Dinos got me feeling defeated

[Reeferbo619]

I've been at this battle for 6 months now the tank is 2+ years old. whats your best advice
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Did you start with dead rock and how old is the tank?
got a complete breakdown of your parameters? Like a ICP test or something?
Also, a couple of picture of your setup always helps.

I started with dry rock. My tank is 2+ years old
My parameters are Alk 8.4 calc 400 mag 1290 Phosph 0.0 (dosing phosphorus) I’m currently running with skimmer off to raise nutrients . My Refugium light is off because there is no beneficial algae in my sump I’m planning on removing all Dino / cyano out after chemi clean. I use filter sock and a filter pad to remove Dino’s manually.

 

[SMSREEF]

I started with dry rock. My tank is 2+ years old
My parameters are Alk 8.4 calc 400 mag 1290 Phosph 0.0 (dosing phosphorus) I’m currently running with skimmer off to raise nutrients . My Refugium light is off because there is no beneficial algae in my sump I’m planning on removing all Dino / cyano out after chemi clean. I use filter sock and a filter pad to remove Dino’s manually.

Don’t give up, they are beatable!

What size UV do you have?
I used 1 watt to 3 gallons and it killed all the Ostreopisis I had within a week. It also needs to take water from the tank (not the sump).
Also, it helps to target PO4 at 0.1 and NO3 at 10
Do you have Microscope pic of which kind you are dealing with?

 

[Reeferbo619]

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/fac40b23-df1d-418f-939c-7e144cfb3cfe-jpeg.1518745/

 

[Reeferbo619]

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/fac40b23-df1d-418f-939c-7e144cfb3cfe-jpeg.1518745/

0 nitrates and brown hair algae! What do I do?

Brown hairy algae covers sand and back glass .. also build up behind my rock wall. 3 days after water change sand is covered. PH: 8.4 Alk: 8.0 Calcium: 410 Mag: 1230 Nitrates: 0 Phos: .00 I am dosing NeoNitro daily for 3 days now still no sign of nitrates. Suggestions to raise nitrates without...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[j.falk]

Do NOT take out the sand bed. That will make it worse. Dinos are typically caused by a disturbance to the biofilter or from 0 nitrate/phosphate. If those are 0 for you, dose some neonitro or neophos to help.

I removed my entire sand bed and haven't had dinos since. It worked for me.

 

[Reeferbo619]

Amazon product

 

[Reeferbo619]

I removed my entire sand bed and haven't had dinos since. It worked for me.

Did you introduce new sand bed?

 

[SMSREEF]

Amazon product

that’s the wattage I used on a 60 gallon and it worked. Maybe you are just way undersized.
But before you Spend lots of money to get more wattage UV, I would suggest getting an inexpensive microscope to get a pic that will ID exactly what you are dealing with.

 

[Reeferbo619]

that’s the wattage I used on a 60 gallon and it worked. Maybe you are just way undersized.
But before you Spend lots of money to get more wattage UV, I would suggest getting an inexpensive microscope to get a pic that will ID exactly what you are dealing with.

I have a picture here https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/79b146ec-dd0e-4b8f-8d16-5b820573a6c7-jpeg.1519590/

 

[SMSREEF]

I have a picture here https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/79b146ec-dd0e-4b8f-8d16-5b820573a6c7-jpeg.1519590/

That looks like Ostreopsis to me. That’s what I had and UV took care of it.
I am not great with IDs so Hopefully some of the reefers that ID much better than I can help with the ID of your pic linked below.
@taricha @ScottB @andrewkw

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/79b146ec-dd0e-4b8f-8d16-5b820573a6c7-jpeg.1519590/

 

[Reeferbo619]

That looks like Ostreopsis to me. That’s what I had and UV took care of it.
I am not great with IDs so Hopefully some of the reefers that ID much better than I can help with the ID of your pic linked below.
@taricha @ScottB @andrewkw

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/79b146ec-dd0e-4b8f-8d16-5b820573a6c7-jpeg.1519590/

The UV I bought isn’t gonna Do the job ? It’s what was recommended smh

 

[Casket_Case]

I BEAT DINOS.

I have been battling dinos since mid February. Numerous black outs, hydrogen peroxide, dosing bacteria, dirty method, you name it. So I would like to share my method what worked for me. First of all I didn't identify with a microscope but used the dino ID page on the thread dinoflagellates are...

www.reef2reef.com

@loweryphil

 

[Reeferbo619]

I BEAT DINOS.

I have been battling dinos since mid February. Numerous black outs, hydrogen peroxide, dosing bacteria, dirty method, you name it. So I would like to share my method what worked for me. First of all I didn't identify with a microscope but used the dino ID page on the thread dinoflagellates are...

www.reef2reef.com

@loweryphil

I’ve tried dr tim and vibrant I will try micro Bacter7 now. My only concern is my sand was not touched for my first year of reefing and I wonder if the all of these methods don’t stand a chance at my mistake of keeping the build up

 

[Scdell]

I've been at this battle for 6 months now the tank is 2+ years old. whats your best advice

Every system is different and unique in their own way.. you need to figure out why your nutrients are at an imbalance.
Throwing everything at the tank and thinking there something magical to cure your problem doesn't do anything.
I battled a GHA outbreak about a year ago. Yeah I used Vibrant. It worked, but I soon discovered that it brought me to ULN. Then I had dinoflagellates, cyno, and diatoms. False #s on phosphate and nitrate. Just because your tests are reading o doesn't mean it's o. The algae or bacteria is using it faster than you can test for it
Vibrant can work, but you have to be real careful with it. If your not it will get you n trouble.
It took me awhile to figure out Vibrant stays in your tank for months after you stop dosing it. Again false #'s. Dose nitrate and phosphate. Not too much. Test EVERY day. Blow the stuff off your rocks and wherever it is, use filter socks only when your blasting it off. Do this daily. Change the socks daily after a couple of hours of blowing it off everything. You still need nutrients in the tank. So run no socks after it collects the stuff. Clean a small section of your sandbed weekly with a water change. Cheato works wonders, but Vibrant kills it. Make sure your skimmer is the right size for the tank and be patient. It's not going to happen over night or in a month.
I'm not a fan of UV sterilizers, I don't use one. It sterilizers too much
Ripping the tank clean may work, but if your system isn't stabilized everything will come back.
All that stuff is in your tank and it's waiting for the proper nutrition to take hold.

 

[ScottB]

That looks like Ostreopsis to me. That’s what I had and UV took care of it.
I am not great with IDs so Hopefully some of the reefers that ID much better than I can help with the ID of your pic linked below.
@taricha @ScottB @andrewkw

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/79b146ec-dd0e-4b8f-8d16-5b820573a6c7-jpeg.1519590/

Sorry I cannot make out a species ID based on that photo. More magnification and/ or video might help.

 

[Marc2952]

I removed my entire sand bed and haven't had dinos since. It worked for me.

Thats becausw you more then likely had amphidinium dinos, if its ostreopsis its just gonna make it worse. I always tell people to check which one you have first before trying anything out.

 

[Yas]

I’ve tried dr tim and vibrant I will try micro Bacter7 now. My only concern is my sand was not touched for my first year of reefing and I wonder if the all of these methods don’t stand a chance at my mistake of keeping the build up

The easiest and quickest remedy for me was to raise my nutrient levels and wait for a week or two. I think the cause of dinos outbreak is the imbalance of micro biological diversity. I started with dry rock and kept my nutrient low. Since dinos can survive in a ULNS tank, where some other bacteria cannot survive, dinos flourishes and gets dominant in a less-bio-diversified tank.
By raising NO3 and PO4 in your tank, other types of competing bacteria population starts to grow, making the bacteria balance in your tank more stabled.
I do not recommend adding some off-the-shelf bacteria. That kind of bacteria is designed to keep you adding in your tank, meaning those products are not naturally sustainable in your home tank. You'll need naturally grown and balanced bacteria in your own tank. I've tried Microbactor 7, Zorbak, and some other products, and nothing worked.
The key is maturity of bacteria balance in your tank. To foster this, just raise your nutrient levels and wait for the competing bacteria to grow. Try not to add non-natural products. Theoretically, some methods like UV or very fine filter sock may work, but not necessary.
I also tried adding live rock, but didn't work well. One of my friends heavily stocked with live rock has experienced dinos outbreak, too. His tank was ULNS, so too-low nutrient may not be good.
Instead of eliminating or defeating it, try raising competing bacteria by doing nothing, but raising your nutrient levels. I believe this is the cheapest, easiest, and fastest way of defeating it. Hope it works for you.
Yas

 

[Michael Gray]

looking at pic.. ostr UV will work.. plumbed into display and run carbon.

If they are small have a a point.. ostr.. if more round.. could be coolia and my understanding with coolia sand gets better at night but not really into water column..... they go down under the sand..... so for coolia i dosed Silica created a massive diatom bloom for 2 weeks... it worked.... then i had ostr.........UV plumbed in display works..... plus i recently took out my sand bed to help fight GHA that i couldnt get rid of for ever.. and i also liked the idea of removing it will help not get Dinos.. and my tank is looking pretty sharp. GHA is fading slowly...

i had large amph, coolia and ostr at once.. i was in hell...

along with silicas... i dosed No3 and po4.. i kept po4 .1 minimum...

 

[xabo]

Used the Dr. Tim's method to beat mine.

 

[j.falk]

Did you introduce new sand bed?

Nope, I left my tank bare bottom. No dinos since I took out all the sand. This was the second tank that I set up that had a dino issue. Both tanks were set up exactly the same. The first tank I used Reefcleaners dry base rock and Carribsea Ocean's Direct live sand. The second tank I set up two years later using Marco dry base rock and Carribsea Ocean's Direct live sand. Both tanks had the exact same dinos issue. My money is on the sand harboring the dinos and once conditions are right they start trying to take over the tank.