Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster
I've been re-reading articles on dinoflagellates. I've decided to take a more aggressive approach. It sounds like this stuff requires a full commitment. "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts!"
Yesterday, after the partial water change, I did another, but retuned the water through an improvised filter, to prevent returning dinos back into the tank. I started another blackout, this time wrapping the tank, so no light can get in. I have suspended all dosing, including CO2. I added baking soda to raise pH. I also plan to get some more phosphate media, to make sure those levels are low. After blackout, I'll run a reduced photoperiod. I will also do water changes on two consecutive days to remove any remaining traces. If all looks good after that, I will gradually increase the photoperiod again. I may add hydrogen peroxide as an extra measure, but I hope I won't need to. Sterilizing the tank water sounds a bit extreme for this kind of tank, but I'll look into it.
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....But what if it's not dinos? Seriously I have seen any pics you posted that looked strongly suggestive of dinos.
I've seen cyano, diatoms, spirulina, chrysophytes, cryptomonads all do a really good impression of dinos. And your tank is really not typical dino case.
Sending you a PM of a write up for a couple of simple testing protocols (peroxide test and coffee filter test) for those without microscope access. Microscope capable of ID dinos down to the genus can be had for under $20, and for $70 you can get a scope that will blow your mind with what lives in your tank.