Dino help!

[eqbal9947]

Hey guys.
I pretty sure I have Dino.
move done some research and it may be the type that goes into the water column during light out and takes over sand and rock when lights come back.
In the morning sand looks good then horrible during the day.
My snails especially narrite are dying and some are staying away from sand
I also have hair algae potentially.
I’m confused as to which it would be because research says they normally fight for nutrients so it’s one or the other.
Also I’ve seen people dosing carbon to get rid of dino and people raising nitrate and phosphate which seems like the complete opposite approach.
My phosphate is around .20 and nitrate around 5
Pics are of morning and then day time

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Evening.

Your Po4 is pretty high. A few things I would start with would be a water change, manually removing and clean out all nuisance algea. Then run some GFO or I like Rowa-Phos. After the water change continually stir the sand bed daily.

A UV is known to help. I have had success dosing phyto that I culture at home, Dosing carbon is a way to go as well as Vibrant, but no guarantee it will resolve the issue and you need to know what you are doing.

 

[eqbal9947]

Evening.

Your Po4 is pretty high. A few things I would start with would be a water change, manually removing and clean out all nuisance algea. Then run some GFO or I like Rowa-Phos. After the water change continually stir the sand bed daily.

A UV is known to help. I have had success dosing phyto that I culture at home, Dosing carbon is a way to go as well as Vibrant, but no guarantee it will resolve the issue and you need to know what you are doing.

I’ve seen so many conflicting opinions.
for example, I saw inappropriate reefer on YouTube said not to touch your sandbed.
It’s hard to make an educated move when you have no experience

 

[Reefahholic]

Don’t do a water change. They thrive on any kind of destabilizing event.

 

[Reefahholic]

Typically the 1st thing to do is buy a $75 microscope and get an ID. Stop and amino acids, vitamins, etc. You can also reduce your photo period or turn down whites reds, and greens. Those are the first few things I’d consider. Secondly, if you have the species that enter the water column, a UV can sometimes be a big help.

 

[eqbal9947]

I

Typically the 1st thing to do is buy a $75 microscope and get an ID. Stop and amino acids, vitamins, etc. You can also reduce your photo period or turn down whites reds, and greens. Those are the first few things I’d consider. Secondly, if you have the species that enter the water column, a UV can sometimes be a big help.

m trying to get my hands on one!

 

[eqbal9947]

So I bought a kids microscope and under 400X I can see what looks like worms on the algae

 

[saltyhog]

So I bought a kids microscope and under 400X I can see what looks like worms on the algae

The worms are not what you are seeing grossly in your tank. Use a small container, like the vial that comes with a Salifert NO3 test or a small prescription bottle. Scoop up about a tsp of the dirty sand at the height of your lighting cycle. Pour off the water till there's just enough to cover the sand. Shake it well and put a single drop on the slide and add a cover slip.

For the stuff on the rock, try to siphon off a little of it with a pipette when it's at it's peak. Again, retain just a little bit of water and mix it up. I do that by putting the specimen in a small container and repeatedly suck it up and expel it back with a pipette. Again 1 drop on a slide with a cover slip.

Post pictures and video and we can see what kind you have (if it is dinos). Get some at about 200x and at 400x.

Going away at night doesn't always mean they go in to the water column. Amphidinium for example seems to disappear at night but it's not in the water column but receding into the sand.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hey guys.
I pretty sure I have Dino.
move done some research and it may be the type that goes into the water column during light out and takes over sand and rock when lights come back.
In the morning sand looks good then horrible during the day.
My snails especially narrite are dying and some are staying away from sand
I also have hair algae potentially.
I’m confused as to which it would be because research says they normally fight for nutrients so it’s one or the other.
Also I’ve seen people dosing carbon to get rid of dino and people raising nitrate and phosphate which seems like the complete opposite approach.
My phosphate is around .20 and nitrate around 5
Pics are of morning and then day time

I dont see Dino.

Hvae you verified with a microscope and posting an image here?

 

[eqbal9947]

I dont see Dino.

Hvae you verified with a microscope and posting an image here?

I tried gettin and imagine but like I said. It’s literally a microscope from Walmart made for kids.
I think I saw some ostreopsis.
They were smaller than the worms, cone shaped and swam very funny. The moves very fast.
I also saw pizza diatoms

 

[eqbal9947]

The worms are not what you are seeing grossly in your tank. Use a small container, like the vial that comes with a Salifert NO3 test or a small prescription bottle. Scoop up about a tsp of the dirty sand at the height of your lighting cycle. Pour off the water till there's just enough to cover the sand. Shake it well and put a single drop on the slide and add a cover slip.

For the stuff on the rock, try to siphon off a little of it with a pipette when it's at it's peak. Again, retain just a little bit of water and mix it up. I do that by putting the specimen in a small container and repeatedly suck it up and expel it back with a pipette. Again 1 drop on a slide with a cover slip.

Post pictures and video and we can see what kind you have (if it is dinos). Get some at about 200x and at 400x.

Going away at night doesn't always mean they go in to the water column. Amphidinium for example seems to disappear at night but it's not in the water column but receding into the sand.

I’ll try that tomorrow. I’m hoping to get my hands on a better microscope

 

[Yates273]

If it is Dino’s what worked for me was a few 3 day blackouts to knock it back and leaving the tank dirty. No water changes you want another type of algae to outcompete the Dino’s. It took me a couple months but it worked. I also added a small UV Sterilizer, but I really think it was the dirty tank and 3 day blackouts that did the trick

 

[saltyhog]

If it is Dino’s what worked for me was a few 3 day blackouts to knock it back and leaving the tank dirty. No water changes you want another type of algae to outcompete the Dino’s. It took me a couple months but it worked. I also added a small UV Sterilizer, but I really think it was the dirty tank and 3 day blackouts that did the trick

Probably a combination of things. Blackouts are not really helpful. They improve the appearance temporarily but never permanently fix things. They also can cause dinos to encyst and come back later when conditions are more favorable for them.