Clownfish Breathing Hard Laying Down after UV Install

[WifiGuy]

Hello, I am currently battling Dinos and installed a UV sterilizer yesterday evening to help combat them. I installed a Sicce 1.0 in my DT and ran vinyl tubing to the UV. This is the UV I installed: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/15-w...lizer-with-hanger-spout-aqua-ultraviolet.html

The tank is a 40 gallon breeder with a 20 gallon sump that's been setup since May (5 months). I have 2 Clownfish (added in July) and a handful of corals and 5 cerith snails.

Today my Clownfish were swimming erratically and laying on the sand breathing heavily. I tested everything I could and didn't find any issues. After testing, I went ahead and moved both fish over to a QT tank and they looked much better after a couple of hours.

Nothing else in the tank seems to be bothered right now, most of my corals looked fine and the snails were out and about.

I plan on doing a large water change this week and adding my clowns back since I can't find anything wrong, but will have the QT tank just in case they are still having issues. Anyone have any ideas regarding what could be wrong?

P.s. I've been dosing NeoNitrate and NeoPhos to bring my Nitrates and Phosphates up while battling Dinos, and this is the highest my Nitrates have been in weeks

Parameters:
Salinity 1.025 sg
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 6.6 ppm
Phosphates 0 ppm

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello, I am currently battling Dinos and installed a UV sterilizer yesterday evening to help combat them. I installed a Sicce 1.0 in my DT and ran vinyl tubing to the UV. This is the UV I installed: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/15-w...lizer-with-hanger-spout-aqua-ultraviolet.html

The tank is a 40 gallon breeder with a 20 gallon sump that's been setup since May (5 months). I have 2 Clownfish (added in July) and a handful of corals and 5 cerith snails.

Today my Clownfish were swimming erratically and laying on the sand breathing heavily. I tested everything I could and didn't find any issues. After testing, I went ahead and moved both fish over to a QT tank and they looked much better after a couple of hours.

Nothing else in the tank seems to be bothered right now, most of my corals looked fine and the snails were out and about.

I plan on doing a large water change this week and adding my clowns back since I can't find anything wrong, but will have the QT tank just in case they are still having issues. Anyone have any ideas regarding what could be wrong?

P.s. I've been dosing NeoNitrate and NeoPhos to bring my Nitrates and Phosphates up while battling Dinos, and this is the highest my Nitrates have been in weeks

Parameters:
Salinity 1.025 sg
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 6.6 ppm
Phosphates 0 ppm

It may be a reaction with the NEO products and the UV unit and personally I would stop dosing those as when we see zero readings, automatically we assume this is the cause but by the time you see zero numbers, its because the dino has consumed the po4 and no3 and are multiplying and in turn many dose no3 and po4 to bring numbers up not realizing they are feeding these flagellates even more.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure. You will also likely see a change in the clown behavior after ceasing the dosing which is best done once the dinos are gone. Cutting light for 5 days will remove a major part of dino from the start

 

[BeanAnimal]

I would also run carbon and make sure you have enough aeration. You did not turn the skimmer off did you?

 

[WifiGuy]

It may be a reaction with the NEO products and the UV unit and personally I would stop dosing those as when we see zero readings, automatically we assume this is the cause but by the time you see zero numbers, its because the dino has consumed the po4 and no3 and are multiplying and in turn many dose no3 and po4 to bring numbers up not realizing they are feeding these flagellates even more.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure. You will also likely see a change in the clown behavior after ceasing the dosing which is best done once the dinos are gone. Cutting light for 5 days will remove a major part of dino from the start

I may stop dosing, but my nutrients have been dropping for weeks prior to the Dinos outbreak. I also didn't know or was aware they necessarily used any nutrients. How do the UV and Neo products react with each other?

I also have my light off right now and will keep them off for a few days, especially since the clowns are no longer in the tank while I keep trying to get the Dinos under control

 

[WifiGuy]

I would also run carbon and make sure you have enough aeration. You did not turn the skimmer off did you?

I will start running carbon, but don't have a reactor. Assuming that using a media bag will be alright?

I don't have a skimmer, only a filter roller in my sump. I haven't changed anything regarding my powerheads recently and typically have a fair amount of surface agitation. As soon as I saw the fish I pointed my power head at the surface to get more agitation going, but that didn't help much either

 

[PharmrJohn]

I may stop dosing, but my nutrients have been dropping for weeks prior to the Dinos outbreak. I also didn't know or was aware they necessarily used any nutrients. How do the UV and Neo products react with each other?

I also have my light off right now and will keep them off for a few days, especially since the clowns are no longer in the tank while I keep trying to get the Dinos under control

You don't happen to be dosing H2O2 right now are you?

 

[WifiGuy]

You don't happen to be dosing H2O2 right now are you?

I am not, no. Only NeoNitro and NeoPhos

 

[Malcontent]

Make sure the quartz sleeve isn't cracked.

 

[WifiGuy]

Make sure the quartz sleeve isn't cracked.

I just checked and the bulb is completely dry, so pretty confident the sleeve isn't cracked, but definitely good to check

 

[PharmrJohn]

I am not, no. Only NeoNitro and NeoPhos

OK. Good. Read an article recently about water treatment. They mentioned something about UV and H202 creating hydroxyl free radicals. Not sure what the effects of fish would be.

 

[Reef Puncher]

I have that exact same UV, same wattage same everything. it most def is not your UV. could be toxins from the dinos or maybe the neo products? although your levels are so low i doubt its the products. have you done an ID on the type of dino? some are more toxic than others. i highly recomend putting a bubbler in there as extra aeration would only help. Then read my post on dino. here this link here

 

[WifiGuy]

I have that exact same UV, same wattage same everything. it most def is not your UV. could be toxins from the dinos or maybe the neo products? although your levels are so low i doubt its the products. have you done an ID on the type of dino? some are more toxic than others. i highly recomend putting a bubbler in there as extra aeration would only help. Then read my post on dino. here this link here

I don't have an ID on the type of Dinos, I have another thread trying to ID them here (my microscope isn't the best) but haven't gotten any responses.

I also was thinking it might be toxins from the Dinos, but my snails are still alive and I've read those are usually the first to go, so I have no clue

 

[WifiGuy]

I did a fairly large water change yesterday and scrubbed most of my rock work and siphoned the sand bed heavily as well. The lights have been out since Sunday (the last 2 days). I will also have carbon running tonight and plan on leaving my fish in QT for another 2 days.

I still have been dosing the Neo products to keep up my nutrients to some extent, but I will likely try to be a little easier on them going forward.

 

[Reef Puncher]

I don't have an ID on the type of Dinos, I have another thread trying to ID them here (my microscope isn't the best) but haven't gotten any responses.

I also was thinking it might be toxins from the Dinos, but my snails are still alive and I've read those are usually the first to go, so I have no clue

oh wish you ran into me eariler. im the top contributor on macks dino support group on facebook, which i recommend joining as its a great resource.
So as you know, the magnification isnt zoomed in enough to get an ID. but i tried pausing, and they looked like LCA. If they are LCA or prorocentrum, then UV sterilizer will do nothing. did you read my link i sent you? i made the same mistakes you made. you are me 10 months ago. i bought the EXACT same UV, then realized it would do nothing except for ostreo dino species.
your best bet is silicate dosing, and neo nitro, neo phos dosing. also dose beneficial bacteria. what this does, is 2 fold. the silicates spur diatom growth. diatoms outcompete dinos, and are MUCH easier to get rid of. you actually want to increase the biodiveristy in your tank. dinos move in on new tanks where people use dry rock, not rock from ocean, and then there is no proper bacteria/algae to grow, so dinos fill the void. it happens on something like 75% of new salt water owners so dont feel too bad.
Buy this
link here
and buy this
link here

eventually down the road, as diatoms grow, then corraline algae sets in, you will never have to worry about dino again. but stay away from things that dont work. blackouts dont work. peroxide doesnt work. turning tank up to 84 doesnt work. what does work is what i mentioned, keeping nutrients above zero, and keeping your light down to no more than a 6 hour peak. if you want to run an extra couple hours after that 6 make sure its low intensity blue only. no white.

 

[WifiGuy]

I just wanted to provide an update - I put my fish back in the DT after having them in quarantine all week last night. They have been fine and haven't been having any issues since. I'm not sure what the problem was ultimately, but everything seems good now.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and assistance!

 

[WifiGuy]

oh wish you ran into me eariler. im the top contributor on macks dino support group on facebook, which i recommend joining as its a great resource.
So as you know, the magnification isnt zoomed in enough to get an ID. but i tried pausing, and they looked like LCA. If they are LCA or prorocentrum, then UV sterilizer will do nothing. did you read my link i sent you? i made the same mistakes you made. you are me 10 months ago. i bought the EXACT same UV, then realized it would do nothing except for ostreo dino species.
your best bet is silicate dosing, and neo nitro, neo phos dosing. also dose beneficial bacteria. what this does, is 2 fold. the silicates spur diatom growth. diatoms outcompete dinos, and are MUCH easier to get rid of. you actually want to increase the biodiveristy in your tank. dinos move in on new tanks where people use dry rock, not rock from ocean, and then there is no proper bacteria/algae to grow, so dinos fill the void. it happens on something like 75% of new salt water owners so dont feel too bad.
Buy this
link here
and buy this
link here

eventually down the road, as diatoms grow, then corraline algae sets in, you will never have to worry about dino again. but stay away from things that dont work. blackouts dont work. peroxide doesnt work. turning tank up to 84 doesnt work. what does work is what i mentioned, keeping nutrients above zero, and keeping your light down to no more than a 6 hour peak. if you want to run an extra couple hours after that 6 make sure its low intensity blue only. no white.

Thanks for the recommendations - I think you are correct that they are LCA - that seems to match up the descriptions I've read the best - they seem to coat every surface including my sand bed.

I'm not sure if the UV is helping at all, but I'm going to keep it going for a while regardless. I hate seeing it in my tank though

I have been manually removing as much Dinos as I can daily. My Nitrates seem to have started stabilizing, but my PO3 is still 0 every time I test, so I'm still dosing 5 mL per day of NeoPhos.

I also took your recommendation and dosed my first dose of water glass yesterday - I would much rather have diatoms than dinos, so I'm going to dose silicates once per week while I continue to raise my Phosphates and get the Dinos under control, but everything looks much better so far compared to where I was last week