dinoflagellate question

[jjharrisx4]

Ok, so I did some research on the dreaded Dinoflagellates, and found a lot of really great hints to get rid of it. The problem is, I always hear of red or brown Dino. I've got a slimy snotty looking film on my sand and a bit on my LR but my slimy snotty bubbly stuff is GREEN, not red or brown. What gives...I can never just have the normal issues, they are always issues on STEROIDS.

Maybe this has something to do with my fish dying over the weekend. This stuff just started appearing last week (tues or so) and the fish were dead on monday (office tank). My plan of action is to not add any fish for a month or so (corals and inverts only) limit feeding, regular water changes (15g tank so maybe 1-2 g/day changes) for a couple weeksand keep a close eye on ph etc.. I've been a bit negligent with this tank so I'll be better from now on.

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Sounds to me like cyanobacteria. Even though it is referred to red slime algae as it is most common but can come in a variety of colors. Here is a good link:
http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm

I had this problem and directed more water flow to the areas and used a turkey baster to take out alot of it annd repeating the process for a few days. Definately cut back on feeding as well. Johnny

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by jjharrisx4
...my slimy snotty bubbly stuff is GREEN, not red or brown. What gives... ...Maybe this has something to do with my fish dying over the weekend...

Actually most of the spp of Cyanobacteria are not red, but blue gree algae that inhabit much of the worlds aquatic environments. The variety we see is most often red, cyan, or purple due to the conditions that exist in out tanks (circulation, lighting, nutrients, and substrate as well as temp andsalinity variables). It can be almost blue, green in several different shades, brown, black, red (bright red) orange, even orangy-yellow depending on the accessory pigments in the particular specie that grows in your tank.. It is a normal part of any healthy system, it just blooms when conditions favor it's explosive growth (i.e., the death of the fish most likely released large amounts of ammonia and or nitrogenous waste due to the decomposition of protienaceous biomass of the fishk, which would favor a Cyanobacteria bloom)

[Alice]

Dinoflagellates, the dreaded dinos, which I have more experience with than I ever wanted, will grow up into snotty looking strings during the course of the day, break away and form a film or mat on the water surface. Unlike cyano where you can net or grab it out kind of in one piece, dinos will completely disintegrate on you.

Alice

[inthesand]

as i've posted a few times, i had dino's for over a year. i finally got rid of them after i turned up the water movement. if you have a dsb try to get the water movement to the point the sand is just starting to move. i also sucked out all dinoflaggellates i could get. they are very persistent but don't give up. water movement i believe to be the real key.

[wonderboy23]

I just got over a real bad case of it a couple of months ado and it was a pain to get rid of. I finally beat it by covering up my tank for 2 days without any light. Ran floss and sucked out all the slime i could. yanked out all my miracle mud in the sump and put in sand. It hasn't been back since.

[jjharrisx4]

Hey guys, I think it is the cyano not dinoflagellates. Like previously stated, it can be netted out, or even lifted out by hand in small sheets. I added an additional PH to the tank (now over 200 GPH in a 15tall) and tested the water. Here it goes:

SG = 1.024
ph = 8.3
no2 = 0
amm = 0
no3 = 0
alk = 9dKh
CA = 380

We'll see how it goes...right now no fish and minimal feeding to support my few hermits and shrimp.

I was thinking dino because of the trapped bubbles, but I guess it's just catching air bubbles from the LR and sand....

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by jjharrisx4
I was thinking dino because of the trapped bubbles, but I guess it's just catching air bubbles from the LR and sand....

The cyanobacteria make O2 just like any other plant-type organism with chlorophylls. You will prolly notice that the cyanobacteria is worse in the evenings, and that the bubbles will get larger as the day progresses. This is due to the photosynthesis occuring during your photoperiod. Sounds to me like it is cyano as well.

Your water column testing reflects the relative absence of nitrogen products for a number of reasons, but the one that is most problematic is that the cyanobacteria lock up circulating nitrogen in their cellular mass. This is both the problem and the solution. This biomass represents the necessary amount of nutrients needed to grow that amount of cyanobacteria (in addition to whatever other processes are occuring in the water column). Siphoning off the biomass of the cyanobacteria is a great way to permanently remove these excess nitrates from your aquarium. In the long run, some specie of organism (or species) will have their own little bloom to take up the next step in the food chain to either successfully compete with your cyanobacteria for these excess nutrients, or begin to consume your cyanobacteria mats as a food source (thus moving both excess carbon and nitrogen anouther step up the food chain), It is just another step your biotope is taking toward maturity and its resulting balance.

Hope this helps.