I think I have a dinoflagellate problem

[b4tn]

I'm a little frustrated because I really feel like I have been doing everything right and I end up with one of the hardest issues to resolve. But here goes. They have been slowly taking over my 2" sandbed for a couple weeks now and are just getting worse by the day. I originally thought that since the reef is only 5 months old it was just a diatom bloom until all my sand dwelling snails have started dying. Over the course of the day bloom develop bubbles. Most of the bubbles go away with lights off but I still get little pillars of brown slime topped with a bubble both Lights off and on. Here are some pictures as well as my phone will take.

All my corals are very colorful, happy, growing, and even my single monti and flower pot is growing. My fish are acting very healthy, eating well, and my cleaner shrimp is active and molts every few weeks. Coralline just started growing and has taken over my power heads and is spreading on the rocks.

I am running rox Carbon in a reactor 24/7, I have an algae scrubber running 24/7 with lights on for 9 hours in a reverse cycle. Skimmer is a reef octo 150 and runs 24/7. I am using 2 ocean revive T247's. Blues are 65 and whites are 45. Blues are on for 9 hours whites are on for 8.

Here are my parameters measured just now.
Standard 75 gallon 40 gallon sump Using Reef crystals and

BRS 4 stage RODI TDI meter
TDS in 5 out is 0

Refractometer
1.026

RedSea test kit
Phosphate 0
Calcium 420
Alk 9
Magnesium 1340
(I dose 10 ml each of calc and alk daily)

API
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
PH 8.1 (also tested with a lab grade probe)

I did have a lot of this same slimy brown algae in my sump. But I started vacuuming it out. I should have just left it. I have been researching and have seen everything from blackouts to PH increase. Should I just do nothing and hope it passes? Or start taking measures?

 

[twilliard]

I think its brown cyanobacteria

 

[b4tn]

Does cyano kill snails? All those snails on the sand are dead. They used to burrow during the day and come out at night. I did find a blue leg hermit the other day. Not sure where he came from but all the dead snails are way too small for a potential shell replacement. I do have a Coris wrasse but have never seen him pick on snails.

 

[b4tn]

The lights are throwing off the brown sand. But you can see all the dead snails.

 

[twilliard]

Let me get someone in here
@Lionfish Lair do you have any input?
This just isnt forming into what I believe would be dinos

I do know that when the mat gets big enough it can make the underlying sand anaerobic which is toxic but I dont think you have had this issue long enough.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Could the dying snails be causing the problem and not the problem killing the snails? How long have you had the snails? Did you get them all about the same time? From the same collector/source?

 

[b4tn]

This is very much a possibility. The snails have only been in there for about a month. I was trying to go with a crab-less CUC. All green algae is on my scrubber I only get brown algae in the display.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Where are they collected from, do you know? Or was it a store with lots of variety.

 

[twilliard]

Ah yes excess nutrients/contaminants
Would this cause excess doc's?

 

[b4tn]

I got them from reefcleaners. I started with a 30 gallon pre packaged CUC from reefcleaners When they all seemed to be doing well decemberish i added another 40 gallon package CUC

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Oh that's a lot..... and if John packs like he used to, you got extra. I wonder what the water temp is over there. How many nights did they take to get to your house?

 

[twilliard]

Not enough to feed all those snails
No crabs to clean up the ones who have passed.
Starting to see the picture

 

[b4tn]

I'm in MD so Usually it takes 3 days. The last shipment came with heaters packaged inside the box. I keep my temp steady with my reef keeper at 78.5 which measures closer to 79-80 on my glass thermometer.

 

[b4tn]

That does make sense! I calculate my water capacity at about 80 gallons and have a decent sized bio load so figured on a CUC for 80 gallons of snails only. I will rake out the dead ones them and keep an eye on it.

 

[twilliard]

Yes I would check within the sand bed also
This is a bacteria so hang in there!

 

[Lionfish Lair]

That's a long time to be in shipping in the winter. If their collection water is cold, so that they could tolerate that shipping temp easily, then they are too cold for your tank. Do you know what I mean? I may need to reword that. I swear my English is getting worse.

This isn't a slight against John. I adore him. Right now, as I look at my tank, I see a little snail of his I bought 10 years ago. I look for him daily and I'll feel sad when he dies. But he can't control the fact they were very cold for 3 days and then put in your warm tank. They were at a disadvantage right off the bat.

I do not stock my tanks with hermits except maybe one Scarlet for my entertainment. I don't use them as a part of a CUC.

 

[b4tn]

No, that actually makes perfect sense. Thanks for the assist. Once I get all the snails cleaned up I will report back in a couple weeks. I was really hoping it was not Dino's lol