Dinoflagellates and pH Poll

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am putting together an article on treating problem dinoflagellates and want to gather some information on the incidence of dinoflagellates with respect to the pH in reef aquaria.

Please only answer in the positive if you are fairly confident that you have or have had dinoflagellates, and not diatoms, cyanobacteria, green algae, or other problems. I know it can be hard to distinguish these, but the poll will be more useful if the incidence of comments on similar organisms (like cyano) is a small portion of the total.

These pest dinoflagellates are usually a snotty, gooey coating on things. They can be clear/white, or green to brown. They also often trap O2 bubbles during photosynthesis.

I'll be posting a couple of other polls later on how these pests were eventually removed from your aquaria.

Thanks in advance.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Randy, this is confusing "I have never had dinos, and my max pH is below 8.2 to 8.4" Would it not say" I have never had dinos, and my max ph is above 8.2 to 8.4?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm not sure what is confusing you. If your max pH is 8.3, you pick 8.2 to 8.4.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

:lol: must be a canadian thing... j/k

Are dinos generally growing string like? Because diatoms are bubbly rather than stringy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Diatoms are not usually slimy and gooey.

Hows that for a good scientific diagnosis!

 

[jerryc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8266818#post8266818 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
Diatoms are not usually slimy and gooey.

Hows that for a good scientific diagnosis!

At least its one we can all understand even electricians
that has been out of school a looooong time

 

[sabodish]

what if we had dinos at a ph of 8.2 but raised it to 8.6 and they went away??

 

[carman9941]

GREAT POLL!! Randy I will be following along as this is a problem that I have just recentlly had, and I think that you may be on to something I have started to use only KALK and I keep the PH up to about 8.4 to 8.3 even overnight

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Box:

I think I see the confusion, and I changed the descriptions in the poll, removing an errent "below".

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

what if we had dinos at a ph of 8.2 but raised it to 8.6 and they went away??

In this poll, I want to know when they came. So pick 8.2. I want to know if more elevated pH, but still within normal ranges, reduces the chance of getting them in the first place.

I'll post a second poll later on whether raising ph helped, and how high you raised it.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

This is a picture from one of Eric Bornmans articles. Is this a dinoflagellate poulation? Its the snoty green grassy stuff between the two corals.

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/salwaterfish123/dinos.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

Anyone got a good picture?

 

[Cosmo^Kramer]

Heres so dino's with a twist of hair

[/IMG]
It's gone now,I used another method(not high PH) for a different thread.

 

[Sudad]

One of my aquarium friends had many problems with dinos. His pH was 7,9. I helped him to increase the pH-level with kalkwasser to an amount of 8,4 and stabililzed the alkalinity with hydrogencarbonat and aragonit products to an amount of 8 dH°. The dinos disapeard within 3 days. They never came back again.

So I voted for the last point.

Sudad

 

[Mike O'Brien]

I had an outbreak after adding my calcium reactor in march, the ph was alway's under 8 with the reactor running. They basically went away on their own rather quickly after about a month. Water changes did seem to help, but I stuck with my normal routine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks everyone who's been participating so far!

So I voted for the last point.


What did you vote?

Remember, folks the question is what is the pH when the dinos came, not a pH that later cured them.

I can correct any mistaken votes if you tell me what they were.

I had an outbreak after adding my calcium reactor in march, the ph was alway's under 8 with the reactor running.

Thanks. Did you vote that pH under 8 with dinos?

 

[boxfishpooalot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8273235#post8273235 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cosmo^Kramer
Heres so dino's with a twist of hair

[/IMG]
It's gone now,I used another method(not high PH) for a different thread.

What method did you use? Did you happen to increase water flow? Thanks for the picture!

It looks like dinos give off a biolumenecent color.

 

[Mike O'Brien]

Thanks. Did you vote that pH under 8 with dinos?

Yes, I did.

Disgusting I might add.

 

[Rays]

I had it a year ago, real nasty stuff!!

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Randy I would like to change my vote, I think I have a small amount in my sump. It like the stuff in the last picture posted.

I voted "I have never had dinos, and my max pH is 8.0 to 8.2"

I have had dinos and my ph is never above 8.10. It drifts from 8.0-8.10. So vote for me Thx

 

[Cosmo^Kramer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8275249#post8275249 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
Thanks everyone who's been participating so far!

Thank you Randy for doing this research.I have learned so much from your articles and dedication to the hobby,I appreciate your hard work.Thank you

boxfishpooalot I'd rather PM you what I did to get rid of the dino's and hair alge.I just don't want to throw the thread off subject if thats ok with you