Dinoflagellates?

[kwolf]

was wondering if what I have are dinoflagellates. I have noticed that many of the snails are not moving and about 50% have died. I smelled the tank and it has a noxious odor to it. I'm thinking toxic dinoflagellates.

please advise...

all fish are fine and healthy...shrimp is healthy. It is possible that it is going through a cycle as I recently moved the tank (sand was dead in new tank).

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I have already done a large water change.

 

[coolsurf]

Please post your parameters....

 

[kwolf]

Going to get it tested right now

I know
pH is 8.1
specific gravity is 1.029 (bringing it down gradually)-hydrometer was one of those cheap ones (I now have a calibrated refractometer). Did not appear to affect corals at all.
temperature is 79F

test kits I have are old/untrustworthy so I'll post the other parameters later.

 

[kwolf]

Also use RO DI water though I don't have a TDS meter for comparison....

 

[dakota9]

Is this algae collecting on the surface of the tank? Looks like this could be Dino. Do you use tap water?

Back when I used tap I had one Dino outbreak. I did one huge water change (with tap water still) and lights out for 2 days and it was fine....

 

[kwolf]

I use RO DI water. The smell is VERY noxious!!! It REEKS. pulled out a dead snail and it reeked of it (and no, not a decaying smell). Sulfur/chemical smell. It collects everywhere: sand/rock/glass. It's not really free floating....(or it could be, but the massive colonies that I see are attached)

 

[brianjfinn]

Whatever it is, do a series of water changes with RODI water and get a bacteria supplement like Stress-zyme. If your tank is going through a cycle, this will help.

 

[kwolf]

Well, I did a huge water change with RODI ~70%. Tank looks alot better now and the smell has gone down.

I just seeded my sand with sand from Alison (affectehalf) so I'm hoping that will help some. The LR is old and well established though.

 

[dakota9]

Definitely run carbon, and actively, perhaps lots of it. Vacuum well during these water changes, although the jury is out on how far you should vacuum into the sand bed, at least get the first half inch of substrate well

 

[ralph atl]

you need some nutrient removal. serious.

raise your ph with kalk to 8.6 if it is dino.

not sure though, could be algae, cyno...

 

[kwolf]

It's really the smell that makes me think dino toxins. I've had yet to smell cyano or any other algae like that. I'll run some extra carbon in there. Just put a new chemipure bag in there.

I don't have a skimmer and I think that would help greatly. If you know of anyone with a skimmer small enough for a 14 gallon biocube (cheap) let me know

 

[rolo65]

im sure someone has a HOB skimmer that would work for you...if not they are fairly inexpensive

 

[ichthyoid]

Moving your sand bed, smells of sulphur... I suspect hydrogen sulphide (H2S) toxicity is the issue here. Did you notice black/dark bands in the gravel prior to moving? (that's an indication of H2S deposits). These accumulate in gravel due to natural anaerobic fermentation of proteins (think disulphide bonds, for you biochemists).

Hydrogen sulphide toxicity is similar to hydrogen cyanide. Very small quantities are detectable by smell (parts per million). This is possibly due to environmental/evolutionary factors and possibly helped humans survive by avoidance (seriously). The snails are apparently more sensitive than your other inverts and fish. -JMHO

GAC and LOTS of aeration will help dissipate/adsorb it.

 

[rhodan]

KWolf,
Did you ever discovered waht it was? Did it ever clear up?