Diatom or Dino??

[djm]

Ok so practicing a little with the microscope and managed to get the following pictures under 400x magnification.

do you think these are Ostreopsis? Looking at the guide I thought these are the closest? I do get strands off of the algae on the rocks like a thin brown hair.

I see the cyano which looks like a red hair.
What are the others which look like a crystal and rectangle shape?

what’s the best course of action to tackle all of these?

 

[reefluvrr]

I had to go thru the same process with nuisance algae about 1.5 years ago.

I am curious if you are using live rock or dry rock to begin your tank?

About 1.5 years ago, I had flatworm infestation which killed off my tank which included the micro fauna inside the tank as well. As I restocked my corals and fish, my ugly phase hit and I patiently waited for at least 4 or more months. Some of the diatoms/cyano made my coral look unhappy.

At that time I was reading about bacteria diversity by Aquabiomics using live rocks.
I went and bought 20lbs of live rock and "re-seeded" the bacteria in my tank. I started seeing less and less nuisance algae about 4-6 weeks later. I noticed about about after 3 months sponges growing back on my rock. My corals looked much happier afterwards.

Fast forward to earlier this year in March...I decided to feed my tank Ammonia instead of Nitrate to improve coral growth and colors.... Unfortunately I dosed too much Ammonia and it again killed my fish and corals and affected the micro fauna. Again, I thought I could wait for my ugly phase to go away quickly. It had be 1.5 months and I did not see any quick improvement with 'bacteria in the bottle products' in hopes to have the 'bacteria in the bottles' outcompete the nuisance algae.

I read this thread by Aquabiomics Effects of live sand & mud on the microbial communities in my tanks (updated with new data)

I purchased live sand and mud and seeded my tank again. It only has been less than 1.5 weeks and I have already noticed a substantial decrease in cyano/diatoms already.

Moving forward, If I ever make another bone headed mistake and disrupt my biodiversity in the tank. I will in all likely-hood use live sand/mud to reseed the bacteria to help accelerate past the ugly phase.

 

[djm]

I had to go thru the same process with nuisance algae about 1.5 years ago.

I am curious if you are using live rock or dry rock to begin your tank?

About 1.5 years ago, I had flatworm infestation which killed off my tank which included the micro fauna inside the tank as well. As I restocked my corals and fish, my ugly phase hit and I patiently waited for at least 4 or more months. Some of the diatoms/cyano made my coral look unhappy.

At that time I was reading about bacteria diversity by Aquabiomics using live rocks.
I went and bought 20lbs of live rock and "re-seeded" the bacteria in my tank. I started seeing less and less nuisance algae about 4-6 weeks later. I noticed about about after 3 months sponges growing back on my rock. My corals looked much happier afterwards.

Fast forward to earlier this year in March...I decided to feed my tank Ammonia instead of Nitrate to improve coral growth and colors.... Unfortunately I dosed too much Ammonia and it again killed my fish and corals and affected the micro fauna. Again, I thought I could wait for my ugly phase to go away quickly. It had be 1.5 months and I did not see any quick improvement with 'bacteria in the bottle products' in hopes to have the 'bacteria in the bottles' outcompete the nuisance algae.

I read this thread by Aquabiomics Effects of live sand & mud on the microbial communities in my tanks (updated with new data)

I purchased live sand and mud and seeded my tank again. It only has been less than 1.5 weeks and I have already noticed a substantial decrease in cyano/diatoms already.

Moving forward, If I ever make another bone headed mistake and disrupt my biodiversity in the tank. I will in all likely-hood use live sand/mud to reseed the bacteria to help accelerate past the ugly phase.

I used dry rock called Eco Reef Rock .... this stuff

TMC EcoReef Rock - Mixed Box A

TMC EcoReef Rock - Mixed Box A, Highly porous for superior bacterial loading

charterhouse-aquatics.com

and I just used coral sand which again was dry.
I also dosed Microbe-Lift Special Blend plus Dr Tim’s One and Only.
I’ve just this week changed where I get my RO water as I was noticing a big algae bloom the day after my water changes.
I’m using this company called spotless water which says it’s 0 TDS

Ultra Pure Water for Aquariums | Spotless Water

Learn about the importance of ultra-pure water for aquatic life and how it supports a healthy environment for your home aquarium.

www.spotlesswater.co.uk

 

[reefluvrr]

I also dosed Microbe-Lift Special Blend plus Dr Tim’s One and Only.

I have used these products in the past as well as Dr. Tim's Waste Away, Refresh, Eco-Balance. Microbacter 7, PNS ProBio,
ProdioBio Biodigest. All in hopes of creating diversity...

I’ve just this week changed where I get my RO water as I was noticing a big algae bloom the day after my water changes.
I’m using this company called spotless water which says it’s 0 TDS

Yes high silicates in RO water will cause an increase in algae bloom. That is a bang on idea from being able to get RO water from a vending machine! You should have a portable TDS meter to verify the water as well. Make sure your buckets which you carry your RO water is also cleaned out well.

I used dry rock called Eco Reef Rock .... this stuff

The company does say it have "unrivalled porous nature making this 2.5 x the volume for the same weight."

You probably have high amounts of bacteria, but not likely diverse enough...

The question will be how to find diverse bacteria to seed you tank.

I honestly don't know if live sand in a bag made by CaribSea will help...CaribSea Arag-Alive Bahamas Oolite Live Sand (20lb). I don't know enough about shelf life of the bacteria in the bag as well as if there is actual biodiversity in the sand as well.

Is it possible to go to the ocean and just get some live wet sand and mud? (I don't know if it is legal to harvest live wet sand from your ocean in England.)

Another way would be to ask people or fish stores with established and healthy tank if you can get some of their sand, live rock.

Rock'N'Critters in U.K. seem to carry live rock so that you can buy some to seed your tank.