ID and Battle Plan needed.

Davisc1293 · May 19, 2022

I'm hoping you guys can help ID and give me some advice on the best course of action. I've been battling this for months using multiple blackouts, bottled bacteria's, peroxide you name it. The latest advice on FB was to silicate dose. Which i thought was one of the leading causes and why using good RODI water was so important. If dosing silicate is the answer can someone try and explain what that will do so I can wrap my head around dosing something I try so hard to make sure I never put in.

Davisc1293 · May 19, 2022

Davisc1293 said:
I'm hoping you guys can help ID and give me some advice on the best course of action. I've been battling this for months using multiple blackouts, bottled bacteria's, peroxide you name it. The latest advice on FB was to silicate dose. Which i thought was one of the leading causes and why using good RODI water was so important. If dosing silicate is the answer can someone try and explain what that will do so I can wrap my head around dosing something I try so hard to make sure I never put in.

Dburr1014 · May 19, 2022

Um, what are we iding?

vetteguy53081 · May 19, 2022

Davisc1293 said:
I'm hoping you guys can help ID and give me some advice on the best course of action. I've been battling this for months using multiple blackouts, bottled bacteria's, peroxide you name it. The latest advice on FB was to silicate dose. Which i thought was one of the leading causes and why using good RODI water was so important. If dosing silicate is the answer can someone try and explain what that will do so I can wrap my head around dosing something I try so hard to make sure I never put in.

Need pics under white lighting

Davisc1293 · May 19, 2022

Dburr1014 said:
Um, what are we iding?

having trouble uploading the video

Davisc1293 · May 19, 2022

vetteguy53081 · May 19, 2022

Davisc1293 said:

vetteguy53081 · May 19, 2022

Davisc1293 said:

Looks like Dino.
Prepare by starting with a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15% IF you have light dependant corals) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off.
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights - ramping up and work your white lights up slowly

Dburr1014 · May 20, 2022

@taricha

He will tell you what type and how to battle them.

taricha · May 20, 2022

In the microscope view, those are large cell amphidinium. Also fits with the presentation, heavy on the sand.

Davisc1293 said:
If dosing silicate is the answer can someone try and explain what that will do so I can wrap my head around dosing something I try so hard to make sure I never put in.

Si is usually avoided to prevent diatom growth. In my opnion, diatoms are almost never problematic but they get a bad rap because dinos got mis-ID'd as diatoms.

Diatoms grow fast and in the same environments as sandbed dinos - thus they are good competitors, are a good food source for snails and pods etc.
Some people find that adding Si is helpful in shifting away from dinos and toward diatoms. Some amount of manual removal (suck up the brown masses) will be helpful also.

Davisc1293 · May 20, 2022

I'm being told to do 3 different thing. I came here because I've had great luck with this forum in the past with not only getting the best course of action but also the information on why that is the best way to go.
My lfs is saying to remove the skimmer cup and to bring nitrates up and ride it out. 2 others recommend dosing spongexcel to promote diatoms to compete, and here I was recommended to try another blackout and peroxide dose again.

sixty_reefer · May 20, 2022

W

Davisc1293 said:
I'm being told to do 3 different thing. I came here because I've had great luck with this forum in the past with not only getting the best course of action but also the information on why that is the best way to go.
My lfs is saying to remove the skimmer cup and to bring nitrates up and ride it out. 2 others recommend dosing spongexcel to promote diatoms to compete, and here I was recommended to try another blackout and peroxide dose again.

What are your tank parameters
No3
Po4
Ph

Davisc1293 · May 20, 2022

sixty_reefer said:
W

What are your tank parameters
No3
Po4
Ph

PH has slightly increased in the last few weeks with the windows being open but still never gets below 8.2 and goes up to 8.4 when lights are on now when it used to top out around 8.32.
n03 has been around 5
p04 is between .02-.04 for the last month. before that it bottomed out then spiked to .15 but has been stable for the last month only once in the last month have i seen it outside of that range which was tested a hour or two after giving coral food. I tested it again the next day and it was .03.

Dburr1014 · May 20, 2022

Davisc1293 said:
I'm being told to do 3 different thing. I came here because I've had great luck with this forum in the past with not only getting the best course of action but also the information on why that is the best way to go.
My lfs is saying to remove the skimmer cup and to bring nitrates up and ride it out. 2 others recommend dosing spongexcel to promote diatoms to compete, and here I was recommended to try another blackout and peroxide dose again.

I get it. Completely.
I summoned taricha cuz he is the guru here on dinos... Not the cut and paste champ for any and every dino. No names please.

sixty_reefer · May 21, 2022

Davisc1293 said:
PH has slightly increased in the last few weeks with the windows being open but still never gets below 8.2 and goes up to 8.4 when lights are on now when it used to top out around 8.32.
n03 has been around 5
p04 is between .02-.04 for the last month. before that it bottomed out then spiked to .15 but has been stable for the last month only once in the last month have i seen it outside of that range which was tested a hour or two after giving coral food. I tested it again the next day and it was .03.

Have you tested for silica? And could we see a pic under whites it may just be diatoms now.

Davisc1293 · May 21, 2022

sixty_reefer said:
Have you tested for silica? And could we see a pic under whites it may just be diatoms now.

I have not tested silica yet, I have ordered some to dose if it comes to that in order to encourage a diatom bloom.

sixty_reefer · May 21, 2022

Davisc1293 said:
I have not tested silica yet, I have ordered some to dose if it comes to that in order to encourage a diatom bloom.

Where do you get your water from? If you already got a diatom bloom not sure how silica would work. Can you post pictures under white light?

Davisc1293 · May 21, 2022

sixty_reefer said:
Where do you get your water from? If you already got a diatom bloom not sure how silica would work. Can you post pictures under white light?

i posted a microscope pic and was told it is not diatom but amphidiniums dino

Davisc1293 · May 21, 2022

sixty_reefer said:
Where do you get your water from? If you already got a diatom bloom not sure how silica would work. Can you post pictures under white light?

But I make my own water. I dont have the best ro system but it does produce 0 TDS water.