Dinoflaggelates vs. Copepods

[Stephers]

I don't have any specific research source for using chaeto clumps on the amphidinium dinos in the sand. I believe i read about its effects on the forum in one of the dino threads. I can't recall which one though.

I still have small cell amphidinium dinos in my system, but at least they are managed and limited to some dusting in the sand now. I've just learned to live with them now... they aren't hurting anything any longer.

Try the Elegant Corals dino cure method using waste away and tiny micro- bubbles. That is what cleaned up my tank and controlled them for me. Nothing else really worked for me.

Thanks. Mine started on the sand but now exclusively live on the rocks and mostly in patches of hair algae. They did severely affect my corals at first but maybe less now... It's hard to tell. There's definitely a couple SPS that aren't nearly as colorful as they should be and it seems linked to the small cell, but before was having RTN/STN correlating to how many dinos I was seeing.

 

[Idoc]

Thanks. Mine started on the sand but now exclusively live on the rocks and mostly in patches of hair algae. They did severely affect my corals at first but maybe less now... It's hard to tell. There's definitely a couple SPS that aren't nearly as colorful as they should be and it seems linked to the small cell, but before was having RTN/STN correlating to how many dinos I was seeing.

You might want to look at this dinos under a scope. You may not have small cell amphidinium any longer. When my small cell receded, I then had ostreopsis which preferred the rock in my tank. A UV wiped those out in a few days.

 

[Stephers]

You might want to look at this dinos under a scope. You may not have small cell amphidinium any longer. When my small cell receded, I then had ostreopsis which preferred the rock in my tank. A UV wiped those out in a few days.

I look under the scope almost every day. At one point when this all started, I had literally all 5 common dino types in my tank at the same time... It was a mess.... This is the only one that remains.

 

[Lovefish77]

My observation is my dino started after getting a melanerus wrasse. It first munched on some flatworms. Then when these were gone I think it decimated the copepods and amphipods throwing things out of balance I believe. Anyone had something similar?

 

[MarkaRagnos]

Ive personally have done so much to fight Dinos. I have a UV running, carbon, GFO, and silicon remover and only made a small dent. Along with this I used Kalk to raise ph. As this has slowed down growth, its still coming back! (2) 3 day black outs later, and a few months, this is my last resort. I am ordering a couple packs of copepods in hope that they will consume the dinos. Ill let you know if it works.

Join Mack’s reef dinoflagellate support group on fb. They have it down to science. You need to stop running gfo.

 

[Dipper Pines]

I discovered that I can get Acartia tonsa from AlaGen via Marine Depot. I plan to order some and give them a try. It has to be with a special order over the phone because it is not on the website. I asked them to increase the online order varieties they sell. I only have a very minimal amount of dinos yet do not want to let it get out of control.

Have you made any progress in fighting dinos with these copepods?

 

[Reef Puncher]

Question 6. Yes having Chaeto in a refugium does help produce a place for pods to live. Further, a pod hotel in the display tank and in refugium is not a bad idea either. Also, filter socks WILL catch the copepods and kill them when they are washed and so will a skimmer. So its encouraged to have your refugium right before your return, as the return pump will not kill all the pods. Its much easier for pods to thrive in your tank if they are the type that gathers on rocks/glass, rather than free swim all day as they often get picked off by fish and filters.

There is video evidence of a very specific pod eating dinos. Acartia pods. I ran into that video a while back he was just munching away on the dinos. I have heard the larger sized omnivore species of apocolypse pods can also eat dinos. However the smaller pods like Tisbe can be killed off by dinos themselves.
So it just depends.

There is some fascinating studies out there too. One study found that acartia will eat the least toxic dinos but has a major aversion from the more toxic dino species like ostreo. But the Centropages hamatus, and Eurytemora herdman pods DID eat even the more toxic species. @Idoc

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250216949_Copepod_grazing_selection_and_particle_discrimination_on_the_basis_of_PSP_toxin_content#pf8