What is this junk??

[asl4me76]

I have had this stuff forming in my tank for I don't know how long. I blow it off, it comes back ... I blow it off and it comes back. It literally attaches to everything.

It has long stringie stuff .. and has a brown coat that looks like film. Now, if I stop all my water circulation, this stuff is literally everywhere in my tank.

Here are some images.

 

[maroon2]

I got this stuff for a while when I upgraded from PCs to MH and T5s. Went away w/ a few water changes and cutting down my light time.

 

[asl4me76]

I have tehe same lighting as I have always had. The only difference is about 2 months ago I got a new bulb and went from Iwaski 15k bulb to a XM10k bulb, my light schedule has stayed the same.

 

[mike68]

Looks like Dinos to me.

 

[SleepyJ]

Looks like Dinos to me.

I agree. I had a similar infestation only a greener color of pest. I bought a TLF phosban reactor and ran it non stop with GFO for a month. I also changed the water weekly for that month. Needless to say, I haven't had any issues since.

On a positive note, the stuff was so intrusive it killed off the digitate hydroids that hitchhiked on my rock.

 

[Guillaume]

Dinos +3, changing bulbs is tricky, even little changes. Should be good with water changes. Good luck

 

[Stanley-Reefer]

Not being harsh, but almost all your sps are gonners!

 

[TheH]

dinoflagellates. In case you didn't want to search for "dinos"

 

[asl4me76]

Not being harsh, but almost all your sps are gonners!

What makes you say that? Considering I keep them pretty clean and blow them off daily. Not all of my SPS have them, just on the frag rack and that one coral.

Anyways -- just water changes will cure the situation? Or WC along with GFO being ran?

 

[sanababit]

they are dinoflagellates and your frags look bleached, that is why the comment on the sps, BUT i see polyps so with proper care they will look great

sana

 

[Guy(ReefSmart)]

Dinos for sure.

 

[asl4me76]

they are dinoflagellates and your frags look bleached, that is why the comment on the sps, BUT i see polyps so with proper care they will look great

sana

I guess it would help if I mentioned that I am vodka dosing as well. I am actually thinking about quitting due to the bleaching of my frags. The all white one that you see is not bleached, but is rather a "nana" frag .

 

[sanababit]

What makes you say that? Considering I keep them pretty clean and blow them off daily. Not all of my SPS have them, just on the frag rack and that one coral.

Anyways -- just water changes will cure the situation? Or WC along with GFO being ran?

Best medicine for dinos is this

NO water changes
feed less
lights out for 3 days
raise ph to ~8.5 and keep it there
sounds crazy but if your tank has 0 nitrate then raise it a little
run an algae scrubber
run GFO
change bulbs if they are to old
remove sand if you can
dont blow them of because they spread easy, instead siphon them out into a filter sock

been there and i got rid of them in 2 weeks, good luck

sana

 

[gowingsgo]

sanababit is right on with how to get rid of dinoflagellates
NO water changes
feed less
lights out for 3 days
raise ph to ~8.5 and keep it there
sounds crazy but if your tank has 0 nitrate then raise it a little
run an algae scrubber
change bulbs if they are to old
dont blow them of because they spread easy, instead siphon them out into a filter sock
Here is a link http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/rhf/index.php
and here http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1620464

Not doing a water change is hard not to do but that worked for me more then anything else
Good luck

 

[Guillaume]

Mmm, there's something to learn here... Thanks !

 

[asl4me76]

Best medicine for dinos is this

NO water changes
feed less
lights out for 3 days
raise ph to ~8.5 and keep it there
sounds crazy but if your tank has 0 nitrate then raise it a little
run an algae scrubber
run GFO
change bulbs if they are to old
remove sand if you can
dont blow them of because they spread easy, instead siphon them out into a filter sock

been there and i got rid of them in 2 weeks, good luck

sana

I don't have any GFO, I need to see if I can any locally from one of my buddies I can borrow until I get something set up. I am thinking of getting the dual chamber GFO unit from BRS. What type of GFO should I use?

I unfortunately can't remove the sand.

I have a clam, my question would be if I go lights off for 3 days, would it hurt my SPS and clam? Also, when going lights out, put like a sheet or something like that over the tank to block all light source from coming through.