Dinoflagellates and NO3 and PO4. Why do I have to worry now?

[Ashish Patel]

I had dinos show up when my nutrients where Ultra low. I wasn't carbon dosing I believe the aggressive wet skimming and over lighting my cheato did it. Im starting to see little difference between how nutrients are brought low you could use vodka, cheato, skimmer, whatever, if your strip to fast good stuff dies or halts and dinos thrive.

 

[helms20]

What I'd like to k ow is if someone has had dinos with the use of a chiller keeping temp rock solid.

I know this is an old post, but yes. With a chiller I had dinos. I am not saying they are gone, but for the last 2-3 weeks I have had nothing but what I expected in there.

I have seen Dino’s with MH in fact I had them this summer. [emoji3]

I have 250W MH and T5 combo's over my tank right now. The dinos didn't care at all.

I tried just about everything from dosing N&P, blackouts, UV, metroplex, H2O2, manual removal, but nothing seemed to work. So I went to my LFS, grabbed some cheato for my sump, ran a 5 day blackout period on my DT (lit my cheato 24 hours though), and went full bore on my 25W UV (500gph pump). I turkey basted off all of the dinos I could see, and when I turned on my lights I changed the cycle to about 5 hours. Ran that for 2 weeks, then upped my lighting by 1 hour. I am now running 10 hours of light and I haven't seen the first bubble.

I am not saying the fight is over, but I am hoping I have done enough. My N&P are elevated right now, so I need to run some GFO just to get the P under control. I have been changing out water for the last 5 days. Started with 20%, then 4 daily 10% changes to help lower the nutrients.

Hopefully everything will stay away or if they come back just hang out with my cheato. I don't care if they are in the sump, as long as they aren't in my DT .

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

Haven't read this whe thread yet, but followed Mccorral's dino sticky early on. I've also been following many dino cases here. I suspect part of it is the demand for nutrients not just what is available. People with higher light intensity and longer photo periods still seem to get them even with nutrients at what would normally be considered acceptable. I'd be interested in seeing some PAR readings in these tanks. More PAR isn't always good.

 

[abraha]

revhtree I just watched the BRS episode in which you described using Vibrant to help you fight dinos. Could you please share with us the dosing regimen you used.
Thank you!

 

[taricha]

here's rev's thread on the topic
How would you feel if I tore it all down?
he says he started treatment around post #40.
He had gambierdiscus (see post #38) - a type I've never seen anyone else post that they had. But I think would be most similar to prorocentrum in habit and traits.

 

[CoralClasher]

OK replacing sand when you have dinos is lie staring over and putting back in new tank what you took out of old!

Rev you might own this place but listen hard quick wins won't work this evil.

Dose N and P.
Get your nitrate between 2 and 5 ppm.

Phosphate get it around 0.3 to 0.5ppm

Keep it there (for at least six months after they have gone).

Though between you and I maybe a forever thing.

DON'T DO THE RESTART SYSTEM. IT DOESN'T WORK!!!!!
Been there got several dino stained t shirts.

If you have more than one attain might well be worth a good UV.

Replacing sand won't cut it if you have more than one. Most will very dominate in water column. When you replace sand only the cysts will idle on a sandbed.

The Fiji mud isn't a bad shot. If it doesn't deal with dinos it's got benefits elsewhere and quite frankly the rest of the stressed organisms could probably do with a perk up.

I'm still in the undecided camp on what nutrients do to them. I don't personally think it causes. Out completion.
If it did someone on here by now would have photographic evidence of these so called competitors feasting on them.
Photos anyone?

I actually think a dino bloom is in response to stress factors. Ie low
Nutrients rather than a niche in the environment.

Anyway GHA keep it. Better than dinos and will allow for zooplankton to thrive.

Bacteria consuming Dinos?

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

How do you know dinos aren't consuming it? That is what they do to other algae when light stressed with low nutrients.

 

[CoralClasher]

How do you know dinos aren't consuming it? That is what they do to other algae when light stressed with low nutrients.

I had phosphate at 0.3 and nitrogen around 15ppm Sunday and started the bacteria method from elegant corals on Monday I really hope the bacteria is winning!!!

 

[taricha]

Bacteria consuming Dinos?

Here's a mixed assembly of dinos (ostreopsis - same as yours) and cyano. The granular translucent material is the dino mucus. Maybe that's also what is in your pics.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Interesting!

That would also help explain the absence of other type of algae. For me my tank is clean otherwise!

I'd do UV and DE Filtration , use both till no issuses. Then stop using them. My 2 cents.

Diatom Filters, by Dr. Adrian Lawler

Dr. Lawler provides a strong recommendation for the regular use of diatom filters. This article is a must-read for the serious aquarist looking for the best filter technique to use in fish keeping.

web.archive.org

 

[CoralClasher]

Here's a mixed assembly of dinos (ostreopsis - same as yours) and cyano. The granular translucent material is the dino mucus. Maybe that's also what is in your pics.

I have looked at Dino strings before and never seen the mucus. Since I've started this bacteria bloom I have a lot of white slime and the water is milky.

pics from last night

 

[CoralClasher]

I started with high nutrients and have been watching them drop fast. No3 is now under 10ppm and phosphate is 0.00 I added a bunch of phosphate Tuesday when I got 0.13 reading and yesterday when it was 0.03 I hope this method isn't just making the Dinos bloom! And my alkalinity started at 7 dkh now it's 8.6 stoped dosing core7 on Monday when I seen alkalinity jump just a little bit and it's still going up?

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

The nutrient dirty method will work on your ostreopsis. They will go back into the water column and other stuff will take it's place. Higher phosphates sometimes slow down calcification in corals so you shouldn't need to dose as much. It can take a few days for everything to level out.

 

[CoralClasher]

The nutrient dirty method will work on your ostreopsis. They will go back into the water column and other stuff will take it's place. Higher phosphates sometimes slow down calcification in corals so you shouldn't need to dose as much. It can take a few days for everything to level out.

I've been on the high nutrients kick for 11 months now and have made two diotom blooms I have only been able to control the Dinos this way. This bacteria bloom is looking promising. What are the other stuff that will take the Dinos place? Are they in my tank or should I be getting more live sand activator and mud from Hawaii?

 

[Brew12]

I've been on the high nutrients kick for 11 months now and have made two diotom blooms I have only been able to control the Dinos this way. This bacteria bloom is looking promising. What are the other stuff that will take the Dinos place? Are they in my tank or should I be getting more live sand activator and mud from Hawaii?

I like to add live phytoplanton to add diversity. Seems to have worked well for me with past issues.

 

[CoralClasher]

I like to add live phytoplanton to add diversity. Seems to have worked well for me with past issues.

Yeah I have been using live phytoplankton from algae barn great stuff but getting a little expensive. What are your thoughts on instant plankton from Nyos? I here people use lots of the live stuff but will I get the same effects from the dry stuff?

 

[Brew12]

Yeah I have been using live phytoplankton from algae barn great stuff but getting a little expensive. What are your thoughts on instant plankton from Nyos? I here people use lots of the live stuff but will I get the same effects from the dry stuff?

Unfortunately the dry stuff won't work the same way. Have you considered growing your own? I've never done it but I know it is easy and many people do it.

 

[CoralClasher]

I want to try but every time I look into it I can't decide what strand of plankton to get maybe try four different types then it gets complicated and seems like a lot of work and what if it crashes then it probably would of cheaper to just get it from algae barn.

 

[Brew12]

I want to try but every time I look into it I can't decide what strand of plankton to get maybe try four different types then it gets complicated and seems like a lot of work and what if it crashes then it probably would of cheaper to just get it from algae barn.

A guy at my local club has kept a strain going for over 2 years using nothing but 2 liter bottles and a $10 light from Lowe's. I don't add phyto enough to be willing to do it, but it doesn't have to be hard or expensive.

 

[CoralClasher]

Well after reading that other thread 200ml daily in a 120 gallon no way I could get that from algae barn.