Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[saltyhog]

Proro sure seems to be an odd ball....maybe different variants/subspecies? Toxicity seems to vary quite a bit as well. Thanks for the info!

 

[jbeanz24]

As long as nobody in the home has respiratory issues you should be fine. You should also run some GAC. This will remove waterborne toxins from the ostreopsis.

When would it be ok to cut the skimmer back
On? I ran UV and have now have no visible signs of ostreopsis.

 

[ScottB]

When would it be ok to cut the skimmer back
On? I ran UV and have now have no visible signs of ostreopsis.

You should be good to go then. I think it is pretty rare that someone has a bad reaction, but there was a guy here with asthma that had a bad spell. Glad to hear you have them under control now. A properly applied UV generally works quickly and effectively on ostreos.

 

[New&no clue]

Looking for an Dino ID- I think it's Amphidinium, but would love a confirmation. It would seem Silicate dosing is best?

 

[Reef.]

Oh, one thing I'm not clear on (I've seen recommendations both ways), should I stop water changes? I have AWC normally changing 3 gallons per day (on a 200g system). I stopped it for now, but it's seriously triggering my OCD. What's the verdict on that?

I would stop water changes, changing water for my dinos clearly made them worse within an hour of the change the dinos would cover the sand bed, much faster than when I missed a water change.

You need to hit them at a few different angles.

Whilst water changes in themselves don’t cause dinos, but if you are having issues with dinos, and have tipped the balance in the favour, why do them if they are clearly getting worse with changing water.

 

[haitian_reefer]

Guys! I was fortunate to have met a guy on IG who suggested I try Polyplab Genesis. He had a bad case that he was dealing with for over a year. He suggested I overdose it, and said it wouldn’t hurt since it was beneficial bacteria. Guess what? It worked! My sand is white!!! You can see the results in less than a week! I recommended this to my friend and he reported the same results. I wonder what’s in this thing? I spoke to another IG reefer and they claimed overdosing a different bacteria product worked for them too.

 

[ScottB]

Looking for an Dino ID- I think it's Amphidinium, but would love a confirmation. It would seem Silicate dosing is best?

I am torn between LC Amphids and prorocentrum. Leaning proro.

@taricha to break the tie?

 

[New&no clue]

I am torn between LC Amphids and prorocentrum. Leaning proro.

@taricha to break the tie?

I posted this in the Amphidinium thread as well, and someone said Proro too. I sent a PM to taricha to get a final answer, but after re-reading the description of proro I am split on what it is.

 

[taricha]

I am torn between LC Amphids and prorocentrum. Leaning proro.

@taricha to break the tie?

I posted this in the Amphidinium thread as well, and someone said Proro too. I sent a PM to taricha to get a final answer, but after re-reading the description of proro I am split on what it is.

To share what I sent in PM...



It's hard to tell but these double structures that I have the red arrows pointing to are ones I only see in prorocentrum. So I'd lean that way.

Other examples of those structures in this pic here:
https://images.app.goo.gl/Z48R7yBWVjn6rmsf9

 

[New&no clue]

Does anyone have recommendations for UV size on a 180 DT+ 60 gallons sump?

 

[Yodeling]

Does anyone have recommendations for UV size on a 180 DT+ 60 gallons sump?

I just bought a UV for a slightly smaller (200g total vol) system. I did a lot of research. I ended up with a 50 watt Pentair HO. I contemplated the 80 watt unit (they are basically the same price) but I was concerned about it cooking the tank if I run it 24/7. They generate a lot of heat.

Btw going by wattage alone may not be the best approach. I would look at the manufacturer specs and see the minimum recommended flow for Protozoa. The flow should be 1-3 times your DT volume. BRS lists those specs on their site.

 

[ScottB]

I just bought a UV for a slightly smaller (200g total vol) system. I did a lot of research. I ended up with a 50 watt Pentair HO. I contemplated the 80 watt unit (they are basically the same price) but I was concerned about it cooking the tank if I run it 24/7. They generate a lot of heat.

Btw going by wattage alone may not be the best approach. I would look at the manufacturer specs and see the minimum recommended flow for Protozoa. The flow should be 1-3 times your DT volume. BRS lists those specs on their site.

Protozoa have different physical characteristics from our dinoflagellate friends. Dinos have a protective shell and need either more contact time (slow flow) or greater wattage.

Following manufacturer instruction is fine for fish parasite and algae management. Placing the UV in the sump and running it in-line via the return pump is also fine for managing protozoa/algae/bacteria.

 

[New&no clue]

I just bought a UV for a slightly smaller (200g total vol) system. I did a lot of research. I ended up with a 50 watt Pentair HO. I contemplated the 80 watt unit (they are basically the same price) but I was concerned about it cooking the tank if I run it 24/7. They generate a lot of heat.

Btw going by wattage alone may not be the best approach. I would look at the manufacturer specs and see the minimum recommended flow for Protozoa. The flow should be 1-3 times your DT volume. BRS lists those specs on their site.

I was watching a BRS video on common mistakes with UV sterilizers and they said one was the flow rate. They suggested 6x turnover for Dinos. Does that seem right or too high?

 

[Yodeling]

Protozoa have different physical characteristics from our dinoflagellate friends. Dinos have a protective shell and need either more contact time (slow flow) or greater wattage.

Following manufacturer instruction is fine for fish parasite and algae management. Placing the UV in the sump and running it in-line via the return pump is also fine for managing protozoa/algae/bacteria.

I hope you're not suggesting I just dropped 8 bills for nothing. My thinking was it's rated 2x tank turnover at slowest recommended flow which should be enough (?) and I would rather run it 24/7 (forever), than run it on a timer because it's cooking my tank.

 

[Yodeling]

I was watching a BRS video on common mistakes with UV sterilizers and they said one was the flow rate. They suggested 6x turnover for Dinos. Does that seem right or too high?

I don't think it's about turnover. You can run any sterilizer at any turnover. It's about being able to damage the dino cells at at a turnover that outpaces their reproduction rate. Damaging the cells requires low flow through the UV. Hence it’s a combination of power and flow. I've never heard 6x. You would need like a 300W UV for a 200 gallon tank.

Edited for clarity, sorry I was in a hurry.

 

[New&no clue]

I don't think it's about turnover. You can run any sterilizer at any turnover. It's about being able to kill the dinos at that turnover. I've never heard 6x. You would need like a 300W UV for a 200 gallon tank.

Is your 50W working well? That’s one that I was looking at as well. Also what size pump are you using with it?

 

[Yodeling]

Is your 50W working well? That’s one that I was looking at as well. Also what size pump are you using with it?

I just ordered it so it hasn’t arrived yet. I will probably have it running on Friday. After a lot of research, it seemed like the best fit for me. Like I mentioned, I was also considering the 80 watt unit since it’s like $40 more, but the temp was a concern. In fact there is a review on the 80w unit on BRS that says he has to run his AC at 74, otherwise his 200g system would cook. I would like to just run it permanently and I don’t feel like getting a chiller just so I could run UV.

I also looked at some of the Aqua UVs but they didn’t seem to have a good middle ground between 40 and 80. They do have a 57 watt that’s tiny. Not sure the point of it if you’re trying to maximize contact time. Plus, I read about some discrepancies between Aqua’s wattage claims and actual produced wattage.

Anyway, I don’t know 100% if that’s the absolute best one for you (or for me haha) but I’m pretty confident that it’s a decent pick.

Oh and in terms of a pump, I plan on using Jebao DCP 2500. It should be controllable from about 200 GPH to 660 GPH. I figure running it at 40-50% would give that sweet spot of 260-300 GPH.

 

[ScottB]

I hope you're not suggesting I just dropped 8 bills for nothing. My thinking was it's rated 2x tank turnover at slowest recommended flow which should be enough (?) and I would rather run it 24/7 (forever), than run it on a timer because it's cooking my tank.

8 bills?!!!!! Dang that thing must have HO extra sauce.

I recall now that I ran 2 X 25 watts in a two-tank frag system and it did get the job done. Roughly the same 200G volume. I was also clamping a bunch of filter floss to the sides of the tank and rinsing them each evening. Ostreopsis loved to attach to the stuff if placed in high flow/light areas.

I don't recall them adding a crazy amount of heat, but I have APEX connected fans that can handle a lot.

 

[Ross Petersen]

Dare I ask... is there a nice summary document out there with some of the more consensus lines of thinking on how to best kill dinoflagellates? Thx

 

[Reef.]

Dare I ask... is there a nice summary document out there with some of the more consensus lines of thinking on how to best kill dinoflagellates? Thx

simple answer is to remove them…scrub rocks, turkey based sand, change filter media daily, raise nutrients and add phyto, also adding Uv can help but you can be successful without Uv.

The key is being very intense with these measures over a couple of weeks, you can’t just spend 10minutes a day and expect the dinos to be gone.