Trying to determine if I have dinos...

[2Wheelsonly]

Forms in lower flow areas of sandbend...

Forms on back wall after several days, snails eat it.

More evidence of snails eating it...

My po4 doesn't show up on color test kits and hannah ULR shows 0.01

 

[bubbaque]

It’s possible. Dino is not always snotty. The only way to really tell is using a microscope. Buy one of the toy ones for $15.

 

[Jason mack]

It certainly looks like Dino’s , but as @bubbaque said it’s beter to get confirmation under a micro scope , you can also take a sample too a lFS if they have one , they might also be able too tell you what strain of Dino’s it is , then you can plan a course of action ..here’s a link to a good thread on here

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

Dinos are the only thing I know of that clump back together when you shake them up. Take a sample about the size of a quarter and stick it in a container. Shake or stir it up to break the clump apart. Place the container under some light and check it every 15 minutes. After the first 15 minutes you should start to see stringy or smoke like clumps reforming. After 30 minutes they usually start forming masses on the bottom of the container. If they just spread out and stay that way, then it's not dinos. Microscopes are necessary for IDing the specific type, which aids in treatment protocols, but the clump method is pretty effective too just to tell if it is some type of dino. But gotta say, it does look like dinos to me.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Just ordered a microscope off amazon...in the meantime I scraped a chunk of the wall with my scraper and put in a white bowl. Away from the blue LED it looks forest/hunter green and is thicker/hairy. This just be GHA?

 

[Jason mack]

Here it looks totally different , here it does look like hair algae , which would explain your comment in your first post “ here’s where the snails have been eating it , “
Missed that one !! Snails don’t normally eat Dino’s !!!

 

[SDboatguy]

Has any of it grown on you acros? Going thru something similar here. Stuff is kinda jelly on the sand and some of my rocks. Also starting to get furry green on the tips of a valid colony and a couple frags.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

So I have been seeing a lot of info on Dino’s recently. Now to be fair I have not really studied much on this, and honestly after last week my brain is still mush. But, with that being known, do we know how to prevent these in the first place? It seems clear that once the tank gets infected by them, they are a pain to get rid of. Has there been any write ups or test studies done on how to actually prevent them from starting? Knowing they are a common part of marine biology, and some fresh water biology we know it’s part of the ecosystem. However, I would prefer and maybe others would also that it stays out in the ocean. Does anyone know of any case studies, or lab results that show how these start to form. If for example I knew this, I would try and eliminate the sources of an outbreak.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Has any of it grown on you acros? Going thru something similar here. Stuff is kinda jelly on the sand and some of my rocks. Also starting to get furry green on the tips of a valid colony and a couple frags.

My rocks are perfectly clean, I have small tiny patches of matted cyano that form is some random low flow crevices but you have to look hard to find it. Other than that the rocks looks clean and purple to the point of looking fake. Corals are clean as can be too...

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Hello,

So I have been seeing a lot of info on Dino’s recently. Now to be fair I have not really studied much on this, and honestly after last week my brain is still mush. But, with that being known, do we know how to prevent these in the first place? It seems clear that once the tank gets infected by them, they are a pain to get rid of. Has there been any write ups or test studies done on how to actually prevent them from starting? Knowing they are a common part of marine biology, and some fresh water biology we know it’s part of the ecosystem. However, I would prefer and maybe others would also that it stays out in the ocean. Does anyone know of any case studies, or lab results that show how these start to form. If for example I knew this, I would try and eliminate the sources of an outbreak.

I've been vocal on the whole "learn how to live with them". If I have to take drastic measure like tear down a tank I wouldn't stay in the hobby, dinos seems common from the forums so it's in my best interest to live with them. I have not lost anything due to this so I don't really have a major issue. (yet)

 

[Jason mack]

Hello,

So I have been seeing a lot of info on Dino’s recently. Now to be fair I have not really studied much on this, and honestly after last week my brain is still mush. But, with that being known, do we know how to prevent these in the first place? It seems clear that once the tank gets infected by them, they are a pain to get rid of. Has there been any write ups or test studies done on how to actually prevent them from starting? Knowing they are a common part of marine biology, and some fresh water biology we know it’s part of the ecosystem. However, I would prefer and maybe others would also that it stays out in the ocean. Does anyone know of any case studies, or lab results that show how these start to form. If for example I knew this, I would try and eliminate the sources of an outbreak.

Dino’s usually appear when a tank has bottomed out on no3 and po4 , all other algae is then starved out allowing Dino’s too take over , so too prevent it , try too keep no3 and po4 at reasonable levels , that’s my experience ,

See the link I posted above ,

 

[ReefJake123]

So what type of algae is considered a Dino

 

[ReefJake123]

Is green hair algae a type of Dino or cynao

 

[ReefJake123]

Cyano*

 

[bubbaque]

GHA is neither. It is a type of algae. Cyano is a bacteria.

 

[ReefJake123]

Ok so does the yeast method work for GHA

 

[bubbaque]

I’ve seen vivid aquariums say yeast works for diatoms but I’m not sure anyone has confirmed that it does.

If you are having GHA go and buy some snails. Trim the GHA down so the snails will eat it. If you have long strands of algae, the snails won’t usually eat it.

 

[ReefJake123]

Been there done that

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

@2Wheelsonly Under white light does any of it look like snot? If so then take a sample of it and do the paper towel test talked about in the first post of the link Jason mack posted above. It is stickied to this forum too. It's the same test I described only I forgot to mention to pour the sample through a paper towel when you put it in the glass after shaking it up. If it doesn't look like that or it doesn't clump, then you don't have dinos. Looks like you have at least GHA.

@ReefJake123 Do you currently have an algae you want ID'ed or help with to get rid of?

Has any of it grown on you acros? Going thru something similar here. Stuff is kinda jelly on the sand and some of my rocks. Also starting to get furry green on the tips of a valid colony and a couple frags.

Dinos will have a snot like appearance. I could see it being described as brown jelly too. Furry green is green hair algae (GHA). Sounds like you may more than one type of algae growth.

Hello,

So I have been seeing a lot of info on Dino’s recently. Now to be fair I have not really studied much on this, and honestly after last week my brain is still mush. But, with that being known, do we know how to prevent these in the first place? It seems clear that once the tank gets infected by them, they are a pain to get rid of. Has there been any write ups or test studies done on how to actually prevent them from starting? Knowing they are a common part of marine biology, and some fresh water biology we know it's part of the ecosystem. However, I would prefer and maybe others would also that it stays out in the ocean. Does anyone know of any case studies, or lab results that show how these start to form. If for example I knew this, I would try and eliminate the sources of an outbreak.

The thread posted earlier by Jason mack above is the most comprehensive. Start with the first post. All of you questions can be answered there in as much or little detail as you are looking for. But you get them when you bottom out NO3 and PO4 for about a week or longer. Keep in mind test kits only show inorganic forms so no organic NO3 or PO4 will be detected. And the resolution and accuracy of the kit matters too. API kits don't have enough of either for NO3 or PO4. The reason reducing nutrients doesn't kill dinos is because they can switch to bacteriavores during low nutrient conditions. By eating the bacteria, they get their nutrients and are able to continue to multiply and grow. Dino blooms usually occur with high light intensity and duration too because as lighting increases nutrient uptake increases too. So if their isn't enough in the water, then they switch to bacteriavores to compensate. I've read through it all so if you don't want to read through and have some specific questions I'd be happy to help. Just got done beating them back myself.

 

[SDboatguy]

Jason Mack - as you said "dinos appear when nitrate and phosphate bottom out..." mine have ( 0 on Hanna and 0 nitrate salifert ) then I had 2 older fish die.BOOM dinos appeared. However I still grow Chaeto , green bubble algea, had some grape calerpa popped up in the DT , glass needs cleaning ever 3-4 days. My acros are doing well except for a couple pieces that have dinos on them. Not sure what to do...