dinoflagellates in coral tank

[duskye]

My tank's been overrun with dinoflagellates lately. Running a 40-gallon with mixed LPS and SPS, parameters are stable at 1.025 salinity, 8.1 pH, 78°F. Tried blackouts and manual removal, but they keep coming back. Any tips?

[mohazi]

Dinos can be stubborn. What's your nitrate and phosphate levels? They often bloom when nutrients bottom out. I'd recommend checking those first, then maybe dosing microbacter7 to outcompete them. Also, how's your flow? Dead spots can make it worse.

[Tidalwave]

My tank's been overrun with dinoflagellates lately. Running a 40-gallon with mixed LPS and SPS, parameters are stable at 1.025 salinity, 8.1 pH, 78°F. Tried blackouts and manual removal, but they keep coming back. Any tips?

Been there. Upping my water changes to twice a week and adding a UV sterilizer cleared mine up in about three weeks. Might be worth a shot if you haven't tried it yet.

[Lumineer8]

Yeah, dinos are a pain. I had luck with raising my nitrates a bit, like around 5 ppm, and cutting back on the skimmer. Also, make sure your cleanup crew's on point. Hermits and snails helped keep the worst of it in check for me.

[florin1]

What's a dinoflagellate? Is it bad for fish?

[duskye]

Dinos can be stubborn. What's your nitrate and phosphate levels? They often bloom when nutrients bottom out. I'd recommend checking those first, then maybe dosing microbacter7 to outcompete them. Also, how's your flow? Dead spots can make it worse.

Nitrates are at 0, phosphates undetectable. Flow's decent, but I'll double-check for dead spots. Gonna grab some microbacter7 tomorrow. Thanks!

[mohazi]

What's a dinoflagellate? Is it bad for fish?

They're a type of algae that can smother corals and release toxins. Not usually harmful to fish directly, but they can crash a tank if left unchecked. Mostly just a nuisance for coral keepers.

[Tidalwave]

If you're running zero nutrients, that's likely the culprit. Dinos thrive in ultra-low-nutrient environments. Try feeding a bit more or dosing nitrates gently. I used neonitro to bump mine up without overdoing it.

[harvestor]

My tank has dinos too. What's neonitro?

[Lumineer8]

My tank has dinos too. What's neonitro?

It's a nitrate supplement. Pretty handy if you're running too clean. Just go slow with it, dinos can get worse if you swing params too fast.