Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[Reefer1978]

Thats what I was thinking! I'm using salifert.

I was hoping you would say api... Salifert should be good. Try doing a small sample test just to make sure testkit works... take like a gallon of water into a bucket, add proportional amount of kno3 as you dosed before, mix and test. It's possible algae is eating up nitrates that fast, but I would hesitate to dose much much more right away before you make sure it all works.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I was hoping you would say api... Salifert should be good. Try doing a small sample test just to make sure testkit works... take like a gallon of water into a bucket, add proportional amount of kno3 as you dosed before, mix and test. It's possible algae is eating up nitrates that fast, but I would hesitate to dose much much more right away before you make sure it all works.

Thats a good idea. I'll be testing again here in a few minutes. I dosed another 5ml last night. Should maybe show something since lights have been off.

 

[Reefer1978]

Thats a good idea. I'll be testing again here in a few minutes. I dosed another 5ml last night. Should maybe show something since lights have been off.

Remind me size of tank, and what proportion did you use for KNo3 mix?

 

[reeferfoxx]

Remind me size of tank, and what proportion did you use for KNo3 mix?

30 gallon tank. I weigh 10 grams of stump remover in 1 liter of rodi water. Just did a test and got 0.50 again. Yes, I do my nitrate tests correctly.

Went ahead and added a few drops of kno3 to the test and it definitely reacts so... I guess its just sucking up no3 that quickly?

 

[Reefer1978]

30 gallon tank. I weigh 10 grams of stump remover in 1 liter of rodi water. Just did a test and got 0.50 again. Yes, I do my nitrate tests correctly.

Went ahead and added a few drops of kno3 to the test and it definitely reacts so... I guess its just sucking up no3 that quickly?

Good stuff... yup something is using it up ...

 

[Reefer1978]

30 gallon tank. I weigh 10 grams of stump remover in 1 liter of rodi water. Just did a test and got 0.50 again. Yes, I do my nitrate tests correctly.

Went ahead and added a few drops of kno3 to the test and it definitely reacts so... I guess its just sucking up no3 that quickly?

From @Randy Holmes-Farley in another post in 2015 (I trust Randy for all my calculations):

Here's a recipe:
Dissolve 10 grams in 1 liter of fresh water. That 10 grams contains 6.14 grams of nitrate, so that solution is 6,140 ppm nitrate.
If you add 1 ml of the solution per 2 gallons of tank water volume, that will boost nitrate by 0.8 ppm nitrate.

So you need to dose 15ml to get to 0.8 ppm. That should be the reading you get within an hour of mixing in the tank, overnight, a day later - consumption will lower the reading. Seems you are safe to dose 20ml a shot, but someone double-check my math.

 

[mcarroll]

Read THEN post!

Never a bad idea to do a sanity check.

But if you look back through the thread there have been more than a few folks who had to use "surprising" amounts of fert's to get over the initial hump. 3000:1 carbon ratio is nothing to sneeze at! (And that pretty much comes before all other needs in the tank.)

If you think the kit is reading the same every time, you should also be able to test just after you dose (maybe wait a minute) to affirm your dose and test kit. The result should be darn close to your calculated value. (Within the limits of reading that test kit with human eyeballs – I wish there was a nitrate Checker.)

 

[mcarroll]

A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)\

....is what lotsa folks are using to calculate stock solutions and doses.

Not sure how that has escaped posting on the main page! (Until now.)

 

[mcarroll]

Added nitrate / kno3 / stump remover calculator link to the Nitrate Control section on the main pade:

Nitrate Control

• Do not let your nitrates hit or stay at zero.
• See: Putting the N in dinoflagellates
• See: A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)

 

[reeferfoxx]

A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)\

....is what lotsa folks are using to calculate stock solutions and doses.

Not sure how that has escaped posting on the main page! (Until now.)

Thing I don't like about the calculator or measurements for that matter is the two tablespoons ;Bucktooth For me it's easier to measure via scale.

So you need to dose 15ml to get to 0.8 ppm.

This seems like a lot. Normally(whenever that was) I dose 4ml to achieve 1.5ppm. You could be right though. Heck, this stump remover is gonna last me 10+ years I think LOL

 

[Reefer1978]

Thing I don't like about the calculator or measurements for that matter is the two tablespoons ;Bucktooth For me it's easier to measure via scale.


This seems like a lot. Normally(whenever that was) I dose 4ml to achieve 1.5ppm. You could be right though. Heck, this stump remover is gonna last me 10+ years I think LOL

I used a higher concentration mix, 1 cup of water, 2 years ago and I still have more then half left

 

[mcarroll]

For me it's easier to measure via scale.

The calculator is in grams, right? (I can't use measuring spoons.)

 

[reeferfoxx]

The calculator is in grams, right? (I can't use measuring spoons.)

Yes you're correct. I admittedly skimmed through and saw the first directions and was deterred.

 

[chefjpaul]

Great posts everyone.

Finally got my best $9 investment for this battle I think, still working on photo skills.
Looks like rice to me.
Anyway, since I have no fish currently, I've been able to raise and keep nutrients pretty evenly stable with seachem for past week.
I have been siphoning all these nasties out, but still going.
Poor Turbos are covered in both cyano but seem pretty resilient.

No3 @ 6
Po4 @ .02

 

[mcarroll]

Poor Turbos are covered, but seem pretty resilient.

This is great as far as signs go! How long has this bloom been going on/how long have the turbos been getting covered like that?

 

[chefjpaul]

Thanks @mcarroll for the constsnt adjustment of the main page in this thread for easy references.

 

[chefjpaul]

This is great as far as signs go! How long has this bloom been going on/how long have the turbos been getting covered like that?

The bloom started almost as soon as I pulled all the fish on 9/18 (one month).

I just started dealing with this the last week and half, as my fish were taking priorities, but ended up loosing 90%.

Anyway, It is the worst I've had to deal with in the hobby, but as the bad luck hits, I do see progress already.

Honestly, I think it is actually helping being fallow, as I can keep these nutrients very stable, but was running very low prior and will never attempt again. ULN....not for me.

 

[taricha]

Great posts everyone.

Finally got my best $9 investment for this battle I think, still working on photo skills.
Looks like rice to me.

And even those kinda blurry smudges are enough to ID as ostreopsis

 

[reeferfoxx]

And even those kinda blurry smudges are enough to ID as ostreopsis

Without you, we might be up a creek ;Hilarious

 

[chefjpaul]

And even those kinda blurry smudges are enough to ID as ostreopsis

Thats what conclusion I am coming to.
Thank you!
I'm re-reading this thread....again... to figure out best route from here.