Lighting and Dinoflagelites?

[IvanW]

If one was to crank up the lights to 100% for a given time would that possibly wipe out Dinoflagelites. This idea was floated out to me earlier today. Quite honestly I don't know and would like to hear your thoughts and ideas as to length of time spectrum's and so on and if you think it would make a difference to this ongoing pest.
I run my lights on the Echotech, Saxby,World Wide Corals schedule. I have 10 AI Hydra 52hd's on from 12 noon to 11.00pm.

 

[sfin52]

https://www.reef2reef.com/posts/4131576/Check this out especially page one. Do you have a microscope to id these little buggers.

 

[IvanW]

https://www.reef2reef.com/posts/4131576/Check this out especially page one. Do you have a microscope to id these little buggers.

Thanks for replying but your link did not work for me. I have had them identified,not sure what that link is about,really interested in seeing it though

 

[sfin52]

Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether

Try searching the above

I don't know what percentage of folks are having luck battling dinos with any of the methods in the main Dino thread.

Just to refresh folks on the natural alternative...

• Dino's generally gain a competitive edge against their competitors AND their predators in a nutrient-starved environment.
• Phosphate Control
  • DO NOT let your phosphates hit or stay at zero.
  • See: Bacterivory in algae: A survival strategy during nutrient limitation
• Nitrate Control
  • Do not let your nitrates hit or stay at zero.
  • See: Putting the N in dinoflagellates
  • See: A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)
• Starvation should be avoided. Remember that a wide variety of micoorganisms depend on dissolved N and P...and so do corals and healthy algae.
• Confirming the ID of your dinoflagellate is important if possible.
  • To begin with, make sure you have Dinos
  • Use @taricha's ID Guide on posts #986-987.
• Once you know it's dino's you should ideally figure out what type(s) your tank is hosting.
  • Specifically for Ostreopsis, consider skipping ahead to post #86 and #905 as the information is still developing.
  • Compare your dino's with photos where @taricha's has already made ID's:
    (Click the link. Then click the SEARCH button at the bottom of the search page.)
    • ostreopsis
    • prorocentrum
    • amphidinium
    • coolia
    • (other searches coming)
• After you get started, What is the End Game?

• Disturbances we cause in our tanks are what allow microbial/algal populations to shift and ugly/harmful blooms to happen.
  • See: Evidence for the Existence of Three Primary Strategies in Plants and Its Relevance to Ecological and Evolutionary Theory

• Take measures to assure that your feeding system is very consistent. An auto-feeder is an overlooked tool on most tanks. Look at Eheim's feeders...set them on low with high quality flake food. Just don't let them run your whole feeding program as flake isn't great food.

• Find out what inconsistencies you can eliminate with your husbandry to prevent more unneeded disturbances and the resulting microbial/algal changes. This could be changes to lighting or water chemistry – make them as consistent as you can.

• E.g. If you're adding new livestock all the time, stop it. If you have a color-tunable light fixture, stop re-tuning the colors. If you don't have an ATO keeping your salinity stable, get one. If you're still managing your dosing by hand, get an $80 4-head doser. Etc.

If you provide the stability, then your dino's competitors will start competing with them and their predators will start eating them!!

One thing that seems to help things progress is to stop scraping down the algae off your glass....once the dino's start giving up space that is. Mechanical removal is a legit short-term strategy and might help give competitors a leg up too.


2¢

Other interesting more-or-less related links on my blog:

• Response of heterotrophic bacteria, autotrophic picoplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates to re-oligotrophication
• Viruses manipulate the marine environment
• Extracoelenteric zooplankton feeding is a key mechanism of nutrient acquisition for the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis
• Fish foraging behavior changes plankton-nutrient relations in laboratory microcosms

(Also cross-posted in the main Dino thread!)

I hope this one works

 

[IvanW]

I have been reading through the thread over the past few weeks it’s like reading “War and Peace”. I just thought I would see if anyone had luck using stronger lighting.

 

[mcarroll]

If one was to crank up the lights to 100% for a given time would that possibly wipe out Dinoflagelites. This idea was floated out to me earlier today. Quite honestly I don't know and would like to hear your thoughts and ideas as to length of time spectrum's and so on and if you think it would make a difference to this ongoing pest.
I run my lights on the Echotech, Saxby,World Wide Corals schedule. I have 10 AI Hydra 52hd's on from 12 noon to 11.00pm.

I assume you have no corals in this tank? I'm pretty sure the corals would hate it equally, if present. If you can experiment, I'd love to see the results either way it goes! I think I do have an article posted on my blog about programmed cell death in protists (e.g. dino's) that probably speaks to your idea.

(From a different article...) Dino's apparently have a ridiculously low light compensation point...second only to diatoms, which have an insanely low compensation point. I believe in the dino's case that this low light compensation point is what's behind their strong protective response of sliming. We know they do it for protection from strong light and from strong water currents – probably among other reasons. "Strong light" to a dino is weak light to most other critters. I don't think this fact favors your proposed strategy.

 

[SPR1968]

If one was to crank up the lights to 100% for a given time would that possibly wipe out Dinoflagelites. This idea was floated out to me earlier today. Quite honestly I don't know and would like to hear your thoughts and ideas as to length of time spectrum's and so on and if you think it would make a difference to this ongoing pest.
I run my lights on the Echotech, Saxby,World Wide Corals schedule. I have 10 AI Hydra 52hd's on from 12 noon to 11.00pm.

When I had dinos’s I did a 3 day blackout (just curtains etc not tank wrap) and increased water flow to the affected areas.

When the lights came back on all the dino’s had gone and I believe the increased flow meant they never came back.

Just my own experience if it helps and you haven’t already tried it.

 

[IvanW]

I assume you have no corals in this tank? I'm pretty sure the corals would hate it equally, if present. If you can experiment, I'd love to see the results either way it goes! I think I do have an article posted on my blog about programmed cell death in protists (e.g. dino's) that probably speaks to your idea.

(From a different article...) Dino's apparently have a ridiculously low light compensation point...second only to diatoms, which have an insanely low compensation point. I believe in the dino's case that this low light compensation point is what's behind their strong protective response of sliming. We know they do it for protection from strong light and from strong water currents – probably among other reasons. "Strong light" to a dino is weak light to most other critters. I don't think this fact favors your proposed strategy.

Tank is full of corals. This thing with the lights is just something that was mentioned to me so I put it out there. About 2 weeks ago I spoke to Sanjay Joshi and Julian Sprung at Reefapalooza about this, Sanjay runs his lights at 100%, I am not sure if that is all the colors or just some. He has a tank that has Dino's, although he says that there is not too much livestock in the tank, he suggested just leaving it as he is doing, no water changes and he feels that the Dino's will burn themselves out when they run out of fuel. Like everything else in this hobby what works for one may or may not work for the other. Patience young grasshopper,nothing good happens fast.
I really appreciate all the feedback as frustrating as all this is,the war continues.