Dinoflagelates Algae Help/Ideas

[topher3f]

I have DNA post and it is great. I read it before I tried the lights out approach as some folks had success with it it.

I took some additional samples of my algae around these Islands here in Hawaii and they all have a different opinion on what it is. After a week on constant sand siphoning and water changes this brown stuff is still coming back. So again after reading several posts I am only going to try two more options before I tear it down and switch back to freshwater before I return to the lower 48 in 2017.

Starting tonight I am going to try chemi-clean for two doses and see what happens but I don't see that being effective. If that fails then I am going on BRS to purchase some DINO X and try that. I doubt this algae is diatoms as many have suggested; especially with the timeline. The looks of diatoms and dino are so close it hard to decipher and like I said the labs here all have a different opinion (My degree is in Political Science...LOL)

There is almost no way I have any nutrients left in this water with the amount of GFO, CARBON, and Phosban I have running. I have a RODI from BRS that reads clean and I use approved food grade water containers.

I am just astonished at how this stuff got in my tank since it was perfect right until the day I moved. I understand die off but 4 months later is ridiculous. Especially since the rick was submerged the entire time except for the few seconds of transfer.

Lets take a gander and see what happens!

 

[cambo123]

Hard to tell from the pics, there are some spots that look like a light amount of Dino's. Telling signs are stringy snot with bubbles. Cyno has a fuzzy look compared to Dino's IMO. Anyway, you can knock them back hard with lights out but can really get them using sub 1 micron pressurized filtration (think RO sediment filter or diatom filter). A 3 day black out of the entire tank, plus consistent basting of the rocks and sand, plus diatom filter has worked for me.

 

[Bent]

I still don't think it's dinos. Most of the things we see are rarely dinos, not that it can't happen, but it's almost like the bogey man at this point. The most likely answer is usually the correct one, and given the circumstances I still think it's just cyano.

Have you tried increasing your carbon dosing? For me the cyano was from nitrates.

 

[topher3f]

Bent all readings are zero to include my new Phosphate ppb checker. The outbreak is evenly spread across the sand regardless of what I do...some on the rocks but that blackout pretty much cleaned all the rocks. I'm going to try chemiclean again for double the amount of time. I'll see what takes place but I'm just getting really tired of this stuff.

May be easier to shut it down and start up once I move back to the lower 48 next November. Save me some shipping costs in the process.

 

[cambo123]

I still don't think it's dinos. Most of the things we see are rarely dinos, not that it can't happen, but it's almost like the bogey man at this point. The most likely answer is usually the correct one, and given the circumstances I still think it's just cyano.

Have you tried increasing your carbon dosing? For me the cyano was from nitrates.

I agree, having experienced them myself this doesn't jump out to me as Dino's

 

[topher3f]

Ok so just to make sure I did the following and no idea what worked but they seem to be in massive recession!

First I did buy the Hanna ppb for phosphate which btw read 0.03. I bought the Red Sea Pro Nitrate tester to be a little more accurate. AGAIN it was zero like every other tester.

So Im up to 10 ml a day vodka which is dangerously high for a 75 gallon (in my opinion). I dosed Chemi-Clean twice in a row without any water changes until after the second dose.

All seems to be in massive recession and 4 days later very little left and I will vacuum my sand on Saturday to get a better view. However the brown is greatly attacking my Cheato and that is a concern as I just bought that ball (grrr). My Vertex skimmer is skimming like a champ and removing all sorts of gunk so I am glad for that puppy. Also I go through a filter sock every second day since all this heavy dosing and chemi-clean.