Dinoflagellates - dinos a possible cure!? Follow along and see!

[tntdsol]

I just got the started of Dinos in my tank. I plan on combating them on a multi front attack.

I scrubbed all rocks and glass and just completed a 72 hour black out. I will be installing a UV Sterilizer in my tank today and will brush rock daily to hopefully put them in the water column so the sterilizer can suck them up.

I will also be raising my nutrients to promote the growth of other algea, and increased my fuge light to hopefully increase my cheato growth.

Along with these 2 things I will be dosing MB7 and H2O2 for the next couple weeks to try and increase positive bacteria to out compete the dino.

Am I missing anything? Other suggestions?

 

[Tjm23slo]

Well said. Through a microscope, the biodiversity is night and day difference between a patch of dino sand and a patch of healthy sand in a tank that has beaten dinos.

I have a few spots of what I think are Dino’s. I have the toy microscope and want to get a sample. Do I just take a tweezerful of brown junk and look at it? If this I can do,

I have tried sucking up water from the substrate but won’t see much.

I also have an odd patch on a high spot on my rocks under the light. Doesn’t spread too much mor does it get too stringy, but I can blow it off and a few days it’s back. I can’t really get a pinch of this stuff. Any thought on how to identify?

 

[Stephers]

Ugh. I beat dinos last year, but I let my phosphate go too low and they're back despite all my hair algae... can someone help with species? I had ostreo before, but I think these are different... thanks

 

[LOVEROCK]

Bleach is very hard on your fish. Some fish can't take it. Only do bleach as a last resort and if possible remove them before bleach treatment. For me I used 1ml per actual 20 gallon system volume. I did 2 doses 12 hours apart with the skimmer off for the first 3 hours. The system will smell of chlorine for at least 6 hours. Using the protein skimmer will help remove the chlorine. If you are not satisfied that the chlorine is out of the system then you can do a small dose h202 or chlorine remover to help whatever is left over, however I don't believe h202 is needed. If you chose to do this method expect a total loss of your nitrifying bacteria.

What kind of bleach ? Percent of sodium hypochlorite

 

[domination2580]

What kind of bleach ? Percent of sodium hypochlorite

Problem with this theory is that it isn't the bleach that kills the fish, it's the fact that the bacteria is all killed off so ammonia creeps up...

 

[domination2580]

You can’t have fish in the system when you dose bleach tho correct?

Fish should be fine, invertebrates on the other hand is a no go. BUT you have to monitor the ammonia since bleach will kill off the bacteria...

 

[Tjm23slo]

Ugh. I beat dinos last year, but I let my phosphate go too low and they're back despite all my hair algae... can someone help with species?

Have you tried thIs method? If you have hair algae you might want to try the Fluconazole treatment first, then reset the bacteria levels in your tanks and the nutrient levels with this regiment. It does a nice job of knocking Amphidinium dinoflagellates back. UV is good for others.

If I were ordering a 2 month fix your tank routine, it would be run UV with a slow pump for a week while Turkey basting rocks and substrate to get cysts in the water column. Then follow up with 4-6 weeks of Fluconazole to kill off bryopsis and green hair algae. Once completed. Run the regiment that I am attaching. This will knock back remaining Dino’s then reset bacteria and nutrient levels. Once completed. See if you need one more regiment execution. The. Use brightwell FaStart-m to bring up nutrient levels to 5 and 0.06. Try to stay above for 2 months then go back to your regularly scheduled programming. As maintenance, keep bubbling, add some Dr Tim’s Waste away every other week and ATM colony.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/analyzing-a-bacterial-method-for-dinoflagellates-and-cyano.635165/

 

[Rich Klein]

Problem with this theory is that it isn't the bleach that kills the fish, it's the fact that the bacteria is all killed off so ammonia creeps up...

Please don't do this. The key to fighting Dino is to encourage micro and macro growth that battles the Dino and keeps it in check naturally. Add pods and keep NO3 and PO4 up (~10 and .1 respectively) until you see other Algae start growing on your glass and substrate. That will out-compete the Dino. Using bleach, blackouts and other chemicals to kill Dino is misconceived in my opinion and experiance (battled Dino twice). A healthy ecosystem is the key. It takes time and patience.

 

[Alexreefer]

Sorry if this has been asked but what is the entire procedure in using this treatment against dinos?

 

[Stephers]

Have you tried thIs method? If you have hair algae you might want to try the Fluconazole treatment first, then reset the bacteria levels in your tanks and the nutrient levels with this regiment. It does a nice job of knocking Amphidinium dinoflagellates back. UV is good for others.

If I were ordering a 2 month fix your tank routine, it would be run UV with a slow pump for a week while Turkey basting rocks and substrate to get cysts in the water column. Then follow up with 4-6 weeks of Fluconazole to kill off bryopsis and green hair algae. Once completed. Run the regiment that I am attaching. This will knock back remaining Dino’s then reset bacteria and nutrient levels. Once completed. See if you need one more regiment execution. The. Use brightwell FaStart-m to bring up nutrient levels to 5 and 0.06. Try to stay above for 2 months then go back to your regularly scheduled programming. As maintenance, keep bubbling, add some Dr Tim’s Waste away every other week and ATM colony.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/analyzing-a-bacterial-method-for-dinoflagellates-and-cyano.635165/

I haven't been on here in a while, but you pretty much described what I've been doing and my dinos are all but gone now. The reef flux completely destroyed the hair algae in 3 weeks. There is only a tiny bit left. I turkey basted the rocks every evening before lights off as many days as I could. the UV was/is on in the display. I turned my protein skimmer off to raise nutrients, and I've been dosing silicates for quite a while now, too. The results have been great... my corals have done a 5000% turn around and are getting brighter every day. Zoas that hadn't opened in over 4 months (not exaggerating) are now opening up. a plating monti was bleaching and STN but now has repaired itself and has new growth.

My nutrients are getting too high now, especially my phosphate, so I have my skimmer back on. I'm also getting some red slime, as to be expected, but the tank is so much better. I'm going to keep the UV on for a while longer. I wish I could keep it permanently on, but it's pretty unsightly in the display and I have no room in my cabinet. I'm going to dose the silicates for diatom growth permanently. I am getting great diatom growth when I look under the microscope, but the visual impact is limited. I'm hoping that'll help keep the bad stuff at bay.

 

[Tjm23slo]

I haven't been on here in a while, but you pretty much described what I've been doing and my dinos are all but gone now. The reef flux completely destroyed the hair algae in 3 weeks. There is only a tiny bit left.

great news!! Not sure I want to post this just in case the Dino’s read R2R. But I think they are gone. Bryopsis is going away. I’ve had my UV out for a while since I didn’t see any Ostriopsis. You are probably safe to pull it.
I used Lice Rock Enhance. 5 doses over 20 days. My first dose I got a mini bloom, which is good.
Numbers seem stable.
My large diatom bloom made me think or worry that Dino’s came back

I will wait on my post fluconazole treatment water-change. But so far all good.

 

[Dlucero]

I know this thread is old but read through a 178 pages. I went metro ramped Up dosage every twelve hours for three doses. First 2.5, second 3, and last dose 4 scoops per ten gallon. I put ats plastic screens in high flow areas, I replaced them every night before lights out for three days. I have been Dino free using that method. I placed carbon in on day four, metro should not have been active anymore due to the 48 hr rule. I lost one emerald crab but no snails or hermits. All soft and lps paled up. Sps was super stressed since being smothered prior and I think the water toxins both medication and Dino did them in. They rtn around day six but I’m Dino free. Also once Dino left immediately diatom bloom on glass. I am just now seeing it recede. So just want to say thank you all who contributed to this thread you helped keep me reefing.

 

[Humblefish]

How many here have successfully dosed Metronidazole/Flagyl into a reef tank? If so, what dosage/duration did you use??

I'm looking into this as a possible treatment for brook/uronema in a DT environment.

 

[taricha]

I dosed metro, and did as thorough of an organism census as I could before and after. (Including microscope) I saw nothing get wiped out or virtually disappear.

 

[puffy127]

How many here have successfully dosed Metronidazole/Flagyl into a reef tank? If so, what dosage/duration did you use??

I'm looking into this as a possible treatment for brook/uronema in a DT environment.

I did the 125 mg per 10g for 3 days in a red tank with no effects on the coral or inverts.

I did it again a few months later for 10 days and I did lose some corals, but don't know if it was due to the metro.

IIRC, there were others who doubled the dose and dosed for 10 days with no effects on their corals.

 

[merereef]

Hi again members and visitors of R2R
Here I will be starting a thread on the possible breakthrough of a dinoflagellate solution.
I know scepticism by many and I accept any critical thinking.
I may be referencing information from a few other threads that I have posted information on.

@Alanc425 has agreed to be the first to help with this venture and by sending me a sample for initial pictures and possible identification. I thank you for reaching out to me!
@cowboy my friend please tag along and add your thoughts and ideas since you were the first to introduce to me this amazing find.
Members are an important part of the work I do so please share your thoughts.
This is just the beginning and a finish is soon to come.

So here we go the dreaded dinoflagellates
Product used is metronidazole

This is so strange... i was sat here a few hours ago wondering when someone will find the CURE for dinos once and for alll!!!!! Please share quickly lol

 

[puffy127]

Well, metro didn't work long term. Initially there was some success, but they came back. The speculation was that metro caused the dinos to encyst, only to re-emerge later.

 

[androidx1]

I ran into Dino's after adding Vibrant to my tank. I used the Vibrant to get rid of Bubble algae that I was battling for years.....It worked...totally got rid of the bubble algae, but then came a light case of Dino's. I have not identified the species of Dino's but they are in my sand bed, and then enter the water column at night.

2 days ago, I decided to do a lights out (not black out) for 2 days, and run a mechanical filter (2 Canisters) one with 30um and the secend in line at 5um.

Lights on today, and the gravel is clear..no signs of Dino's yet. my guess is they are not totally gone, and I am going to continue to run the canister filters for a couple more days, but so far so good.

Im hoping its enough of a hit on the population that the competing algae can beat it out.

I am also dosing PO4 to keep it at .04ppm. Also my Nitrates are at about 10ppm.

its to early to tell if the above fixed the issue or not, but I guess we will know in a week or so.

I dont really have any coral other than one monti that has been STN'ing and i suppose it was due to the Dino's. I beleive Monti's and Stylo's are more effected by dinos compared to that of Acro's.

I started doing this because I have purchased a bunch of SPS (on reeftrader - head of a frag swap) that I was planning on putting in the tank in a week......

Just for reference:
80 gallon aquarium with ~ 30 gallon sump with Skimmer
6 fish (2 clowns and 4 Lyretail anthias)
2 MP40's set on alternate modes (some random mode, cant remember the name)
2 Radion XR30's mounted about 11" from surface running AB+ at 30%
CA=450
Alk = 8.8
MG = 1500
PH = 7.9~8.1
PO4 = .03 ~ .04
NO3 = 10
Dose 2part using Apex DOS. (very little amount right 15ml/day now because of no coral..but I do need to dose or it goes down).

Keeping my fingers crossed

 

[androidx1]

now the 3rd day with lights on and still no dino's. I am still running the 30um and 5um filter along with a filter sock on my drain line in the sump.........

oddly the phosphates have gone up to .05ppm not a huge spike but it went up.....its been at .05ppm for a couple days not so I have not dosed any PO4 to the tank. I was having to dose PO4 to keep it at .04.

Maybe it went up because of the decaying Dino's in my filter??? Anyway....so far so good. I think I will give it a couple more days with the 30um and 5um filter and will take it off line to see where things stand.

 

[androidx1]

On 5th day with lights on, and so far so good...no dinos.
I took my 30um and 5um canister filters off line on Sunday Night.....so its been running 2 days without the filter as well....though I am still running the 200um filter sock in my sump return line.

Fingers crossed.