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Amphidinium The dino bloom in my aquarium are largely Amphidinium sp. This genus of dino are often mis-identified as diatoms, because, to the naked eyes, they are almost identical. The macroscopic appearance of amphidinium bloom is a brown dusty appearance on the sand bed. There is very little stringy mucus. Unlike diatoms though, amphidinium generally does not encroach onto the rock work. During night migration, unlike many dinos which migrate into water column, amphidinium migrates deeper into the sandbed instead. Microscopically, amphidinium does not have an armored shell (theca). It can be identified by the asymmetric cleft, which looks like a beak. It has two flagella (whips) which helps it to move rather effectively in water. It has a nucleus, and it is capable of both asexual and sexual reproduction; can even form inactive cysts when the environment is less than ideal. If we consider the characteristic of amphidinium, there is no doubt that it's a resilient organism, difficult to control in an aquarium setting. Since it does not migrate into water colomn, UV is ineffective against it. Due to its fast reproductive rate, it can easily overwhlem other macro and microalgae. The only "good" thing about it is that it has very low toxicity. Therefore the clean up crews does not perish during amphidinium outbreak.

Biology of Dinoflagellates Dinoflagellates are single cell microorganisms. While often considered algae, they are sometimes considered to be protozoa. This is unsuprising, because dino exhibits both characteristics of algae and protozoa -They can photosynthesize, and they can move around and prey on other organisms as well. In fact, without dinoflagellate, we can forget about having most coral reefs. This is because the zooxanthelle, or rather, the Symbiodinium in the photosynthetic corals, is a group of dinoflagellate. So yay! We need dino in our tank. Of course, we only worry about those dino which makes our aquarium ugly and kills our corals, right? So we shall focus on the harmful aglae (yes, it's a scientific term). The Whirling Whip Dinoflagellate is the combination of two words: dino, which means whirling; flagellate, which means whip. Dinos are equipped with two whips, which helps them to move around rather effectively. Untitled - Sequence 01 6.mp4 Take a look at this amphidinium from my aquarium. Looking at the brown cell on the right, you should be able to make out two different whips. One goes around the "beak" on the left side of the cell, another is a longer one fixed on the right side. The whirling motion of the flagella allows the dino to move and orientate itself. There are many other species of dino, which will look completely different under the microscope, but they will all have the two flagella characteristic of this phylum. The Harmful Algae How does some dinoflagellate harm our aquariums? There are two main processes: Firstly, dino compete with other aquariumn residents for nutrients. When conditions are favorable, dino reproduce rapidly. They can divide every day, and they can produce sexually as well. This rapid growth is fueled by aggressive consumption of nutrients in the aquarium, depriving other corals, and leads to their demise. Secondly, many dino produce toxin as a mean of defence, or as a weapon to suppress their competition. As a result, few animals are willing to graze on the dino. On the other hand, if the dino population is wiped out through some medication, these released toxin can spell disaster for the rest of the aquarium. One other process, while not harming the aquarium directly, make dino difficult to overcome. Being able to move, dino regularly migrates, especially at night. Some species launch themselves into water column, spreading to claim new territories, while others migrate deeper into the sand bed, hiding from potential predators. Speaking of protection, some dino are even armored with a theca. Having taken note of these processes, it's possible to fomulate strategies to manage the dino situation after the offending species is identified.

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