Weird brown sludge out of nowhere

[Jake_the_reefer]

So I just got home from work and out of nowhere there I this thick brown slime everywhere in my tank, the filter pads were covered in a thick layer of this slime, my corals and my rocks are also covered. It's not an algae from what I can tell and it cant be dino because my nitrates arent low. My protein skimmer also was not skimming

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Pics

 

[vetteguy53081]

Dino flagellates. Siphon up as much as you can and reduce lights to near dark. Add 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for 5 days and do not add any coral vitamins or nopox. You’ll see it start vanishing

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Dino flagellates. Siphon up as much as you can and reduce lights to near dark. Add 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for 5 days and do not add any coral vitamins or nopox. You’ll see it start vanishing

I wouldn't think its dino. My nitrates are 20ppm

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just takes low nutrient export to do it.
Clearer pics?

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

I cleaned it out so I dont have better pics

 

[dwest]

I wouldn't think its dino. My nitrates are 20ppm

The description does sound like possible dinos. I’ve heard of some higher nutrient tanks with them. Can you stick some of the slime under a microscope?

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

The description does sound like possible dinos. I’ve heard of some higher nutrient tanks with them. Can you stick some of the slime under a microscope?

No microscope just yet.. I'll get one tomorrow. I'm already fighting cyano in my 10g hopefully no dino in my 20g. Would my skimmer beat the dino now that its running

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Should I use dino x

 

[W1ngz]

Dino-X is only effective against a few specific species of Dino’s. There’s 6 or 7 types if I recall. You’d need a microscope to identify them.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Dino-X is only effective against a few specific species of Dino’s. There’s 6 or 7 types if I recall. You’d need a microscope to identify them.

I'll pick up a cheap toy microscope tomorrow at target.

 

[W1ngz]

Start with this, it might be more fun and will only cost you a few paper towels. It won't I.D. the species, but will at least confirm if it's dinos. After that, just do the peroxide thing. It's not worth buying a microscope if you can't borrow one from somewhere. A toy isn't going to let you see a single celled organism very clearly, if at all.

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

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Start with this, it might be more fun and will only cost you a few paper towels. It won't I.D. the species, but will at least confirm if it's dinos. After that, just do the peroxide thing. It's not worth buying a microscope if you can't borrow one from somewhere. A toy isn't going to let you see a single celled organism very clearly, if at all.

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

Luckily my water is down at my house and I sucked some out.. this is the result of 1 hr ambient light

 

[W1ngz]

Wow that was quick.
I guess those stringy bunches of goo weren't there an hour ago?

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Wow that was quick.
I guess those stringy bunches of goo weren't there an hour ago?

I've let this bucket sit for a few hours because I didnt want to pour it down the drain with no water running in the house. So yeah they weren't there a few hours ago. Now put of curiosity what's worse dino or cyano.

 

[W1ngz]

meh... 'worse' is just like the word 'better', it really depends on perspective.

Both are conquerable with some patience and persistence. Do the lights out/peroxide thing. Just don't get excited until the lights have gone back to the normal schedule for a couple days, they may still be hiding in plain sight.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

meh... 'worse' is just like the word 'better', it really depends on perspective.

Both are conquerable with some patience and persistence. Do the lights out/peroxide thing. Just don't get excited until the lights have gone back to the normal schedule for a couple days, they may still be hiding in plain sight.

Would it hurt to try dinox without identification? Or should I go peroxide? I'm worried about my microfauna dying

 

[W1ngz]

I don't think it will hurt.
Do you have an unusual number of dead snails or vacant hermit shells that you've noticed?

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

What can cause dino. My tank is very established and I havent introduced anything new in months

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

I don't think it will hurt.
Do you have an unusual number of dead snails or vacant hermit shells that you've noticed?

My snail count is the same (I have hundreds of baby nassarius snails so I cant keep track of them. I've never found a dead one) but my turbo snail and Asteria snails havent died