I found a prorocentrum predator!

[Alexraptor]

Been fighting a dino outbreak for a while, and I collected a sample from the sandbed today and discovered Ostracods gobbling up Prorocentrum dinoflagellates, like popcorn!

First time i've run across them in this tank, but since the start of the outbreak I did actually get a new coral as well as transferred over a stone that had been exposed to a new shipment of Live Rock. Question is, will it be enough? Will the ostracods be able to gobble up all the dinos if I can keep my nutrient parameters up/stable?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@Subsea , thought you might be interested in this...

 

[Subsea]

Been fighting a dino outbreak for a while, and I collected a sample from the sandbed today and discovered Ostracods gobbling up Prorocentrum dinoflagellates, like popcorn!

First time i've run across them in this tank, but since the start of the outbreak I did actually get a new coral as well as transferred over a stone that had been exposed to a new shipment of Live Rock. Question is, will it be enough? Will the ostracods be able to gobble up all the dinos if I can keep my nutrient parameters up/stable?

Kudos to this post. In Nature, over geologic time every organic organism has it’s on predator. Even dinoflagellates.

Dinoflagellate

ocean.si.edu

“Dinoflagellates are an important group of phytoplankton that produce oxygen in marine and freshwater. Some species form symbiotic relationships with larger animals, including corals (zooxanthellae), jellyfish, sea anemones, nudibranchs and others. Sometimes dinoflagellates grow out of control, to more than a million cells per milliliter, causing an algae bloom or red tide. Because some dinoflagellates produce toxins, when there are too many in the water, they can creep up the food chain, killing animals and making people sick. Learn more about red tides.”