Potential pest organism ID

[GHogg]

I'm seeing some brown film developing in the rock, which wouldn't worry me except for the small bubbles that appear to be in the patches pictured.

I have a new aquarium that's been running a couple weeks now. I used Dr. Tim's One and Only and ghost fed the tank for the first week. I introduced copepods and have been dosing phyto for the second week. Test parameters are 0.2 ppm Ammonia, >1 ppm Nitrites, and 2 ppm Nitrates.
Introduced the first members of the CUC, 3 emerald crabs and 3 nassarius snails a couple days ago.

Should I be actively scrubbing this off my rock? Or is it the start of the first algae film on the base rock?

 

[Reeflix]

your tank looks really new. how old is it? it looks like dinos or diatoms

 

[Reeflix]

probably dinos

 

[GHogg]

your tank looks really new. how old is it? it looks like dinos or diatoms

It is really new, it's only been running 2 weeks, just finished cycling.

probably dinos

That's what I'm worried about. Will manual removal early be enough? What else could I do? Another bottle of bac? Or some more CUC members? Or is it better to let it ride and rebalance?

 

[Reeflix]

do you have any fish or inverts in the tank?

 

[GHogg]

do you any fish or inverts in the tank?

3 emerald crabs and 3 nassarius snails. Just added at the end of the cycle a couple days ago. Likely the carriers that brought it to the tank.

 

[Reeflix]

you know what, i am stupidly blind on tech, ignore that

 

[Reeflix]

i just saw i your first post that you have CUC

 

[Reeflix]

3 emerald crabs and 3 nassarius snails. Just added at the end of the cycle a couple days ago. Likely the carriers that brought it to the tank.

probably not, dinos appear on their own.

 

[Reeflix]

looks like you used dry rock, your tank really new so they like new tanks with no good bacteria/algae to fight them off. i would not get any CUC they do not eat dinos.

 

[Reeflix]

honestly i would just put in some macroalgae, maybe buy some coralline algae to help the good algae team, and let your tank get mature

 

[Reeflix]

also dont get fish until these are gone. and go into the tank and scrub off as much as you can

 

[LPS Bum]

It is really new, it's only been running 2 weeks, just finished cycling.

That's what I'm worried about. Will manual removal early be enough? What else could I do? Another bottle of bac? Or some more CUC members? Or is it better to let it ride and rebalance?

I just beat Dino's in my new reef with a combination of things. 3 day blackout to knock it back, manual removal via syphon every couple of days, and hydrogen peroxide dosing (1 ml per 10 gallons, 3X per day). It took me a good 10 days though.

 

[Reeflix]

that is a good method, also get some algae/ benefictal bacteria, as dinos come in when there is nothing to stop them

 

[GHogg]

I just beat Dino's in my new reef with a combination of things. 3 day blackout to knock it back, manual removal via syphon every couple of days, and hydrogen peroxide dosing (1 ml per 10 gallons, 3X per day). It took me a good 10 days though.

Interesting I'll be sure to turn my lights off. From what I've read bringing up nutrients helps so maybe I'll feed more to the tank. Is hydrogen peroxide dosing safe with livestock in the tank?

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

honestly i would just put in some macroalgae, maybe buy some coralline algae to help the good algae team, and let your tank get mature

Not a bad idea. I had chaeto come in waaay ahead of schedule and went in before fish while ammonia was still high and it did well.

BUT it definitely caysed me to struggle the first 5 months with low nutrients and got dinos, i am pretty sure if I didn't fuge up, i wouldn't have had the low nutrient issue. However, on that, I could have done the smart thing and adjusted my photo period down on the fuge, but have a packed house and was more concerned keeping the photosynthesis up to keep ph up.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm seeing some brown film developing in the rock, which wouldn't worry me except for the small bubbles that appear to be in the patches pictured.

I have a new aquarium that's been running a couple weeks now. I used Dr. Tim's One and Only and ghost fed the tank for the first week. I introduced copepods and have been dosing phyto for the second week. Test parameters are 0.2 ppm Ammonia, >1 ppm Nitrites, and 2 ppm Nitrates.
Introduced the first members of the CUC, 3 emerald crabs and 3 nassarius snails a couple days ago.

Should I be actively scrubbing this off my rock? Or is it the start of the first algae film on the base rock?

This is diatoms and dino does not disappear on their own but rather multiply very quickly. You can blow away with turkey baster. Its not a huge concern at this point of tank maturation.
Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the end to the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.

Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

 

[LPS Bum]

Interesting I'll be sure to turn my lights off. From what I've read bringing up nutrients helps so maybe I'll feed more to the tank. Is hydrogen peroxide dosing safe with livestock in the tank?

I have fish, LPS, SPS, softies and inverts and haven’t lost anything. So yes, I’d say H202 dosing is reef safe, at least in my experience.

I wouldn’t pour it directly onto anything though. I add it directly to the DT, in an area of high flow. Worked very well for me.