Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

[mtdaly85]

I found a few patches of suspicious looking brown mats in my 100g. I fought these back in December / January and won (or so I thought!). I confirmed the diagnosis with a microscope: Ostreopsis. I changed out the carbon in my reactor and busted out the UV sterilizer. Going to run it in the sump for a week or so and baste the rocks throughout the day. You can barely notice them, but I’d rather squash it now than lose all my coral again!

Wish me luck!

 

[ScottB]

I found a few patches of suspicious looking brown mats in my 100g. I fought these back in December / January and won (or so I thought!). I confirmed the diagnosis with a microscope: Ostreopsis. I changed out the carbon in my reactor and busted out the UV sterilizer. Going to run it in the sump for a week or so and baste the rocks throughout the day. You can barely notice them, but I’d rather squash it now than lose all my coral again!

Wish me luck!

Good luck!

How are you set for NO3 and PO4?
Got nutrients?

 

[mtdaly85]

Good luck!

How are you set for NO3 and PO4?
Got nutrients?

Nitrates around 18, phosphates around 0.04. I’ve had amazing growth from all my corals, so I’m not too worried (yet!). Changing out the carbon will help with the toxins for sure. Im running about 3/4 cup of BRS Rox 0.8 carbon in a reactor for a Waterbox 130.4.

 

[mtdaly85]

Good luck!

How are you set for NO3 and PO4?
Got nutrients?

That UV works so dang well. I can't find a single strand of a dino anywhere this morning. I'll be home around 2pm today so I'll check what it looks like in peak daylight, but I'm optimistic. I can't get over how great a tool the UV is.

 

[AaronFReef]

When do you guys stop dosing silicate? I think I’ve beat back the Dinos. I pulled the UV offline last week and have been continuing to dose silicate. I never saw a bloom but I saw them in microscope samples and was confident it was taking its place. Nutrients were always in a good range.

The main reasons I want to stop are that it seems to have caused these white sponges to explode in growth throughout my system including growing on my monti and nepthea(!!!!) and I want to avoid a diatom bloom.

 

[aShF]

Hi, What works against coolia dinos?

 

[mtdaly85]

Hi, What works against coolia dinos?

I believe people have had success with UV (I think they enter the water column at night!)

 

[Paullawr]

Coolia reapond rather well to fauna marin red x. Keeps on top of mine.

 

[AaronFReef]

Anyone who dosed silicate that could help instruct me on when to stop now that my UV is pulled and my dinos seem to be gone?

 

[OpenOcean33]

Anyone who dosed silicate that could help instruct me on when to stop now that my UV is pulled and my dinos seem to be gone?

I continued to dose untill I had a bloom with no sign of dinos, then for one more week. Then I let it runs its course and dinos did come back i did a round two and after that everything was good.

 

[AaronFReef]

I continued to dose untill I had a bloom with no sign of dinos, then for one more week. Then I let it runs its course and dinos did come back i did a round two and after that everything was good.

Thanks OpenOcean33. I suppose I’ll just dose less and less for a little while. These little sponges are quite the nuisance with how fast they grow. It’s pretty amazing.

 

[j.nichols.2204]

My first post on here, but I have been reading the forums for years. I have been struggling with dinos for a couple weeks. Is this Coolia? I have a UV light and have been spraying the dinos off the rocks and sand, but it seems like they come back even faster each day.

 

[j.nichols.2204]

 

[Paullawr]

Buy some fauna marin red x. Complete the short treatment method and see if that has improved things for you.

 

[j.nichols.2204]

Buy some fauna marin red x. Complete the short treatment method and see if that has improved things for you.

Is that available in the United States? I have only seen the Dino X

 

[j.nichols.2204]

I found it on SaltwaterAquarium.com. Thanks!

 

[Paullawr]

Fauna marin do send internationally but doesnt look like America is on their list of destinations. Maybe through amazon?

 

[Paullawr]

I found it on SaltwaterAquarium.com. Thanks!

Worked wonders for me. Just another tool in that on going fight

 

[Paullawr]

Worked wonders for me. Just another tool in that on going fight

After treatment they recommend Fauna Marin REBIOTIC (well they would its their product. Still might be worth consideration). I didnt use it but adding lots of good fauna cant be a bad thing.

 

[Neoalchemist]

I got dinos under control, at least to the point where the corals are happy and growing again but I still get what looks like micro bubbles on my rocks and a swab revealed Dinos where still present. Have no strings or mats of them but I know they are there. What is the best way to create more biodiversity to outcompete them? I’m worried they will resurface at harmful levels. Was going to add bacteria however wouldn’t adding bacteria lower nutrients? My nutrients stay stable at .4 nitrates and .02 phosphates. Don’t want to upset them and create a bigger issue. Still running 55w Jebao 24/7 since my issue. If I remove it, they come back.

I went to the lfs and found a piece of Live rock that looked like it had come out of a recently shuffled system, or just buy a piece from a local hobbyist who has older successful tanks. The latter is probably better because I ended up with a vermitid problem from lfs rock. Also Dr. Tim's sells a pro biotic that I've been using periodically. It's supposed to keep the water populated with short lived harmless bacteria to crowd out undesirables.