Dino - Last Straw

[smd189]

Good morning. I have read every forum I can find. I have talked to every local contact I know and still nothing works. I have had dinos for at least a year now. This has been confirmed with a scope.
For months, I have kept my nutrients elevated at NO3 - 10, PO4 - .08-.1. I have been dosing silica, peroxide, and MB7. I have been running blue light’s only for 90% of the day, I have a 25w UV on a 80 gallon tank (new bulb), I siphon the sand and blow the rocks at least once per day, I’ve done 3 day black outs, I increased the water temp to 82.
Each morning the sand looks good, but within an hour of sun up, back to total brown. What am I missing? Thank you.

 

[vtecintegra]

I fought them for months with similar techniques. In the end I removed the sand and that got rid of them.

 

[a.t.t.r]

I fought for a year. Ended up stopping MB7, Did a single LARGE iron dose and started using live phyto (not the stuff from reef nutrition and not the mono culture that LFS sell) I ordered direct from algaebarn. This is now the longest I have gone with no dinos.

 

[dwest]

Sand remover here as well. My tank turned around days after I removed the sand.

If I had your tank, I would run it with measurable nitrates and phosphates, while keeping UV running (directly in and out of tank). I would read taricha’s amphidinium thread and dose silicates accordingly. I would also have at least some liverock.

If things don’t improve in a few months, I would remove the sand.

Dinos suck. Good luck to you.

 

[Kellie in CA]

I feel your pain! I have been dealing with dinos to various degrees for more than 2 years now. I've tried it all. Very frustrating because I am very good with tank maintenance, I shouldn't have to look at this!

 

[brandon429]

take out the sandbed, and battle the condition as a bare bottom tank if you're not already. we have ways of removing the sand without causing a cycle.

 

[bushdoc]

but within an hour of sun up, back to total brown

Do you mean real sun or tank lights?
I installed window blinds in the area of my tank and now I am in full controll of light intensity, duration and spectrum

 

[ReefDreamz]

Dinos thrive in a system with low to no microbial diversity. You need to add microbial diversity. The easiest and most aggressive way would be to add live rock taken directly from the ocean. You can purchase this from KP aquatics. Adding a good amount of actual live rock would be like dropping a microbial diversity bomb in your tank (a good thing). The downside is that live rock from the ocean often comes with undesirable hitchhikers such as pistol shrimp and gorilla crabs. But what would you rather deal with dinos or hitchhikers? Another option to add microbial diversity is live rock rubble and live sand from Aquabiomics, which is expensive but doesn't have any hitchhikers. People have also had good luck dosing Aquaforest Life Source which is a bacteria rich mud from the ocean. Also adding coral frags from established systems or maricultured coral colonies such as like Extreme Corals and some other vendors sell will bring in some amount of microbial diversity. Also as you build up your microbial diversity by adding things to the tank that came from the ocean or from established systems you can also begin to dose copepods and live phytoplankton. You should also consider sending in an ICP test and begin correcting trace element levels, look into the reef moonshiners program for help with this. If you have not already then join Mack's reef...Dinoflagellates support group on facebook, and get a microscope off Amazon to identify the type of dino you have. Good luck!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Good morning. I have read every forum I can find. I have talked to every local contact I know and still nothing works. I have had dinos for at least a year now. This has been confirmed with a scope.
For months, I have kept my nutrients elevated at NO3 - 10, PO4 - .08-.1. I have been dosing silica, peroxide, and MB7. I have been running blue light’s only for 90% of the day, I have a 25w UV on a 80 gallon tank (new bulb), I siphon the sand and blow the rocks at least once per day, I’ve done 3 day black outs, I increased the water temp to 82.
Each morning the sand looks good, but within an hour of sun up, back to total brown. What am I missing? Thank you.

Im not sure how you are utilizing the UV and Bacteria but often even blue lighting can be enough to keep the dino thriving and reproducing. Below is what I often recommend and those who beat it temporarily skipped or modified recommendations. When we see zero readings, automatically we assume this is the cause but by the time you see zero numbers, its because the dino has consumed the po4 and no3 and are multiplying and in turn many dose no3 and po4 to bring numbers up not realizing they are feeding these flagellates even more.

No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15% IF you have light dependant corals) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

 

[Troylee]

Good morning. I have read every forum I can find. I have talked to every local contact I know and still nothing works. I have had dinos for at least a year now. This has been confirmed with a scope.
For months, I have kept my nutrients elevated at NO3 - 10, PO4 - .08-.1. I have been dosing silica, peroxide, and MB7. I have been running blue light’s only for 90% of the day, I have a 25w UV on a 80 gallon tank (new bulb), I siphon the sand and blow the rocks at least once per day, I’ve done 3 day black outs, I increased the water temp to 82.
Each morning the sand looks good, but within an hour of sun up, back to total brown. What am I missing? Thank you.

I’ve done the exact same thing and I think I finally just knocked them out for good! After 3 months of blues only, mb7, uv light, h202, and sponge excell in large doses I’ve kept them at bay.. never gone but only little random patches.. I just got a new tank complete with rocks.. I grabbed a few rocks from the sump of my new tank and threw them in the Dino cube and now I’m not seeing anything but diatoms.. couple more days I’ll call is a success

 

[smd189]

I fought them for months with similar techniques. In the end I removed the sand and that got rid of them.

Thanks. I gave a mel wrasse that sleeps under the sand. Think removing his bed could be a neg? Thanks.

 

[Troylee]

Thanks. I gave a mel wrasse that sleeps under the sand. Think removing his bed could be a neg? Thanks.

You could try leaving him a cup of sand.. at least it would be controlled to that cup and easy to clean lol..

 

[smd189]

Dinos thrive in a system with low to no microbial diversity. You need to add microbial diversity. The easiest and most aggressive way would be to add live rock taken directly from the ocean. You can purchase this from KP aquatics. Adding a good amount of actual live rock would be like dropping a microbial diversity bomb in your tank (a good thing). The downside is that live rock from the ocean often comes with undesirable hitchhikers such as pistol shrimp and gorilla crabs. But what would you rather deal with dinos or hitchhikers? Another option to add microbial diversity is live rock rubble and live sand from Aquabiomics, which is expensive but doesn't have any hitchhikers. People have also had good luck dosing Aquaforest Life Source which is a bacteria rich mud from the ocean. Also adding coral frags from established systems or maricultured coral colonies such as like Extreme Corals and some other vendors sell will bring in some amount of microbial diversity. Also as you build up your microbial diversity by adding things to the tank that came from the ocean or from established systems you can also begin to dose copepods and live phytoplankton. You should also consider sending in an ICP test and begin correcting trace element levels, look into the reef moonshiners program for help with this. If you have not already then join Mack's reef...Dinoflagellates support group on facebook, and get a microscope off Amazon to identify the type of dino you have. Good luck!

Thank you. I checked out aquabiomics site. They are completely out if stock but hopefully they replenish soon. Tix.