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dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 5:47 am
by 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?
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 7:28 am
by 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.
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 8:51 am
by Tidalwave
duskye wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 5:47 am
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.
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 9:58 am
by 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.
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 11:56 am
by florin1
What's a dinoflagellate? Is it bad for fish?
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 12:17 pm
by duskye
mohazi wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 7:28 am
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!
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 1:06 pm
by mohazi
florin1 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 11:56 am
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.
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 2:10 pm
by 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.
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 3:45 pm
by harvestor
My tank has dinos too. What's neonitro?
Re: dinoflagellates in coral tank
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 4:50 pm
by Lumineer8
harvestor wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 3:45 pm
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.