Eliminating Nuisance Dinoflagellates with Ocean Magik Live Phytoplankton by Kenneth WingerterEliminating harmful and ugly dinoflagellates remains one of the most common—and challenging—tasks for the marine aquarist. Not only can marine aquarium systems be far less chemically stable than the natural reef environment, but they are also subject to disturbances that can occur following bouts of overfeeding, decay associated with animal deaths, chemical water treatments/medications, increases of bioload, and so on. Many of these problems are directly associated with excessive nutrient concentrations. The waters that support coral reefs are typically nutrient-poor, which is exactly why healthy reefs are typically free from smothering by benthic forms of microalgae. On the contrary, closed aquarium systems can quickly accumulate these nutrients, leading to unsightly algae blooms and even the poor health and death of aquarium inhabitants. It is therefore imperative that some means be taken to mitigate the inevitable decline of water quality. Surely, large and frequent water changes are a highly effective way to address these issues in the short term. However, as they are costly and time consuming, they are a less than ideal long-term solution. Chemical filtration, while helpful, is similarly expensive and can have the unintended consequence of removing beneficial substances. Algaecides are almost universally frowned upon in the aquarium community (and rightfully so) as they can eliminate beneficial flora as well as harm (particularly in reef aquaria) some delicate invertebrate species. Fortunately, many hobbyists have begun to experience considerable success taking a more natural and decidedly gentler approach—adding live, beneficial microalgal products to their aquarium systems. In addition to providing important nutritional supplementation to many aquarium species, this method safely robs undesirable algae species of excess nutrients as they build up. Notably, this tactic has been reported to eliminate some of the most loathed forms of nuisance dinoflagellates. [TankIssue] Know your Enemy (Dinoflagellates) The order Dinoflagellata is quite ancient and diverse. It is worth noting that not all of its members are harmful in the aquarium; indeed, dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium (referred to as the zooxanthellae) are well-known for their important mutualistic association with reef-building corals. Furthermore, dinoflagellates are one of the most represented groups among the marine plankton where they contribute significantly to local food webs. The roughly 1,000 dinoflagellate species are rather difficult to classify. They are generally placed into a group of flagellated protozoa called phytoflagellates. Zoologists tend to classify phytoflagellates strictly as protozoans, whereas botanists consider them to be true algae. This confusion is understandable, given their simultaneously plant-like and animal-like characteristics. They appear to be the product of the mergence (i.e. endosymbiosis) of a primitive protozoan and a photosynthetic bacterium. This helps to explain why some types (most, in fact) are photosynthetic while a few are heterotrophic (that is, eat stuff). The heterotrophic forms are actually quite weird, and can grow rapidly in aquaria where there are high concentrations of dissolved organic compounds. Some heterotrophic varieties can even ingest solid food particles through a “mouth” that is formed from a gap at the anterior part of the body. In some cases, such “particles” include other types of dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates are exclusively unicellular, though there are some colonial types can form long chains. All possess a pair of flagella (one short, one long), for which they are named. The flagella project from grooves along their bodies and are used primarily for locomotion. While a few are colorless, most dinoflagellates possess yellow or brown pigments. Their bodies may be either naked or covered with a membrane or plates called theca. The theca are composed of cellulose and are sometimes heavily silicated. These tough membranes and plates serve as armor that protects the dinoflagellate from herbivores. Further protection is sometimes afforded by the production of noxious chemicals. Genera such as Gymnodinium and Gonyaulax produce especially potent toxins such as those responsible for red tides (i.e. saxitoxin). Due to their strong defenses, dinoflagellates may be completely unpalatable and duly avoided by typical aquarium algae-eaters. Making matters worse for the aquarist, dinoflagellates are often capable of extremely high reproductive rates and adaptability. Some types can reproduce (usually via binary fission) multiple times per day. When conditions are not favorable, they are also capable releasing spore-like resting cysts that can regenerate at a much later time. This makes completely eliminating them, particularly without intensive and long-term treatment, very hard to accomplish. Some try some “cures” such as manipulating pH or alkalinity to no avail. Some try to blast it off of the rock, only to see it spread more rapidly. Some even play with fire by adding potentially harmful chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide to the aquarium water. Could it be that the best means of ridding a tank of even the most persistent dinoflagellates (such as “brown slime algae”) are actually the most natural means? Starving Dinos for a Solution It should seem that the best way to eradicate nuisance dinoflagellate blooms is to put a stop to the problem that allowed them to arise in the first place—excess nutrients. As mentioned earlier, the safest and surest course of action here is to increase competitive pressure on dinos by increasing the densities of beneficial algal species. The enlightened aquarist can carry out a highly effective multi-pronged attack with the use of high-end live algal products such as Ocean Magik. This product incorporates a blend of several species of algae that actually nourish phytoplanktivorous aquarium animals (such as many corals, clams, sea cucumbers, etc.) as they sequester nutrients such as ammonia, nitrate, phosphate and silicate directly from the aquarium system water. In other words, Ocean Magik does not merely eliminate bad stuff; rather, it turns bad stuff into something very, very good. Perhaps most importantly, it does so in the most benign way possible. And, when the job is done, the flourishing algae is happily consumed by a very wide variety of aquarium creatures such as copepods (which, incidentally, put even more pressure on heterotrophic varieties of dinoflagellates by competing for organic waste products). Problem solved! [TankIssue]
robert vice says August 7, 2019 at 3:57 pm I’ve been dosing ocean magic for 2 months daily and I’ve never had nitrates this low Reply
Richard Rocha says August 10, 2019 at 6:51 pm I’m letting my buddy know about this option, he been trying to rid dinos too. Reply
Anthony says August 7, 2019 at 3:59 pm I have been using phyto but since starting it I have been battling dynos. What else can I do? Reply
greg.chernoff says August 7, 2019 at 4:04 pm You should increase your dosage, attempt to clean up any dinos or diatom blooms the best you can, and give it a few weeks of “babying” the phytoplankton, until you start to see green growth on rocks and walls and sand! Reply
frank martinez sr says August 25, 2019 at 3:24 pm I haven’t had any problems with my refugium I do water changes are the way to be successful in this hobby Reply
Jeremy Farmer says August 7, 2019 at 4:01 pm Pods are awesome clean up crew, they’re tearing through the cyno in my sump Reply
Tony Mutti says August 7, 2019 at 4:04 pm I’ll have to try it the next time I have this issue. It makes sense. Reply
Terrence Harrison says August 7, 2019 at 4:21 pm Great information! Helpful for first time hobbyists! Reply
Tim Jones says August 7, 2019 at 4:42 pm They made my copepods explode in population when using them Reply
Brandi says August 7, 2019 at 6:56 pm I wonder why locking up nutrients in biological forms rather than eliminating them isn’t recommended to new aquarists more often. Reply
Ross Bennett says August 7, 2019 at 8:12 pm Battling them now and just ordered some so I hope it works! Reply
David says August 7, 2019 at 8:22 pm Interesting article about dinos. Will have to try ocean magik Reply
Doug Smith says August 7, 2019 at 8:44 pm I watch my nutrients pretty close and use a UV Sterilizer but phytoplankton could also be a very valuable natural way to rid a tank of Dinos. Reply
darksorcerer0530 says August 7, 2019 at 8:53 pm This is super informative. I’ve been battling dinoflagellates for a while in my reef tank and this gives some pretty good pointers as to what I can do against this problem. Reply
Marc Raupp says August 7, 2019 at 10:49 pm i have kept aquariums for years and this approach has given me the best results. i swear by pods and ocean magic. Reply
Juan Gonzalez says August 8, 2019 at 12:05 am I have used Poseidon’s feast and Ocean Magik with Great results. Will be placing another order soon! Reply
Juan Gonzalez says August 8, 2019 at 12:06 am have used Poseidon’s feast and Ocean Magik with Great results. Will be placing another order soon! Reply
Anchor Sarslow says August 8, 2019 at 1:58 am Great to see natural solutions for problems.. Nice to know I dont have to ad chemicals.. Reply
Deborah Najm says August 8, 2019 at 10:28 am Just bought Ocean Magik, looking forward to seeing the results! Reply
zadok jollie says August 8, 2019 at 5:20 pm Love these articles, lots of useful information and very well written. Reply
Brent says August 9, 2019 at 2:26 pm Always looking to try new things, especially supplements that work with the microfauna! Reply
Wade says August 12, 2019 at 7:20 pm I’m going thru this as of right now. I will have to try and hope to overcome. Reply
KB says August 13, 2019 at 6:57 am Very interesting read. I will absolutely give this a try next time I have a breakout. I’ll update this post with a review if I do! Reply
Bennett Sheppard says August 13, 2019 at 10:55 am I’m going to have to reread this and try it out. Reply
darrowfam4 says August 14, 2019 at 10:18 am Something to look into.. There is so much to learn!! Reply
btack206 says August 18, 2019 at 3:04 pm We have had issues with brown algae in our saltwater tank as well as green algae in our freshwater tank. Ocean Magik is definitely worth considering because we have tried everything including snails to try to stay away from chemical treatments. Unfortunately, that didn’t work either!! Reply
Paul Barton says August 19, 2019 at 3:27 pm I battled dinos for nearly 6 mos and tried several different methods to eradicate them. Ultimately a hands off approach in combination with phytoplankton and copepods took care of it. Reply
Branden Hess says August 19, 2019 at 9:19 pm Love these. Are basically a must have for your tank. Reply
ian m mahoney says August 20, 2019 at 10:58 am I started my 235 gallon system with Pods and dosing Phyto over 2.5 yrs ago still adding Phyto to date and never had any Dino’s. Reply
John T says August 23, 2019 at 12:59 pm nice ready! definitely informative information. will have to try this out Reply
Ethan says August 23, 2019 at 7:47 pm Any experiments proving that phytoplanktons are more effective than a blackout method? Reply
Lisa says August 29, 2019 at 3:11 pm Excellent article. Love learning new ways to fight dinoflagellets! Reply
Cezary Wysocki says August 30, 2019 at 9:25 am I’m battling Dino’s right now. I started phyto dosing. We will see. Reply
Scott Catoe says February 12, 2021 at 10:23 pm I thought that ultra-low nutrients is what caused dinos, but this article seems to say lowering nutrients is the answer. I’m confused even more now. Can someone clarify? Reply
John Tyce says January 1, 2024 at 3:27 pm This is an old article and we have since discovered and agree widely that bottoming out NO3 and PO4 cause dino outbreaks not high nutrients. I do not deny the benefit of phytos in the tank, but they will not help prevent or eliminate dinos by lowering nutrients. In fact if they lower nutrients they will contribute to the problem. Reply
Samantha Obergas says January 2, 2024 at 11:02 am Thank you for your input! You bring up a valid point, and it’s great to have discussions like these. While the article suggests that introducing beneficial microalgae can help reduce dinoflagellate populations by competing for nutrients, it’s important to acknowledge that the relationship between nutrient levels and dinoflagellate outbreaks is still a topic of debate among aquarists. There are various approaches to managing dinoflagellates, and the most effective method can vary depending on the specific circumstances in an aquarium. Some aquarists have found success in reducing nutrient levels, while others focus on competitive exclusion with beneficial microalgae. It’s essential to consider all available strategies and consult with experienced aquarists to find the best solution for a particular tank. In summary, while the article promotes one approach, we appreciate your perspective, and it’s essential to explore different methods to address dinoflagellate outbreaks effectively. Reply
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