Can diatoms look like this?

[owdee]

Tried searching for this but couldn't find anything to really help me out. This crap is taking over my tank, fast. I started a lights-out yesterday (seems to have gotten far worse since then) and I am making water for a change that I will do tomorrow right now. Tried pulling some out, but it's near impossible. This stuff is golden brown colored and stringy. To be honest, it looks just like zooxanthella. Is it possible for that to take over a tank like this??? My torch coral had been expelling some as it got used to my lighting.

Params:
Ammonia & Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0/undetectable (measured at night w/ lights out)
SG - 1.025
Currently running Purigen, carbon and PhosGuard

Tank has been up, running, and stocked since October. Any help or advice is appreciated.

 

[SushiGirl]

Looks like dinoflagellates.

 

[owdee]

Looks like dinoflagellates.

Well then it seems I may have been on the right path by suggesting zooxanthella. Any ideas for how to get rid of this junk?

 

[SushiGirl]

I would run a search on it here, there are tons of ideas LOL.
No one seems to give my way any credence because it wasn't severe enough, so I won't suggest it LOL.

 

[owdee]

Well I know the obvious stuff like siphon it (which I will do tomorrow), lights out for a few days (doing it already), and raise pH (mine is already 8.4) but you never know who may have some special trick up their sleeve so I figured I would ask. Thanks for the ID; totally fits the description.

 

[mgraf]

Ive battled it and won for the moment? Its still in my system, just not appearing in my display anymore. I built an algae scrubber and all it grows is that slimey stringy stuff! I also cut my light to 8 hours a day. But it grows in the skimmer and not in my display anymore. It got so bad, I would blow it of my corals and within hours it would be back. Doing the three day dark out worked but, it always came back. Ive also heard that it doesn't do well in high ph tanks. I have been working the light hours up slowly and have been watching the display. Would like to get twelve hours a day out of them but, at the first sight of this stuff coming back in the display im backing them down. Just a little imput on it! I'm no pro!

 

[SushiGirl]

We siphoned too, but only cut the light cycle in half (4 hours). Took a while (which is probably another reason no one cares for how we did it), and still get the bubbles at the end of the light cycle, but no stringy stuff for over a month now. Took a month and a half or 2 to get rid of that our way. We've been trying to increase our light cycle as well, but keep an eye on the bubbles too.