%. Gradually bring whites up every few days. Continue to dose peroxide at night for another 2 weeks BUT at .5ml per 10 gallons. You will beat the dino !!!

Definitely not dino. I always have things stuff during a cycle and it’s either brown Cyano or slimy diatom