what is with this algae

[Marine430]

I don't know what this is? I do my water changes with only RODI FROM A well known lfs. HELP

 

[Idoc]

It looks like your tank is matured by the look of the live rock, so probably not diatoms. Id be very concerned for a type of dino by the look of it. What are your no3/po4 readings?

 

[Kellie in CA]

Yeah..... it looks like dinos to me too.

Don’t panic, I’m about a week into treatment and mine are almost gone.

 

[ScottR]

Judging by how the shaded areas are white, dinos would be my guess. Any bubbles forming? Anything that looks like balloons?

 

[Marine430]

Judging by how the shaded areas are white, dinos would be my guess. Any bubbles forming? Anything that looks like balloons?

The only bubbles I have is bubble algae.

 

[Marine430]

It looks like your tank is matured by the look of the live rock, so probably not diatoms. Id be very concerned for a type of dino by the look of it. What are your no3/po4 readings?

My nitrate and phosphate are coming back 0. My guess is a false reading from the algae?

 

[Marine430]

Yeah..... it looks like dinos to me too.

Don’t panic, I’m about a week into treatment and mine are almost gone.

How do I treat dinos?

 

[KeepItAlive]

How do I treat dinos?

I’d turn down my lights and take as much out as I could. I wouldn’t worry as long as you get most of it out. Your water should be fine with normal maintenance.

 

[ScottR]

How old is the tank? Have you added in sand recently? A cheap microscope is useful for ID. It’s either diatoms or dino imo. But hard to tell just from a pic.

 

[ScottR]

I’d turn down my lights and take as much out as I could. I wouldn’t worry as long as you get most of it out. Your water should be fine with normal maintenance.

I wish fighting dinos was that easy...

 

[Marine430]

I’d turn down my lights and take as much out as I could. I wouldn’t worry as long as you get most of it out. Your water should be fine with normal maintenance.

I was trying to suck out as much as I could with my turkey baster but it just kept clogging the whole then breaking apart.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Cyano and dinoflagellates
Starting ASAP, turn off white lights or all lights and at night add 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons. Each morning loosen with turkey baster and net or siphon loose matter and add liquid bacteria such as bacter 7 to the tank. Do not use nopox or feed corals during this time
After4-5 days you will see the tank looking normal again

 

[Scrubber_steve]

something to read

Dinoflagellate Problem? Could Ulva lactuca be the Answer?

The Green Macroalga, Ulva lactuca, Inhibits the Growth of Seven Common Harmful Algal Bloom Species via Allelopathy Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a significant threat to fisheries, public health, and economies around the world, and both HABs and macroalgae are often promoted by nutrient...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Marine430]

How old is the tank? Have you added in sand recently? A cheap microscope is useful for ID. It’s either diatoms or dino imo. But hard to tell just from a pic.

Tank has been up since 2016. I have not added any sand or rock since then

 

[ScottR]

Tank has been up since 2016. I have not added any sand or rock since then

I would lean towards dinos. Can you take a close up shot of the brown? There are many threads on here about dinos and one that has over 10k replies. Lots of info for comparing, diagnosing, treating, etc.

 

[Marine430]

Cyano and dinoflagellates
Starting ASAP, turn off white lights or all lights and at night add 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons. Each morning loosen with turkey baster and net or siphon loose matter and add liquid bacteria such as bacter 7 to the tank. Do not use nopox or feed corals during this time
After4-5 days you will see the tank looking normal again

Do I keep my skimmer on? Should I remove filter media?

 

[Marine430]

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do I keep my skimmer on? Should I remove filter media?

Leave skimmer on and rinse filter media daily to remove trapped matter from it

 

[Marine430]

I just got a aquamaxx skimmer 2 days ago hope this helps

 

[ScottR]

I do see cyano there as vetteguy mentioned. Under the sand. Cyano can be taken care of with chemiclean. Easy to use and works if you follow the instructions. Oddly, your rocks look fine? Only in the sand?