Advice on next steps in battle with Dinos and now diatoms

[monfilsi]

Hi All,

400L Tank details:
1 3/4 year old. Fully stocked with coral, fish etc.
Salinity: 1.025 SG
PH 8.0
Alkalinity 9.3 dkH
Nitrate: 9.0 ppm
Phoshate: 0.12 ppm
Calcium: 440 ppm
Mag: 1450 ppm

Started battling with Dinos ~6months ago. Dinos were confirmed from microscope. Although exact species was difficult to confirm, but they were toxic and killed all my snails. Battle plans was/is to keep Nitrate/Phosphate elevated, use UV sterilizer, dose bacteria and also increase silica levels to encourage diatoms to outcompete the dinos.
Microscope samples of Dinos looked like this 6 months ago:


Battle has been progressing in the right direction. Dinos had visually just about disappeared 4 weeks ago and I removed UV sterilizer. Now it looks like I'm getting diatom blooms. The blooms are still tied to light cycle and from today's microscope sample it looks like diatoms seem to be out competing the dinos, but some dinos are still present... but I don't think you can completely eliminate dinos.

Today's microscope sample:

I could use some advice on what to do next.
My levels are nice and stable and I'm happy with where they are and more importantly coral seem happy and I have reintroduced snails and the are doing well. So I'll leave levels as is.
Should I keep using UV sterilizer?
Should I stop dosing silicate to let diatoms bloom die off? Don't have a tester for Silicate, but was just dosing 0.8ml of water glass every 3-4 weeks.
Should I siphon out the sand bed daily?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[aggrofish]

I'd trade diatoms for dinos any day. I'd stop dosing silicate and let the dinos die off naturally

 

[dwest]

I agree that diatoms are much better than dinos. I would keep doing what you are doing for 6 more months and reevaluate.

 

[crabgrass]

You won.

 

[monfilsi]

Thanks for the responses.

I could use some advice on what to do next.
My levels are nice and stable and I'm happy with where they are and more importantly coral seem happy and I have reintroduced snails and the are doing well. So I'll leave levels as is.

Should I keep using UV sterilizer?
Should I stop dosing silicate to let diatoms bloom die off? Don't have a tester for Silicate, but was just dosing 0.8ml of water glass every 3-4 weeks.
Should I siphon out the sand bed daily?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[DDenny]

If you siphon the sand you’re removing the diatoms as well that are out competing the Dino’s. You can try and reduce the amount of waterglass dosing and see what happens but keep and eye for Dino’s as the diatoms start to die off.

 

[dwest]

Thanks for the responses.

I could use some advice on what to do next.
My levels are nice and stable and I'm happy with where they are and more importantly coral seem happy and I have reintroduced snails and the are doing well. So I'll leave levels as is.

Should I keep using UV sterilizer?
Should I stop dosing silicate to let diatoms bloom die off? Don't have a tester for Silicate, but was just dosing 0.8ml of water glass every 3-4 weeks.
Should I siphon out the sand bed daily?

Thanks for your advice!

I would not stop UV yet. I would keep dosing silicates. I don’t think siphoning the sand every day is necessary.

Snails staying alive is huge. You are on the cusp of success. If you get more green algae and diatoms, get a few more snails. That’s it. Good luck!

 

[monfilsi]

I would not stop UV yet. I would keep dosing silicates. I don’t think siphoning the sand every day is necessary.

Snails staying alive is huge. You are on the cusp of success. If you get more green algae and diatoms, get a few more snails. That’s it. Good luck!

Ok so seems like there is some consensus around continuing to run UV and basically just monitoring. I'll look under microscope weekly to make sure dino continue to lose against diatoms. I dosed waterglass about 5 days ago, so I won't dose anymore for at least 2-3 weeks. The automated water change will start to bring silicate levels down slowly. I will not siphon sand.

Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[dwest]

Ok so seems like there is some consensus around continuing to run UV and basically just monitoring. I'll look under microscope weekly to make sure dino continue to lose against diatoms. I dosed waterglass about 5 days ago, so I won't dose anymore for at least 2-3 weeks. The automated water change will start to bring silicate levels down slowly. I will not siphon sand.

Thanks everyone for the help!

I ran UV for about year after dinos had subsided. There is no downside in doing this IME.

 

[DDenny]

Would need

Hey I'm a little worried that this is dinoflagellates. ..hopefully it's not but I'm pretty sure it is...I my tank has only been up since may 1st...could I have dinoflagellates at this stage? I thought I had my diatom bloom already so I'm a little weary as to what this is...either diatoms or Dinos. ..hope someone can help identify...
I only have a clown fish and a nassarious snail in here so I'm going to be getting more CUC if it is diatoms...if it's Dinos then no CUC...
It's a 10 gallon tank
With only a hang on filter and a heater...I have a powerhead but It's a RW8 that is going in my 40 breeder when I upgrade...should I put that in there to increase flow? I wasn't planning on buying a skimmer or anything crazy for this tank because when my 40 is set up I'm turning this into my QT.
Amonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
Po4: .02
Temp: 78
Not sure what the silicate is
Ca: 430
PH: 8.2

pictures of the tank under white lights and a picture under microscope to ID which ones or if it’s Dino’s or Diatoms.

 

[monfilsi]

@mackron
In my experience Cyano, Dinos and diatom look very similar to the naked eye, but their treatments are very different. The only way to tell them apart (and to id the species of Dinos) is to use a microscope. Even a cheap kids microscope should do the trick, try to get at least 250x magnification. After almost 2yrs in, I'm finding that a better more robust microscope with 2000x magnification is very useful and ability to capture digital images.

Hey I'm a little worried that this is dinoflagellates. ..hopefully it's not but I'm pretty sure it is...I my tank has only been up since may 1st...could I have dinoflagellates at this stage? I thought I had my diatom bloom already so I'm a little weary as to what this is...either diatoms or Dinos. ..hope someone can help identify...
I only have a clown fish and a nassarious snail in here so I'm going to be getting more CUC if it is diatoms...if it's Dinos then no CUC...
It's a 10 gallon tank
With only a hang on filter and a heater...I have a powerhead but It's a RW8 that is going in my 40 breeder when I upgrade...should I put that in there to increase flow? I wasn't planning on buying a skimmer or anything crazy for this tank because when my 40 is set up I'm turning this into my QT.
Amonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
Po4: .02
Temp: 78
Not sure what the silicate is
Ca: 430
PH: 8.2

 

[monfilsi]

More microscope pics:
Think this one is some kind of unarmored dino: I haven't seen these before now.

Think this one is amphidinium:

Good amount of diatoms in there as well.

 

[karsa]

Currently battling these myself. The advice I received was to keep running UV or dosing silicates until you only see 1-2 Dinos on an entire slide then start backing off

 

[DDenny]

More microscope pics:
Think this one is some kind of unarmored dino: I haven't seen these before now.

Think this one is amphidinium:

Good amount of diatoms in there as well.

I see a lot of diatoms in there along with LCA

 

[brandon429]

@markron

let's fix your tank up, it would be easy at that gallonage regardless of the type of invasion you have

send me a message we can fix your tank right up. I collect before and after pics of reef jobs