Is this algae?
- Thread starter Dubin
- Start date
Yup. Looks like it's probably dinoflagellates, a typical early "colonizer" in newly set up tanks. Just siphon up the worst spots regularly, practice good tank maintenance and nutrient control, and in time it should subside as other more desirable algaes start colonizing the rocks.
Is that good or bad?
mcurl98
Premium Member
Not IME. A lot of people have tried a lot of different things so I would do a search on it and you'll get a lot of info. IME the best thing to do is to keep running dark cycles until it doesn't come back. Your tank needs to be fairly dark though-so, if you have a lot of natural light in the room you may need to block the light in addition to cycling your tank lights off. Dinos are often just part of the cycling some new tanks go through. They can, however, last longer than some of the other issues. My advice is to not add any(more) corals until the process is complete.
mcurl98
Premium Member
IME coral are fine for 2-3 days with no light. In fact, probably about a year ago there was a popular thread outlining the benefits of turning off your lights 3 days each month to control algae problems etc-The theory was that tropical type storms muddy the waters so corals in the wild do not always get light. Not sure what the final word was on the practice though. Just keep an eye on them. Looks like the dinos are covering some of your corals anyway. Does your tank smell a bit worse? Dinos smell bad.
rustyjames
EMT-B
I have had the exact same thing for the last 3 weeks, like in picture #1 filament with bubbles. I thought it was cyano, remove as much as I can by hand and did 3 days no light last week but not much better. My tank was set up in January so it's not that new.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Your pest looks like typical dinoflagellates. IME, these infestations in reality are a combination of pests like cyano or in some cases algae. You would need to look at this stuff under a microscope to be sure. You can send me a sample if you like.
As far as control, IME it is best to remove the pest by siphoning and scrubbing. You will need to stay on top of it as it grows back on a regular short interval basis.
Lights out will not have much effect of either dinos or cyano, as they can produce a spore stage that will re-grow after you turn the lights back on. These spores can last an extremely long period of time.
As far as control, IME it is best to remove the pest by siphoning and scrubbing. You will need to stay on top of it as it grows back on a regular short interval basis.
Lights out will not have much effect of either dinos or cyano, as they can produce a spore stage that will re-grow after you turn the lights back on. These spores can last an extremely long period of time.
xJake
Active member
I would agree that, from your photos, it looks like dinoflagellates.
Last year, I struggled with dinoflagellates for months in my stony coral propagation system. I assumed that the treatment was the same as for any other algae or cyanobacteria; however, nutrient control, (extensive) manual removal, and turning off the lights for a few days didn't seem to make even the slightest dent. They kept coming back, would literally grow on anything and everything, and would spread like wildfire (after just removing a patch of them, they would completely grow back in only a few hours).
Finally, I decided to actually do a bit of reading on the subject, and I stumbled upon this helpful article from Randy Holmes-Farley: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php
I set up a kalkwasser drip to keep the pH constantly elevated to 8.5 - as Randy outlines in this part of the article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php#12
I went home for the weekend, and when I got back to the lab that Monday, the dinoflagellates were completely gone. Needless to say, I was shocked - expecting the treatment to take a week or more before I saw any results. I didn't see any sign of them after that, and I haven't seen them since.
Last year, I struggled with dinoflagellates for months in my stony coral propagation system. I assumed that the treatment was the same as for any other algae or cyanobacteria; however, nutrient control, (extensive) manual removal, and turning off the lights for a few days didn't seem to make even the slightest dent. They kept coming back, would literally grow on anything and everything, and would spread like wildfire (after just removing a patch of them, they would completely grow back in only a few hours).
Finally, I decided to actually do a bit of reading on the subject, and I stumbled upon this helpful article from Randy Holmes-Farley: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php
I set up a kalkwasser drip to keep the pH constantly elevated to 8.5 - as Randy outlines in this part of the article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php#12
I went home for the weekend, and when I got back to the lab that Monday, the dinoflagellates were completely gone. Needless to say, I was shocked - expecting the treatment to take a week or more before I saw any results. I didn't see any sign of them after that, and I haven't seen them since.
