Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[kara13]

I've spent hours reading. Bought a cheap microscope and got some bad video. But enough that I think I have dino's and specifically amphidinium. Only on the sand, not the rocks. Over the past 3 weeks, I've probably had 20 snails die. Would love other opinions.

 

[Reef.]

I've spent hours reading. Bought a cheap microscope and got some bad video. But enough that I think I have dino's and specifically amphidinium. Only on the sand, not the rocks. Over the past 3 weeks, I've probably had 20 snails die. Would love other opinions.

Why? You dont need to id them, if they don’t disappear at night then maybe a UV is last on the list but the treatment is the same for all of them, at silicates, remove the dinos by vacuuming the same and scrub rocks, at carbon and change every few days.

 

[kara13]

OK. Thanks.

Why? You dont need to id them, if they don’t disappear at night then maybe a UV is last on the list but the treatment is the same for all of them, at silicates, remove the dinos by vacuuming the same and scrub rocks, at carbon and change every few days.

 

[DDenny]

I know I have SCA and some LCA and the last time I fought them was in the fall so no vacation time. Now it’s summer and we have had plans (already paid for it) vacation for 5 days. I know this time of year my 3g ATO will last 9 days so can is it possible to but 9 days with of silicates in the ATO for that time I’m gone. I usually have a local reefer come and check on things but he will be out of town and honestly no one else I trust in the house or with the tank.

 

[cappa43]

Is the 10 micron sock collecting them or do they get through?

It collects them...The sump is clean. Its a little tough in the beginning to turn the sock inside out but after awhile it gets broken in.

So I leave the return pump on, bought a hang over sump filter sock holder 4". Then vacuum right into that sock until its full.

Then I have this IDK, power wash wand that screws on the hose and turn the sock inside out and stick the high pressure wand in their and clean the sock. Typically takes 5-10 minutes for the clean sock.

 

[cappa43]

When people suggest “blowing them off the rock work” which to be honest I have never read that suggestion, I have read and suggested scrubbing the rock work preferably out of the tank, I would think the implication is to then remove them from the tank by vacuuming or some other way.

Imo its an important step.

A small micron sock may help but its not going to be as impactful as a UV, scrubbing and removal.

I've heard blowing them off the rockwork to get them into the water column...No good. I can't remove the rockwork, and don't want to honestly. Your still disrupting the biome..In, Out, Scub, In...I'm just trying to keep balance and not disrupt it. You may end up removing vital good bacteria ya know. As far as the silicate dosing goes, I was doing that for a couple of weeks but i just wasn't feeling it tbh. I'm a member of MacksReef on Facebook...(GREAT COMMUNITY) (GREAT ADVISE). I have identified my dino's under a microscope. I'm just looking for a different answer, approach etc. The problem isn't the dino's it's me or something else the dino's are just the effect. Abe from coral euphoria again, excellent OG reefer. States which may true, that low nitrates doesn't cause dino's. That's just the after affect of an issue the was propagating a month or month's prior. Dino's need to feed too photosynthetic or otherwise. The ocean's coral reefs are not inundated with dino because of the balanced biome. They are their, they just cant take over (sometimes obviously). Every tank I'm sure has dino's in 1 form or another in different stages of life. They just don't show unless something happens to the biome. I'm just on the hunt for the cause and just a different approach to the solution. The reefing community is successful with dino's but it's still an unknown...lol "The Dreaded Dino's" we need to get rid of that title.

Happy Reefing

 

[cappa43]

I know I have SCA and some LCA and the last time I fought them was in the fall so no vacation time. Now it’s summer and we have had plans (already paid for it) vacation for 5 days. I know this time of year my 3g ATO will last 9 days so can is it possible to but 9 days with of silicates in the ATO for that time I’m gone. I usually have a local reefer come and check on things but he will be out of town and honestly no one else I trust in the house or with the tank.

Is that bought LIVE ROCK, or transferred rock from another tank?

 

[DDenny]

10 pounds is gulf live rock and the other 12 pounds is from a previous tank tear down of a buddy’s tank. Beat them before but they came back when my nutrients bottomed out and I didn’t catch it in time or I messed up testing (probably me messing up testing).

 

[DDenny]

Is that bought LIVE ROCK, or transferred rock from another tank?

Gulf Liverock and Cured form a take tear down. Second battle with SCA and LCA been dosing silicates for a week. Headed to Lowes to get a 5g bucket with screw top for my ATO so that I can put the ATO pump and a small powerhead in there to keep the water flowing. Will add enough waterglass and RODI for 9 days like my current 3g holds. The powerhead will keep the silicates in supension and this time of year my evaporation rate is pretty on point with 3g lasting right at 9 days.

 

[cappa43]

Well, wonder mud showed up from Hawaii + Inverts + Activator. KP Aquatics delivered the premium live rock.

Results:

Nitrates went up 17.1 almost 10ppm in 2 weeks naturally
Calcium went up from 420ppm-430ppm naturally
Phosphate .09 (need another test the end of the week)

Did a cleaning- just surface vacuum sand and rock for the dino

Everything seems happy

Vacuuming again tomorrow to stay ahead of any dino's looking to make a stronghold.

Just gonna keep doing that until the tank takes control...will report back!

 

[trigon 350]

Hi i think i am battling dinos and i stumbled across this link to post my video and photo hoping to get a positive id so that i can give the correct treatment, thanks in advance if anyone can assist.
@taricha

 

[trigon 350]

Bump

 

[Moe K]

Hi i think i am battling dinos and i stumbled across this link to post my video and photo hoping to get a positive id so that i can give the correct treatment, thanks in advance if anyone can assist.
@taricha

Looks like large cell amphidinium to me. The small one is probably ostreo but too small to see. Dose silicates. Make sure you do not have elevated iron. Elevate nitrate and po4. Do not disturb the sand bed. Be prepared to continue like that for months until you see no more LCA on the scope. Good luck brother.

 

[trigon 350]

Looks like large cell amphidinium to me. The small one is probably ostreo but too small to see. Dose silicates. Make sure you do not have elevated iron. Elevate nitrate and po4. Do not disturb the sand bed. Be prepared to continue like that for months until you see no more LCA on the scope. Good luck brother.

Thank you very much for looking at this for me, i have elevated my no3 from 2.5 to 15 and my pO4 from .025 to .10 do you think this will be high enough? Thanks

 

[Moe K]

Thank you very much for looking at this for me, i have elevated my no3 from 2.5 to 15 and my pO4 from .025 to .10 do you think this will be high enough? Thanks

Should be fine. I found a couple helpful bottled bacterias that help. Microbelift (smells like sewage) and Microbacter clean (not microbacter7). One or the other helps.

 

[trigon 350]

Should be fine. I found a couple helpful bottled bacterias that help. Microbelift (smells like sewage) and Microbacter clean (not microbacter7). One or the other helps.

Thanks

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

I've heard blowing them off the rockwork to get them into the water column...No good. I can't remove the rockwork, and don't want to honestly. Your still disrupting the biome..In, Out, Scub, In...I'm just trying to keep balance and not disrupt it. You may end up removing vital good bacteria ya know. As far as the silicate dosing goes, I was doing that for a couple of weeks but i just wasn't feeling it tbh. I'm a member of MacksReef on Facebook...(GREAT COMMUNITY) (GREAT ADVISE). I have identified my dino's under a microscope. I'm just looking for a different answer, approach etc. The problem isn't the dino's it's me or something else the dino's are just the effect. Abe from coral euphoria again, excellent OG reefer. States which may true, that low nitrates doesn't cause dino's. That's just the after affect of an issue the was propagating a month or month's prior. Dino's need to feed too photosynthetic or otherwise. The ocean's coral reefs are not inundated with dino because of the balanced biome. They are their, they just cant take over (sometimes obviously). Every tank I'm sure has dino's in 1 form or another in different stages of life. They just don't show unless something happens to the biome. I'm just on the hunt for the cause and just a different approach to the solution. The reefing community is successful with dino's but it's still an unknown...lol "The Dreaded Dino's" we need to get rid of that title.

Happy Reefing

100% agree with this.

After being out of the hobby for several years and coming back for almost 2 years now. I feel like i have been just fighting dinos in my small 20 gallon water box for the past 2 years. Haven't been able to enjoy the tank, or continue to stock the tank without really figuring out how to beat the dinos. I have tried all methods except the silicate route since I have seen some stories of even silicate not getting the job done or taking very long to do so. For me increasing phosphates seemed to have fed the dinos even more and they got worse.

I feel like Dinos was not this common before. I see dino threads all over the forum. I actually never dealt with dinos before my current 20 gallon.

 

[MeanUrchin]

100% agree with this.

After being out of the hobby for several years and coming back for almost 2 years now. I feel like i have been just fighting dinos in my small 20 gallon water box for the past 2 years. Haven't been able to enjoy the tank, or continue to stock the tank without really figuring out how to beat the dinos. I have tried all methods except the silicate route since I have seen some stories of even silicate not getting the job done or taking very long to do so. For me increasing phosphates seemed to have fed the dinos even more and they got worse.

I feel like Dinos was not this common before. I see dino threads all over the forum. I actually never dealt with dinos before my current 20 gallon.

What were you doing routinely before the Dino outbreak? Dosing? Did you monitor your water parameters? What’s your lighting schedule and light channels at?

 

[Reef_a_holiks]

What were you doing routinely before the Dino outbreak? Dosing? Did you monitor your water parameters? What’s your lighting schedule and light channels at?

I started my current tank with the same method I ran my past aquariums. Dry rock, caribsea sand, about a 6 week cycle (ammonia and bacteria dosing) and then started stocking with fish and coral slowly. Like every new tank there was a ugly stage that eventually passes. This time around about 5-6 months in, microscope confirm porocentrum dinoflagellates.

My routine is feed fish every other day, feed corals twice a week (broadcast or target feeding), bi weekly 10% water changes. just like I've always done it in the pass with success.

Water testing done weekly. Parameters were in check nothing out of range I would say. pretty consistent nitrates of 5ppm, alk 9dkh, calcium 430, Ph 7.8, phosphates 0.05-0.03.

Not sure what is causing the Dinos.

 

[MeanUrchin]

I started my current tank with the same method I ran my past aquariums. Dry rock, caribsea sand, about a 6 week cycle (ammonia and bacteria dosing) and then started stocking with fish and coral slowly. Like every new tank there was a ugly stage that eventually passes. This time around about 5-6 months in, microscope confirm porocentrum dinoflagellates.

My routine is feed fish every other day, feed corals twice a week (broadcast or target feeding), bi weekly 10% water changes. just like I've always done it in the pass with success.

Water testing done weekly. Parameters were in check nothing out of range I would say. pretty consistent nitrates of 5ppm, alk 9dkh, calcium 430, Ph 7.8, phosphates 0.05-0.03.

Not sure what is causing the Dinos.

Did any corals bleach or die before the Dino outbreak? What’s your lighting?