What is smothering my liverock?

[Who me?]

IMG_20190622_203847

• Who me?
• Jun 22, 2019

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Sounds Iike it could possibly be dino. Can u take some pictures?

 

[amazongb]

If you have a microscope take a look and see if you can id.. I thought I had Dino’s but ended up with chrysophytes ..

 

[BrewPug]

I’m dealing with the same stuff and was about to make a post asking for ID. I keep brushing and removing during water changes but it keeps coming back. Anyone have ideas?

 

[Who me?]

I think I got mine under control.
I brushedSaturday and Sunday, got about 99% of it off. I brushed extensively for like two hours each night. I used a battery powered (eheim) vacuum both days to get all the stuff out of the sand and cleaned the filter sock after each brushing. Then I dosed peroxide both Saturday and Sunday night.
I've been turkey basting twice a day since, last night and this morning I got almost nothing floating after the basting. The rocks look great... I'm going to keep turkey basting the rocks each night for the next few weeks.

All corals closed up Sunday after the second peroxide dose. The stayed closed for two days. They Look good today and it would appear that this stuff isn't growing back.

 

[Subsea]

I think I got mine under control.
I brushedSaturday and Sunday, got about 99% of it off. I brushed extensively for like two hours each night. I used a battery powered (eheim) vacuum both days to get all the stuff out of the sand and cleaned the filter sock after each brushing. Then I dosed peroxide both Saturday and Sunday night.
I've been turkey basting twice a day since, last night and this morning I got almost nothing floating after the basting. The rocks look great... I'm going to keep turkey basting the rocks each night for the next few weeks.

All corals closed up Sunday after the second peroxide dose. The stayed closed for two days. They Look good today and it would appear that this stuff isn't growing back.

What percentage peroxide did you dose?

 

[Who me?]

3% peroxide. I dosed a little heavy at 7.5ML each time (tank size is 48 gallon)

 

[Who me?]

duplicate post

 

[Who me?]

duplicate post

 

[Subsea]

Some years back, a friend operated a reef tank with constant peroxide drip.

The German reefers have a gadget called oxygenator which uses an o2 meter to fine tune peroxide dose. I consider this “good science” and have invested in a laboratory grade o2 meter.

Thank you for your research.

 

[Who me?]

Some years back, a friend operated a reef tank with constant peroxide drip.

The German reefers have a gadget called oxygenator which uses an o2 meter to fine tune peroxide dose. I consider this “good science” and have invested in a laboratory grade o2 meter.

Thank you for your research.

I was actually considering a peroxide dosing regiment... My understanding is it breaks down to oxygen and water shortly after dosing so should pose no long term ill effects.
Do you recall the percentage and saturation level used by your friend?

 

[Subsea]

Dinoflagellates

This light brownish menace feels like snot growing up from the rock or sand, with trapped air bubbles in it. Not to be confused with algae that has an air bubble that has landed on it, dinos make them. Not all species of dinos are bad the one pictured is though, and has caused many aquarists to tear down their tanks. If you are in doubt as to what you have send us a picture, there are many similar looking species that are easily removed.

Manual Removal - Remove the rock and place it in a large saucepan. Add water enough to cover the rock. Boil the tar out of it. Rinse and repeat with scrubbing in between. Let dry for 3 days in sun. Okay maybe not that far, but.... it is hard to remove. Scrub it as best you can. We do not have cleaners that will remove it.


Starving it out - Increase skimming, use a phosban reactor, or a macro like chaeto to take down nutrients. Some people have had success treating it by raising their ph and alk, but if you do so, do it with caution.

Photo by Brooks



Does this help?

 

[Hemmdog]

Dinoflagellates

This light brownish menace feels like snot growing up from the rock or sand, with trapped air bubbles in it. Not to be confused with algae that has an air bubble that has landed on it, dinos make them. Not all species of dinos are bad the one pictured is though, and has caused many aquarists to tear down their tanks. If you are in doubt as to what you have send us a picture, there are many similar looking species that are easily removed.

Manual Removal - Remove the rock and place it in a large saucepan. Add water enough to cover the rock. Boil the tar out of it. Rinse and repeat with scrubbing in between. Let dry for 3 days in sun. Okay maybe not that far, but.... it is hard to remove. Scrub it as best you can. We do not have cleaners that will remove it.


Starving it out - Increase skimming, use a phosban reactor, or a macro like chaeto to take down nutrients. Some people have had success treating it by raising their ph and alk, but if you do so, do it with caution.

Photo by Brooks



Does this help?

That is basically the exact opposite of what I would do lol.

 

[Subsea]

I was actually considering a peroxide dosing regiment... My understanding is it breaks down to oxygen and water shortly after dosing so should pose no long term ill effects.
Do you recall the percentage and saturation level used by your friend?

Too long ago. However, When I figure out this new o2 meter, I will get solid numbers. If I can’t measure or test for it, I am not comfortable dosing it.

 

[Subsea]

That is basically the exact opposite of what I would do lol.

Can you explain why? I don’t always concur with John Mahoney, particularly on this point.

 

[Hemmdog]

Can you explain why? I don’t always concur with John Mahoney, particularly on this point.

Dino’s tend to thrive in low nutrient environments. I wouldn’t use phosban or any of that stuff. I had dino’s in my 90. My nutrients were always low, struggling to get them detectable. I ended up just getting another fish. The nutrient increase from the fish made my dinos completely gone in about 2 weeks and they haven’t returned since.

 

[Subsea]

Dino’s tend to thrive in low nutrient environments. I wouldn’t use phosban or any of that stuff. I had dino’s in my 90. My nutrients were always low, struggling to get them detectable. I ended up just getting another fish. The nutrient increase from the fish made my dinos completely gone in about 2 weeks and they haven’t returned since.

Put Cynobacteria in that same category, “thrives in low nutrients” where desirable algae struggles.

 

[Hemmdog]

Put Cynobacteria in that same category, “thrives in low nutrients” where desirable algae struggles.

Yep.

 

[Who me?]

I'm not 100% sure this was dino, could have possibly been a brown cyano... either way - the peroxide dosing has had positive effects.
I think I may experiment with a long term, low level peroxide dose. I am thinking 1/2ml per 10 gallon nightly (2.5ml for this tank). Though I have no way of directly testing the O2 level, I have noticed the peroxide directly affects my ORP readings, a drastic reduction immediately following the dose. I can possibly use this to discern if the H2O2 isn't being processed in the tank. I would also expect that an increased O2 level would increase fish respiration thereby increasing CO2 which should be measurable by a drop in pH.

 

[Subsea]

I'm not 100% sure this was dino, could have possibly been a brown cyano... either way - the peroxide dosing has had positive effects.
I think I may experiment with a long term, low level peroxide dose. I am thinking 1/2ml per 10 gallon nightly (2.5ml for this tank). Though I have no way of directly testing the O2 level, I have noticed the peroxide directly affects my ORP readings, a drastic reduction immediately following the dose. I can possibly use this to discern if the H2O2 isn't being processed in the tank. I would also expect that an increased O2 level would increase fish respiration thereby increasing CO2 which should be measurable by a drop in pH.

Last sentence does not ring true to me with pH drooping. Your ORP readings are secondary effect.

 

[Who me?]

Respectively disagree... I'm all for testing what I'm dosing but more importantly is testing the affect the dosing has on my parameters. I know the dosing affects ORP so I would want to see any overall reduced level trend or increasingly prolonged reductions. As for pH why would you not expect an increased level to result in a lowered pH? Saltwater has a limited capacity to hold O2 so what other concern would O2 pose at saturation in a reef tank?