Dinoflagellates in cycling tank?

[SandJ]

This is dinoflagellates, right?

 

 

Tank just finished cycling

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 40

 

Started tank with dry sand and previously live rock (dried-out of tank for about a year, rinsed and put in tank). The ammonia spiked without adding anything (assume from the stuff in the rock).

 

Had diatoms, then this tan, stringy stuff appeared.

 

If I remember correctly, there is a test you can do to see if it is dinos. Take a sample, run through strainer, shake it up and see if it clumps back together. Need to try and find that info again (and make sure it was for dinos lol). Just making sure it looks like dinos first.

[matt]

That looks like it to me from what I can see via the pic  ...but not a bad case 

[mr11]

Here's the thread I think you're looking for.

 

http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/helpful-method-for-identifying-dinoflagellates.216508/

 

I'm dealing with something similar with a newer tank. Trying to resist the temptation to aggressively treat. I've decided it's probably part of the uglies and if I continue to practice good practices it will hopefully resolve. 

[SandJ]

Not a bad case of them....yet lol They just popped up one day. Since there is nothing in the tank I had rather take care of them now then later. It is actually my daughters tank. She has been very patient in setting everything up the right way and cycling it, I feel bad that she has an issue like this to deal with. I guess she is going to get experience in treating dinos now.

 

Yes, that is the post I was referring to mr11! Thank you very much, you just saved me a lot of time! Seems simple enough so we will try it out. The tank is a homeschool project so might as well put the scientific method to good use lol

[AlanM]

How the heck did the dinos show up in there with dry rock, dry sand, new saltwater and nothing else in there?  Do they have dry spores that make them show up from being on the rock previously?  I'm getting ready to set up a new tank with dry rock and really would get discouraged if this is how it started.

[ridetheducati]

How the heck did the dinos show up in there with dry rock, dry sand, new saltwater and nothing else in there?  Do they have dry spores that make them show up from being on the rock previously?  I'm getting ready to set up a new tank with dry rock and really would get discouraged if this is how it started.

There has been discussion around dinos using fish and inverts as possible transport mechanisms.

[ridetheducati]

There has been discussion around dinos using fish and inverts as possible transport mechanisms.

Based on my theory, systems less than 2 years old are candidates for possible dino infection.  Especially setup with dry rock and sand.  Lack of bio diversity may be the root cause.

[SandJ]

How the heck did the dinos show up in there with dry rock, dry sand, new saltwater and nothing else in there? Do they have dry spores that make them show up from being on the rock previously? I'm getting ready to set up a new tank with dry rock and really would get discouraged if this is how it started.

That is what concerns me. Nothing has been added. And when she does add life to the tank, are the nutrients going to fuel the dinos?

 

Luckily, she is a very patient 14 year old and wants to do things right :0)

 

There has been discussion around dinos using fish and inverts as possible transport mechanisms.

There have been no fish, CUC, corals or anything else added to this tank. Everything added was dry (though the rock was previously live, but dry).

 

So how did they get in there?

[ridetheducati]

Do you have a positive ID for dinos?  

[SandJ]

 

 

Do you have a positive ID for dinos?  

Will let you know something in about 30-120 minutes lol

[SandJ]

Followed the instructions on the dino test. I went to bed before the time was up. Checked this morning and there was no dinos in the cup, water was clear. So, looks like I may be wrong and it may not be dinos.

 

Maybe bacteria?

 

It is greenish brown, somewhat transparent. Stringy. It dissolved in the water when I shook it up. Some of it has bubbles in it.

 

May pull out the microscope tomorrow and see if I can identify what it is.

 

Added stuff to glass

 

After shaking it up, I poured the water through a cloth. The water sat over night and nothing formed in it.

[SandJ]

I uploaded some images from the microscope to photo bucket. Here is a link to the album:

 

 http://s1168.photobucket.com/user/SandJ01/library/

 

Here are some of the images:

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2016 by SandJ

[SandJ]

So, is this still just new tank cycling??? The tank looks pretty bad and don't even know where to start cleaning it up :0/

 

[rtelles]

I dealt with a really nasty case of this stuff and it looked exactly as bad as your last pic. Diatom outbreaks are normal, and that's not what you're dealing with. I have it under control now, but had to take a number of steps (there are tons of threads about this stuff, but this is what worked for me). If you have a sump and filter socks (ideally one that's really dense), use a basic tube and siphon as much of that stuff as humanly possible immediately into a filter sock and into the sump (so you're filtering out the dinos but keeping the water in the system). When you've siphoned everything, replace the filter sock with a clean one and repeat every day. This will get rid of worst of the outbreak and get you to a new starting point, and doing it daily will keep it from spreading. Next, lights out/blackout. They're photosynthetic, so even really small amounts of light will keep them alive, so you'll need to cover your tank for 3 days, entirely. No light whatsoever. Luckily you're still cycling, so you won't have any angry corals or fish. If you have a skimmer, run it during this period. Repeat this every 3 weeks or so, while siphoning off any visible dynos that you see daily when the lights are active. Ideally, you'll see fewer and fewer while the cycle continues and you'll start to get things like diatoms and hair algae that will compete for nutrients. Lastly, don't change the water until the end of the period. This will also help starve the dinos. Don't try to use any cleanup crews - the dinos are toxic and will kill snails and crabs.

 

This may seem like a lot of work, but after the initial bout of siphoning the dinos from the rock (I was thorough so it took about 45 min), it only takes about 5 minutes every day to siphon any that pop up, and the blackout periods are easy, you just have to cover the tank so that no light seeps through. I get the odd dino every now and then in my tank now, but it doesn't effect any of my livestock or corals. Also, I've never tried peroxide dosing, but it seems to have worked for others.