Is this Dinos or Diatoms? Microscope and white light pics for reference

[Cchamberland]

This is in a 20 gallon AIO with a protein skimmer, UV sterilizer (recently added) and some matrix carbon in the back. It seems to get less apparent at night which leads me to think it's Dinos, but the microscope couldn't magnify enough to get 100% verification. Yes my Nitrate and Phos need to come up, and I'm looking into ways to do that. I heavily feed this tank to try and help bring them up. I'm also dosing phytoplankton and think I'm going to start beneficial bacteria in a bottle. I have Dino X but after reading all of the horror stories I don't want to go that route yet. I also have food grade H202 and am leaning that way. Also was told this weekend to dump the skimmate back into the tank but that seems iffy.

Tank parameters all via Salifert:
Alk: 9.3
Calcium: 450
Magnesium: 1350
Ammonia and Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Phos: 0
Salinity: 1.026
PH: 8.2
Temp: 77-78
Photoperiod: 8 hours, with 1 hour ramp up and down, lit with an AI prime 8" over the water running mostly blues with some whites and no reds or greens at 35 watts at peak.

 

[Mechano]

Too hard to tell via your microscope. Can you increase the magnification?

 

[Cchamberland]

That's the best I could do, unfortunately.

 

[thedon986]

Age of system?

 

[Lavey29]

Looks like dinos to me especially with bottomed out nutrients contributing but without better magnification it is difficult to confirm. Sometimes severe diatoms can have a similar appearance to dinos.

 

[Cchamberland]

Age of system?

About 2 months.

 

[Idech]

Dinos have a rust color and diatoms are brown, IME. This looks like dinos.

 

[thedon986]

Yeah leaning towards dinos. Diatoms don’t really form a mat. On the microscope if you can see anything moving like Roombas bouncing around then it’s dinos. Definitely raise N and P and once confirmed, dosing sodium silicate is good to encourage diatoms to displace the dinos.

 

[Cchamberland]

Dinos have a rust color and diatoms are brown, IME. This looks like dinos.

That's what I'm thinking as well. I did just recheck all of my parameters a little while ago and am finally seeing some nitrate at 10ppm, so hopefully that will help to start alleviating this problem.

 

[Idech]

That's what I'm thinking as well. I did just recheck all of my parameters a little while ago and am finally seeing some nitrate at 10ppm, so hopefully that will help to start alleviating this problem

In my case it never had anything to do with low nitrates (I’ve had them 4-5 times). My nitrates were at 45 ppm when they started again.

 

[Lavey29]

In my case it never had anything to do with low nitrates (I’ve had them 4-5 times). My nitrates were at 45 ppm when they started again.

And Phosphate?

 

[Ziggy17]

Dinos have a rust color and diatoms are brown, IME. This looks like dinos.

100% incorrect. They both can be brown.

 

[Idech]

100% incorrect. They both can be brown.

As I wrote, that’s how they are « in my experience », so it’s 100% correct.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I dont go by Phos reading or color but microscope images help tremendously and your images suggest diatoms. Often when we see low to zero no3 and po4 or zero readings, automatically we assume this is the cause but by the time you see zero numbers, its because the dino has consumed the po4 and no3 and are multiplying and in turn many dose no3 and po4 to bring numbers up not realizing they are feeding these flagellates even more.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure.
You can siphon the bedding and reduce or turn off white lights for 4-5 days and see how things fare. If not which would be unusual, you can prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which works as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED AMINO OR ADD NOPOX which is food for dinos, however you can feed coral, food which will help no3 and po4 to increase. If increasing nutrients, try to keep no3 to about 5 until you are done battling these cells.
Doing a daily siphoning will help greatly But . . . . . Siphoning will reduce nutrients , so siphon the water into/through a filter sock and save the water and return it back to tank. Obviously clean the filter sock each time.
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

 

[Ziggy17]

As I wrote, that’s how they are « in my experience », so it’s 100% correct.

edited.