Is this dino?

[the_chef_pierre]

I've been told this is just normal stuff not to worry about since my tank has only been running for just over 2 months, but I'm still getting paranoid. I just battled bryopsis and dealt with it using fluconazole and now this is happening. Is this really part of the ugly phase? In worried it might be dino. When I blow on it with a Turkey baster it disintegrated into white powder. It has also been leaving a brown film on my glass. Other thing I'm noticing is that a couple of my snails (I dont have many) are dying off. Particularly my nassarius snails. Also on a side note, what's the fluorescent green and pink stuff growing deeper in my sand bed in the one photo?

Should I just let this sand growth be since my tank is new? I vacuumed some out when I did my water change at the end of the fluconazole treatment but it's back now. Also havent really been stiring my sandbed around as I thought that's not a good thing.

Any advice or tips dealing with this or am I just getting paranoid and should I let it be since it's a new tank

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Its hard to tell but it has a few tiny bubbles on the surface of it also, but not the stringy type the comes up the tank like ive seen in some dino pics online. It does have a green slimy thing on the surface that kinda just stays there. Could this by diatoms maybe? It also doesnt really go away when I turn the lights off, but if i blow it off with the turkey baster it comes back the next day

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Should i just vacuum it out, or let it just keep going? My tank only cycled a month ago so i dont wanna mess it up if its just the ugly phase.

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Any opinions? I know I should leave it but the fact it seems my snails are dying off is kinda worrying me

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Also my levels are all low. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 1 nitrate, 0 phos.

 

[dwest]

I think it is cyano. But you could get a cheap microscope and find out for sure.

 

[C_mo97]

That's normal, just do your regular water changes.

 

[Coral Reef Keepers]

Could be Dino. Your nutrients are rather low, which dino seem to bloom in low nutrient systems. I would get you nutrients up a bit and go from there.

 

[the_chef_pierre]

My tanks only been setup for 2 months which is why I originally thought dino, but now my second nassarius snail has been staying at the surface of the sand and appears to be dying or is going white

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Sorry. I meant originally thought cyano

 

[glb]

Could be Dino. Your nutrients are rather low, which dino seem to bloom in low nutrient systems. I would get you nutrients up a bit and go from there.

I agree. If no3 and po4 get too low, it can cause a host of problems. I zeroed mine out with nopox and had months of dinos, cyano, and other stuff as a result. Do you have fish in the tank? If so, you can up their feeding and watch the numbers. Plus, new tanks do go through an ugly phase. Hang in there!

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Its been setup for just over 2 months.. cycled around a month ago. No fish in it yet. Just had 2 nassarius, 2 astrea and 1 cerith snail. Lost 1 nassarius last week when it started going crazy too, but then again one of my circulators malfunctioned and sent almost 50 V of electric current through the water. Got that sorted out though, but now the remaining nassarius is doing the same thing. They could be starving as I've only been ghost feeding a little here and there because I have 1 paly that hitchhiked in on a love rock. In thinking if its dino they have been eating it which may explain why they're dying. I hear dino kills off snails if they eat it

 

[the_chef_pierre]

So it appears to be positively identified as dino, based on sonus's testing method on here

Helpful Method for Identifying Dinoflagellates

There have been dozens (probably hundreds) of posts from people trying to identify dinoflagellates in their aquarium. I have posted this in other threads but figured it might be helpful to start a thread explaining this method. Dinoflagellates are single-celled organisms that aggregate to form...

www.reef2reef.com

Problem is i'm not sure what to do now. I know it says I should increase my pH, which I guess I could start doing since my tanks pH is only currently at around 8.15 and I have no livestock other than some snails. I'm just wondering if anyone else has any other suggestions or methods for treating dino before I go ahead trying to increase pH with kalk.

 

[the_chef_pierre]

I know DinoX may help, but I dont know if I can even find this here in Canada and I kind of want to avoid trying to put in too many chemicals as my tank is only 2 months old and literally just finished its bryopsis treatment (another fun challenge to battle)

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Actually, I can find dino x here. Would it be wise to use it though since my tank is still so new or does anyone else have any other better suggestions?

 

[the_chef_pierre]

This is how it started forming back together after only 15 minutes after filter through paper towel

 

[the_chef_pierre]

I'm still confused if its dino or diatoms? Diatoms makes more sense since i think its typical when going through the ugly stage after cycling. Plus when I blow on it with a turkey baster it turns to dust, typical of diatoms. But then, why would it come together when I did the test for dino? Also, I have some bubbles forming on my rocks attached to very small green strings, which makes me think dino. Unless I have both? So confused and don't know where to go from here. I'm just worried that leaving it alone and doing nothing would just make things worse

 

[vetteguy53081]

Im seeing the beginning of dino and siphoning helps. At this time, feed as normal but do not add coral food or NoPox as they will feed the dino. Increase blue lights and decrease white light intensity for about 3 days. Should keep this in check

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Would it be better to black out since I have nothing in there other than 3 or 4 snails, that actually appear to be dying (particularly the nassarius which makes sense since they would be feeding on the sandbed)? I syphoned some out after my large waterchange at the end of my bryopsis treatment, but they came back.

For a new reefer, I seem to be having bad luck eh? Bryopsis after my first month in, and now dino? Havent even gotten my first fish

 

[the_chef_pierre]

Any suggestions where to go from here other than nuking my tank?