Not be scared of buying frags due to dinos

[KTTX]

Is there any way to ensure frags you by are clean and don't have dinos before adding it to your tank?

Trying to make sure not to introduce it from another hobbyist or vendor.

TIA

 

[splunty]

Is there any way to ensure frags you by are clean and don't have dinos before adding it to your tank?

Trying to make sure not to introduce it from another hobbyist or vendor.

TIA

If you have added any livestock at all, even CUC, you have dinos in your tank.

Sorry.

 

[Cthulukelele]

If you have added any livestock at all, even CUC, you have dinos in your tank.

Sorry.

Yeah seconded. Dinos are a balance issue not an existence issue. It's more complicated than this, but a simple description of the balance: nutrients too low -> dinos take over and are very hard to remove. Nutrients too high-> hair/turf algae takes over and is very hard to remove. Battle for balance and not bottoming out your nutrients. Once there IS a problem, it can be very hard to fix even with good water parameters.

 

[KTTX]

Yeah seconded. Dinos are a balance issue not an existence issue. It's more complicated than this, but a simple description of the balance: nutrients too low -> dinos take over and are very hard to remove. Nutrients too high-> hair/turf algae takes over and is very hard to remove. Battle for balance and not bottoming out your nutrients. Once there IS a problem, it can be very hard to fix even with good water parameters.

Well I don't have either, just trying to do everything to not get a bloom of either though.

But man this Dino thing was really never an issue 6+ years ago as people were doing low nutrient systems etc and kept system bottomed out of nutrients.

The dinos of today is like the common cold now.

Anyway, happy reefing...

 

[rtparty]

The corals are literally full of dinos. It’s called zooxanthellae.

There is zero chance of keeping dinoflagellates out of a system

 

[KTTX]

The corals are literally full of dinos. It’s called zooxanthellae.

There is zero chance of keeping dinoflagellates out of a system

Yea, I understand that...im referring to the outbreak that has been going on and how hobbyist are giving up. And the various strings of it.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Yea, I understand that...im referring to the outbreak that has been going on and how hobbyist are giving up. And the various strings of it.

IMO actual nutrient bottoming out is much more common now. Our nutrient removal methods from powerful commercially available fuge lights to filter rollers move us closer and closer to overly clean tanks. People had "zero" nutrient tanks in the past, but I'm of the opinion that in reality the tanks they had were much "dirtier" and often started with real reef rock that already had a cornucopia of life on it adding to biodiversity that combats the take-off of dinos

 

[rtparty]

Yea, I understand that...im referring to the outbreak that has been going on and how hobbyist are giving up. And the various strings of it.

Whether we like it or not, every strain enters our systems at some point. Whether it takes over and dominates is another question.

I think the sterile tanks are bound to have dinos take over for a short time or even a long time.

I am actually working on some "experiments" and testing on how to more easily combat and even avoid them. I won't have any info worth sharing for a couple months though

 

[splunty]

Whether we like it or not, every strain enters our systems at some point. Whether it takes over and dominates is another question.

I think the sterile tanks are bound to have dinos take over for a short time or even a long time.

I am actually working on some "experiments" and testing on how to more easily combat and even avoid them. I won't have any info worth sharing for a couple months though

I didn't want to join any kind of debate about the reason(s) dinos have (seemingly) become more of a nuisance in today's reefing. But if you're performing some tests, I have a theory that I haven't necessarily seen discussed.

We would probably all agree that the number of tanks being set up with artificial or quarried products (plastics, limestone, etc.) has risen dramatically. Those products are going to contain high levels of silicates. Even ceramic plugs may introduce excessive Silicates into the system. Silicates are going to feed the growth of diatoms in the ugly stage. Diatoms are likely to lower or even bottom out nutrient levels. And what loves both low nutrient levels and diatoms? Dinos.

So I would theorize that managing silicates (which we don't currently do) during the maturation process of the tank would be the best way to control or prevent dino outbreaks (as well as diatoms).

/crackpot-mode-off

 

[rtparty]

I didn't want to join any kind of debate about the reason(s) dinos have (seemingly) become more of a nuisance in today's reefing. But if you're performing some tests, I have a theory that I haven't necessarily seen discussed.

We would probably all agree that the number of tanks being set up with artificial or quarried products (plastics, limestone, etc.) has risen dramatically. Those products are going to contain high levels of silicates. Even ceramic plugs may introduce excessive Silicates into the system. Silicates are going to feed the growth of diatoms in the ugly stage. Diatoms are likely to lower or even bottom out nutrient levels. And what loves both low nutrient levels and diatoms? Dinos.

So I would theorize that managing silicates (which we don't currently do) during the maturation process of the tank would be the best way to control or prevent dino outbreaks (as well as diatoms).

/crackpot-mode-off

Plausible theory and defintely a multi pronged issue we have with dinos.

My "testing" is going to be a much more simple approach and looks through the lens of "our tanks are too sterile." We need ocean rock without having access to ocean rock if that makes sense. How do we easily fill that void while keeping costs down so everyone can do it? If my theory plays out, my buddy will be following my recipe to try and replciate it. He has only had 2 tanks and very little time in the hobby so I feel he is more beginner and a "recipe" could be exactly what beginners need.

I plan to document my testing in a thread here and on YouTube. I am NOT a content creator though and my videography skills are non existent. It is the info I more worried about than shiny movies

 

[carol3]

How can I make sure to not miss this, are you rtparty on YouTube?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

My theory is that people fear the rarely present bad hitchhikers on live rock or live sand and that dry starts are far more common...I tend to think dry starts are far more prone to dino outbreaks.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

I didn't want to join any kind of debate about the reason(s) dinos have (seemingly) become more of a nuisance in today's reefing. But if you're performing some tests, I have a theory that I haven't necessarily seen discussed.

We would probably all agree that the number of tanks being set up with artificial or quarried products (plastics, limestone, etc.) has risen dramatically. Those products are going to contain high levels of silicates. Even ceramic plugs may introduce excessive Silicates into the system. Silicates are going to feed the growth of diatoms in the ugly stage. Diatoms are likely to lower or even bottom out nutrient levels. And what loves both low nutrient levels and diatoms? Dinos.

So I would theorize that managing silicates (which we don't currently do) during the maturation process of the tank would be the best way to control or prevent dino outbreaks (as well as diatoms).

/crackpot-mode-off

It's also worth mentioning that going years back on forums and looking up "brown slime algae" "brown cyano" "brown GHA" you see a lot of what is probably dinos, but are IDd as something else.

It's always been a problem.