Dinoflagellate troubles

sherita · Jul 12, 2012

THAT is a bacterial bloom, and a bad one. I have dealt with it before. It took a lot of trial and error, but here's how I licked it.

Daily water changes, 10% is what I did.

Up the flow in the tank, a LOT. Powerheads, even if temporary to get it into suspension.

Skim wet, really wet.

Fresh carbon, more than is called for in the tank.

Dose with nothing except two part, or kalk, and magnesium if needed. No "quick fix" stuff, no phyto, oysterfeast, reef roids. Nothing but what is needed to keep the params correct.

Check your water source for TDS. Change the filters if needed. Where are you getting your water, how old are your filters and membrane and what is your TDS?

My problem turned out to be a bad rodi system. Instead of fighting with it, I bought a new one. That, along with what I listed above let me whip the stuff in about two weeks.

IMHO, water changes with 0 TDS water daily was the biggest thing that let me win the battle.

Edit: you don't have any bioballs/biobales/old filter floss running on that tank do you? Also, what about canister filters?

flyfish4trout · Jul 13, 2012

sherita said:
THAT is a bacterial bloom, and a bad one. I have dealt with it before. It took a lot of trial and error, but here's how I licked it.

Daily water changes, 10% is what I did.

Up the flow in the tank, a LOT. Powerheads, even if temporary to get it into suspension.

Skim wet, really wet.

Fresh carbon, more than is called for in the tank.

Dose with nothing except two part, or kalk, and magnesium if needed. No "quick fix" stuff, no phyto, oysterfeast, reef roids. Nothing but what is needed to keep the params correct.

Check your water source for TDS. Change the filters if needed. Where are you getting your water, how old are your filters and membrane and what is your TDS?

My problem turned out to be a bad rodi system. Instead of fighting with it, I bought a new one. That, along with what I listed above let me whip the stuff in about two weeks.

IMHO, water changes with 0 TDS water daily was the biggest thing that let me win the battle.

Edit: you don't have any bioballs/biobales/old filter floss running on that tank do you? Also, what about canister filters?

Thanks for the input. I do a weekly 20% water change. Troylee recommended changing out the DI in the RO/DI system also. My RO/DI system components are 4 months old for the sediment filter, carbon block, and DI resin, and a little over a year on the membrane. Current readings are 1 for tds. Only dose 2 part and Mag and feed fish every 3 days or twice a week. No bio-balls, filter floss, or canister filter. As for water movement, I don't think I could get any more unless I replaced the MP-10s with MP-40s, and either way you can not suspend this material, I have to scrub it off the rock with a nylon bristle brush to get it into suspension. Thanks for the input, I am glad to here that others have had something similar and kicked it.

montethemoster · Jul 13, 2012

That live rock looks really nice I hope that alleviates some of the problem, I'm sure it will still require much patience. Good luck with the frags as well I can see the bases were starting to spread out and encrust so I hope they make it for you. Keep updating on your progress.

sherita · Jul 14, 2012

I know it won't suspend right now, but once you start to choke off it's food source it should turn loose (think "floating snot......everywhere"). I really think my daily water changes are what did the trick, and I had it just as bad as what you are fighting. It's some gross stuff for sure, can't siphon it out, can't get it off with a turkey baster, just gross. However, it will eventually give it up, you just have to find what is going to work best for you. For me it was the daily water changes and lots of carbon. Lights out, H202, chemi clean...none of that worked for me at all.

Stay with it, keep trying different things, it will eventually flee the premises.

Fauna Marin · Jul 14, 2012

HI
There are not dinoflagellates, it is another algea. The main problem you have is that you have to less animals in your tank and the Nitratelevel is to low
add Nitrate to your tank and change the aragonit in several steps together with a weekly waterchange
You will see that after short time the algea will gone away and the Po4 level will decrease

rgds claude

robert · Jul 14, 2012

I don't recognize the organism - algae or bacteria.

Whatever it is doesn't really matter. Because its growing, it is getting sufficient phosphate, probably leaching from rock or substrate. It needs at least two other nutrients - nitrogen and carbon.

If your tank is deficient in organic sources of nitrogen - nitrate - or carbon, then only organisms, algaes and bacteria than can use inorganic sources of nitrogen and carbon can live. You tank always has sources of inorganic carbon and nitrogen - no matter how clean you keep it. Carbon from carbonate or CO2 and nitrogen from dissolved N2 gas in the water. Forms of agae or bacteria with the ability to use inorganic sources are referred to as nitrogen-fixing or carbon-fixing organisms. Cyano is one such organism (bacteria) - this appears likely to be another. (must be if you have no nitrate or carbon sources)

Claude's suggestion of adding nitrate is a good one. By adding nitrate, you'll provide enough usable nutrients for more beneficial bacteria and algae (which can't use inorganic sources of nitrogen and carbon) to get a foothold in your tank. Once established, these will compete with what you currently have for phosphate and will (provided they get sufficient organic nitrogen) suppress the growth of the stuff you currently have.

Adding fish would help you by providing a source of organic nitrogen/carbon for non-fixing fauna or you can use a liquid nitrate fertilizer. Brightwell has one for freshwater tanks - I use a 2-0-0 calcium-nitrate, magnesium-nitrate fertilizer from the hydroponics store (botincare).

if you maintain a nitrate reading of around 5ppm, your tank will no longer be nitrogen limited - and this level will prove no detriment to your corals. I will not kill the stuff you have growing, but it will establish a nutrient balance that will prevent it from dominating and over time it will be out-competed. You'll also avoid cyano, and dino using this approach.

Keep running the GFO - but a healthy flora in the tank will also reduce phosphates.

This tank had 5ppm nitrate when this video was made.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=FR&hl=fr&v=OLRubZGWXiY

Fauna Marin · Jul 15, 2012

HI Robert

Thanks for yoru post about the nitrate. We use it here in europe very often due to the massiv use of Wodka in the Systems it was necessary
to explain the people that the dosing of such an high value carbon source did not have only advanteges. The biggest issue is that this kind of carbon source has a massive influence in the grow and work of Nitrobacter bacterias. So the nitrogen cycle will stopp over the time and it happens that the shortcut is created between the other bacterias.. The problem is that the the corals if they are based on Nitrat metabolism cannot grow and did not use the energy in the tank which is now open for algea/bacterias or others. That kind of algeas also use and need a lot of Trace Elements which they get from sea salts or other overcalculated products/foods or salts.

rgds claude

We use sodiumnitrate or special mix solutions which are available on the market to control the parameters

rgds claude