Long term diatom issues

[InactiveAcct]

Hang in there, took mine about 18 months to settle out, back in the bare bottom dry rock craze of 2019

Month five:


Now:

 

[Debramb]

No it will not. I spent $250 on a Swift triocular and I don't see how spending less would cut it. Some say the $100 amscope will work. The good news is that I don't see bubbles. The strain of collia I had could not be beat. Hopefully you have ostreo as that cam be beat with an oversized UV with low flow. You need to raise your nutrients immediately and you may as well start looking for a used UV. I saw a 20 watt aqua ultraviolet on here recently for $200 which would work for you. I have 57w on a 130g display at 300gph flow.

Add PODS

 

[Jaag]

Hang in there, took mine about 18 months to settle out, back in the bare bottom dry rock craze of 2019

Month five:


Now:

That’s a long time. Congrats though.

Add PODS

Thankfully have some on the way.

 

[Jaag]

I will be able to use a microscope today to one exactly what it is I have going on. Then hopefully I can better treat it.

 

[Jaag]

No it will not. I spent $250 on a Swift triocular and I don't see how spending less would cut it. Some say the $100 amscope will work. The good news is that I don't see bubbles. The strain of collia I had could not be beat. Hopefully you have ostreo as that cam be beat with an oversized UV with low flow. You need to raise your nutrients immediately and you may as well start looking for a used UV. I saw a 20 watt aqua ultraviolet on here recently for $200 which would work for you. I have 57w on a 130g display at 300gph flow.

I am borrowing a nice one from a friend today.

 

[Jaag]

Nitrates look pretty close to zero tonight.

Here is what it looks like under a microscope. What do you guys think?

I think dinos.

 

[Jaag]

Here is a better picture.

Now how do I got rid of these bad boys?

 

[Lavey29]

Nitrates look pretty close to zero tonight.

Here is what it looks like under a microscope. What do you guys think?

I think dinos.

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/dinoflagellateid12_12_2019-pdf.1324729/

 

[kerbfish]

I have had that same issue for years. It harms nothing just looks unsightly. Sometimes its not so bad, and doesn’t come back as quickly after a water change. In the past I had same issue as you with making it worse.

Please dont go thinking buying a huge UV will solve that. Or doing anyone thing might magically make it go away. What I have found in this hobby is that all tanks are different and may require different or multiple prong solutions to remedy a problem.

I had a friend literally say a good sand sifting fish took out most the problem. I haven’t tried though. First thing is, turn those pearly white lights down, it def helps and at the least does not highlight the ugly contrast of the orange and white spotted sand-bed.

 

[Jaag]

I have had that same issue for years. It harms nothing just looks unsightly. Sometimes its not so bad, and doesn’t come back as quickly after a water change. In the past I had same issue as you with making it worse.

Please dont go thinking buying a huge UV will solve that. Or doing anyone thing might magically make it go away. What I have found in this hobby is that all tanks are different and may require different or multiple prong solutions to remedy a problem.

I had a friend literally say a good sand sifting fish took out most the problem. I haven’t tried though. First thing is, turn those pearly white lights down, it def helps and at the least does not highlight the ugly contrast of the orange and white spotted sand-bed.

You think turning the intensity down on them or decreasing the light period?

 

[Lavey29]

You think turning the intensity down on them or decreasing the light period?

Just run blue and uv for a few weeks no whites. 6 hour period. See if your dinos decrease as you correct your bottomed out nutrients. Siphon the sand.

 

[Jaag]

Just run blue and uv for a few weeks no whites. 6 hour period. See if your dinos decrease as you correct your bottomed out nutrients. Siphon the sand.

what usually causes them though? I’m not opposed to doing that I just don’t want them coming back after the changes light schedule.

 

[Lavey29]

what usually causes them though? I’m not opposed to doing that I just don’t want them coming back after the changes light schedule.

There are numerous varieties of dinos in every reef tank. Most are beneficial but a few varieties are not. Typically we see them when nutrients bottom out as in 0 phosphate and 0 nitrates. A lot of times people get dinos after using chemicals like chemiclean because it wipes out beneficial bacteria and bottoms out nutrients while it helps with other stuff like cyano. You need to get your parameters in good ranges, reduce light, siphon, dose pods and good bacteria. It helps to ID which form of dinos you have first too.

 

[BwA_TR82]

I have the same issue right now with my sand bed been on going for a few months but my tank has been running for 2 years.

 

[Jaag]

There are numerous varieties of dinos in every reef tank. Most are beneficial but a few varieties are not. Typically we see them when nutrients bottom out as in 0 phosphate and 0 nitrates. A lot of times people get dinos after using chemicals like chemiclean because it wipes out beneficial bacteria and bottoms out nutrients while it helps with other stuff like cyano. You need to get your parameters in good ranges, reduce light, siphon, dose pods and good bacteria. It helps to ID which form of dinos you have first too.

I think they are ostreopsis from what I can tell.
Tonight my nitrates looked like 0 to me and Friday I’ll know about the phosphates.
I’ve got pods coming which will be great.
What bacteria do you prefer to dose?

I added chemipure elite about one week ago and I think it has made the issue worse. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Lavey29]

I think they are ostreopsis from what I can tell.
Tonight my nitrates looked like 0 to me and Friday I’ll know about the phosphates.
I’ve got pods coming which will be great.
What bacteria do you prefer to dose?

I added chemipure elite about one week ago and I think it has made the issue worse. Any thoughts on that?

Chemipure is primarily for water clarity. Purigen and carbon in it filter any toxins out. I use it too. You are in for a long battle over multiple months. I dose PNS probio weekly.

 

[BwA_TR82]

I think they are ostreopsis from what I can tell.
Tonight my nitrates looked like 0 to me and Friday I’ll know about the phosphates.
I’ve got pods coming which will be great.
What bacteria do you prefer to dose?

I added chemipure elite about one week ago and I think it has made the issue worse. Any thoughts on that?

Chemipure elite does have GFO in it which could drop phosphate even more that's probably why it's gotten worse

 

[slingfox]

I think they are ostreopsis from what I can tell.
Tonight my nitrates looked like 0 to me and Friday I’ll know about the phosphates.
I’ve got pods coming which will be great.
What bacteria do you prefer to dose?

I added chemipure elite about one week ago and I think it has made the issue worse. Any thoughts on that?

Dr. Tim's Waste Away is highly recommended since that supposedly has the larger mouth bacteria which can consume dinos. When I was in the middle of the dino war I dosed Dr. Tim's Waste Away and Macrobacter7 on alternating days since I had both around. You should definitely dose nitrates and test every few days to keep it elevated. I dosed bacteria, silicates and phyto on a daily basis while running UV 24/7 and every two days dosed nitrates, scrubbed the rocks, and siphoned the top layer of sand sand which was manually washed with tap water and fresh salt water then added back to the tank. I also reduced light intensity and ran the tank at 82 degrees since dinos apparently don't do well at high temperature. I did that for three weeks straight. After two rock and sand scrubbings less dinos came back less strongly. Eventually dinos gradually disappeared and then I had to deal with a cyano outbreak. Eventually cyano got under control using the above methods plus the DYI coral snow infused with Macrobacter7. Now I am just dealing with GHA on my rocks and a light dusting of diatoms on the sand. Much less painful than dealing with a full outbreak of dinos!

 

[Jaag]

Chemipure elite does have GFO in it which could drop phosphate even more that's probably why it's gotten worse

I was thinking the same thing tbh.

Dr. Tim's Waste Away is highly recommended since that supposedly has the larger mouth bacteria which can consume dinos. When I was in the middle of the dino war I dosed Dr. Tim's Waste Away and Macrobacter7 on alternating days since I had both around. You should definitely dose nitrates and test every few days to keep it elevated. I dosed bacteria, silicates and phyto on a daily basis while running UV 24/7 and every two days dosed nitrates, scrubbed the rocks, and siphoned the top layer of sand sand which was manually washed with tap water and fresh salt water then added back to the tank. I also reduced light intensity and ran the tank at 82 degrees since dinos apparently don't do well at high temperature. I did that for three weeks straight. After two rock and sand scrubbings less dinos came back less strongly. Eventually dinos gradually disappeared and then I had to deal with a cyano outbreak. Eventually cyano got under control using the above methods plus the DYI coral snow infused with Macrobacter7. Now I am just dealing with GHA on my rocks and a light dusting of diatoms on the sand. Much less painful than dealing with a full outbreak of dinos!

I have close to the same plan.
I plan on dosing neophos, neonitro and micobacter 7. I’ve turned my white lights off and will keep siphoning out the top layer of sand.
Also have pods and phyto coming.

You guys think that’s an okay plan?

 

[Jaag]

Can you dose neonitro and neophos if you are growing cheato?