Algae ID... cyano or dinoflagellate?

[cr500_af]

Dakota,
No, I haven't. I have done 10-15 g per day for 3 days. NOW I'm reading in threads elsewhere that it's recommended to do NO W/C until it's gone. I'm doing a 48 hr lights out, and no feeding. I'll see when I get home Saturday how that goes.

The more I read the more worried I am... it seems like this stuff is a B)*&^*) and can hurt livestock. I've skimmed out about 12 oz of NASTY skimmate over the past couple of days, and have fed, but lightly. I am using a carbon bag and a phosphate remover bag in the sump... I just don't know what else to do. I can live with ugliness for a while but I've got to keep the animals healthy.

 

[fish scales2]

JMO but I would just shut the lights out, do not feed anything to the tank for 72 hrs, turn the powerheads off as well. Do not try to adjust your ph.

Here is a link.
http://www.planetreef.org/snot-algae-dinoflagellates-t94.html">http://www.planetreef.org/snot-algae-dinoflagellates-t94.html</a>

I do believe it is dinoflagellates. Not going to be a big issue for you Barry!

 

[cr500_af]

Chris, thanks for your advice. Won't I create oxygen deprivement with no powerheads running? I know JessPete just lost all her fish from the power going out, presumably from lack of aeration...

Or will the return pump circulate enough aerated water (aerated in the skimmer) for the livestock to be OK?

 

[drnecropolis]

Barry, Call if you need anything. You know I am just minutes away. Hope you get it all fixed soon!

 

[cr500_af]

DrNecropolis;362021 wrote: Barry, Call if you need anything. You know I am just minutes away. Hope you get it all fixed soon!

Thanks, and you nailed it. After more and more air bubbles showed up I'm convinced it is dino. I wish it were something easier to deal with... like radioactive fallout or something simple like that.

By the way, now that I figured out what was causing my probe to read funky (lights), I need to check the calibration, which I can do now that it reads consistently. Do you have any calibration fluid, or could I maybe at least check it against your probe again? Though, I don't know which adjustment to make if it is off... it has a 4.1 and a 10.1 adjustment pot.

 

[fish scales2]

"Most of the treatments for cyano's applies to Dino's. However, Dino's require a little more. The pH must be bumped up (8.4 to 8.5) which can be accomplished by dripping Kalk faster than normal. This means your alkalinity is going to be raised higher than normal too. Sometimes you even need to leave the lights off for a couple of days. Before you start your treatment, siphon up as much of it as you can....they reproduce via fission. The fewer you have in your tank, the fewer 'babies'. "

One step at a time, lights out till Sunday. If no significant change you will be adding Chemi-clean and adding several air stones to keep everything aerated.

"will the return pump circulate enough aerated water (aerated in the skimmer) for the livestock to be OK?"

Yes

Chris

 

[cr500_af]

Thanks, Chris. Sorry I PM'ed you before I saw your post. I googled for an hour and read a lot of articles/threads, and the link you posted had more useful information in it that the others combined. I know Randy Holmes-Farley is a brilliant man, but most of us just want to know a course of action, not the full 400-level biology course on it, ya know?

See you Sunday! What do you like for lunch?

 

[joshl]

ask grimreefer--tracy he had the same thing that everyone said it was cyno and it wasnt and he did something and was able to get rid of it