Dinoflagellates - The documented journey

[kathywithbirds]

... so I guess we'll meet up in Nevada...

did you know, I think it's Ford, has announced that it's going to produce a hydrogen car by like 2010, maybe earlier? I know it's supposedly "safe," but I still don't want to be in blast range of that thing.

and BTW, Prow, I was making connections where there were none with the turf algae.

[JWarren]

Originally Posted by Octoman

I'll be following along, I'm dealing with a bloom of something right now. About 2 weeks ago I tore my rocks down to catch a couple fish and rearranged a bit when I set back up, so I think that has something to do with it.

I have a question. How do you distinguish between dinoflagellates vs. cyanobacteria vs. diatoms (without a microscope...)?

Yes, I read every post.

I am going to post some links to three items you asked about, with brief additions. Checking from work right now.


Diatoms

Phytoplankton that will feed on Silica, phosphates and nitrates. They can be in the water column as well as on the surfaces of the rocks and substrate. They range in size from microscopic to sizes of 1mm. Microscopic diatoms can be seen in the water column as a yellow-ish tent to the water if looking through the long end of a tank.

Dinoflagellates

The best way to descibe Dino is, a substance that resembles snot, with bubbles in it. I'll try to find a good photo or maybe Jason can get a good photo of his.

Cyanobacteria

Cryno looks a bit like a red carpet of stringy vibers that lay flat. Eventhough, wikipedia says it is blue-green, which I have not seen in a tank. Cryno can grow on the surface of rocks as well as the substrate. It is easily removed by siphoning it out with a small hose. An air hose will do the trick, but if you have a thick patch of it, 1/4" I.D tubing is better to use and wont get clogged up as easily.

Sorry about not going into great detail here, I'm at work and saw your post.

[Octoman]

Originally Posted by JWarren

Yes, I read every post.

Sorry about not going into great detail here, I'm at work and saw your post.

Thanks! I was hoping someone would catch it.

That sums it up pretty well for me.

[Triggerjay]

Today I left my lights on the normal photoperiod so I can show the "normal" habits of this creature. Here are some comparison photos, as to how this stuff "morphs" during the day. The before pics were taken at 7:00am this morning, right after lights on. The After pics were just taken, at about 5:00pm.
Before:


After:


Before:


After:


And here is a FTS, showing towards the center of the tank, the outbreak:


Tomorrow, I plan to reduce the photoperiod to 6 hours, and then tuesday, reduce it to four hours. I am not a big fan of the total blackout idea, I just don't feel it would be wise to put the already stressed corals through that. More to follow. Thanks for reading!

Jason

[Triggerjay]

Here is another link I found on another forum with the same basic problem.
red tide in marine tanks - Aquaria Central
Jason

[Triggerjay]

Also, I was mistaken on the flake food I switched to. It is Omega 1 saltwater marine flakes, not the formula one I thought it was. I plan to do a phosphate test on the flake this evening, and post the results.

Jason

[Triggerjay]

Ok, I just went to do the Phosphate test on the fish food, and figured while I was waiting for the crushed food to dissolve, I would check my RO/Di for phosphates as well. Well, I may have just found the root of my problem. According to my Salifert PO4 test kit, my phosphates on my RO/DI read 1.0! so, for every water change I am adding phosphtes to my tank. My tank read 0 last time I checked it, but I'm sure thats due to all the algae and bacteria eating it up. I was trying to take a scientific approach to this whole mess, but now it seems the problem is at the source of all things... In my makeup/WC water. I will still post the results of the flake food, as my salifert test range goes up to 3PPM, so if I subtract 1ppm for the bad RO/DI, I should get a pretty accurate result.

Jason

[Triggerjay]

Just completed the phosphate test on the Omega 1 flake food. I crushed the flake food in a zip-loc bag, and measured out EXACTLY one teaspoon of the crushed omega 1 food. I then mixed it with EXACTLY one cup of my tainted 1PPM phosphate RO/DI. I let it stand 5 minutes, stirring it a couple of times, then strained the water into a more "testable" state with a coffee filter. I then tested this water, and it reads a darker blue than my salifert test kit - 3 PPM. So, If I subtract the 1ppm for the bad RO/DI, that leaves me above the 2ppm block on the color chart. I suspect it would be above 3ppm. So, what did I learn from this? The Omega 1 DOES contain phosphates, but how much? I don't have an answer for.

Jason

[Triggerjay]

In post 37, I refer to the Phosphates in my RO/Di as being the "Root of the problem". I feel this is where my problem starts, but there are other contributing factors as well as previously discussed. So, basically to sum it up, the problem seems to be my fault for lack of maintenance on my RO/Di unit. I will still document getting things back on track, and winning the battle, but for now, we have a logical cause.

Jason

[JWarren]

Jason,

Do you have a tds meter?

[Triggerjay]

no, I dont. My buddy John Kelly checks it for me once in a while.

Jason

[JWarren]

just curious what your tds reading is.

[Triggerjay]

Don't know,... But tomorrow, the membrane, and all pre-filters are getting replaced. I took it apart tonight, and managed to break a fitting between two of the pre-filters,.... So I guess I will pick up new stuff when I go after the fitting.... Darn the luck! lol..

Jason

[prow]

the phosphates are more than likely not the only things in the RO/DI unit. i too am interested in the TDS reading. but i think your right and agree i dont think this was the cause. before changing things up the bacteria and algae present was likely taking care of it, not that it was a good thing just with more mature tank it handled the extras. now your tank is not so mature but still not new and since you found a big source of nutrients/fuel, once fixed keep doing what has been said, doing those things to help your bacterial growths and limit other growths, this dino bloom will pass.

[BoomerD]

Here is a low-priced dependable TDS meter for ya:

TDS Meter - Hanna TDS1

It's the same one I have, from the same company I bought mine from...good dependable sellers. (You might save a couple of $$ if you buy from their e-bay store if a couple of $$ matters)

Granted, it's not a top of the line meter, but accurate enough for hobbyist usage.