Is this dinoflagellates?

[Thub]

Hi guys, I've got a pretty new reef tank, and I'm in the ugly phase despite my annoyance. I've got diatoms on the sand, which I expected, and I've been told not to worry about, but I've also got these little tufts of algae all over the place that I'm not familiar with. They don't seem to be like mucous, they hold together even in direct flow. Is it just hair algae or dinos?

 

[Spare time]

That's not dino. Its probably just some hair algae

 

[Thub]

That's what I thought too, but I'm for some reason super paranoid about the saltwater tank. My FW tanks I feel like I really understand, so I'm not worried about them at all.

 

[Mikedawg]

That's what I thought too, but I'm for some reason super paranoid about the saltwater tank. My FW tanks I feel like I really understand, so I'm not worried about them at all.

I think one of the best preventative measures you can take is keeping your nitrate and phosphate from bottoming; might give you a level of comfort, and believe me battling dinos is no fun!

 

[Idoc]

I agree...looks like some regular algae and not dinos to me! Keep the No3/Po4 elevated and let some algae grow in the tank so it can outcompete any dinos that find their way into your system!

 

[Thub]

I agree...looks like some regular algae and not dinos to me! Keep the No3/Po4 elevated and let some algae grow in the tank so it can outcompete any dinos that find their way into your system!

I'd never thought of using algae as a way to outcompete the dinos. That's an interesting way of looking at it. Thanks