Help with dinos

[BuddyBonButt]

So I have a recently set up tank (5ish months old) and being new to the hobby, I thought it was diatoms. Well I recently realized that I'm actually fighting dinos and that is why it's been getting so bad.

The tank is SMOTHERED in the dinos. But I don't have coral.

I was told to do a slue of things like dose hydrogen peroxide, turn the lights off for 3 to 5 days, or add a uv sterilizer, feed more often, change filter socks more often. I don't know the strand ID that I have but I was told that when they die they release a toxin.

Thats where my trouble mainly consists. I can't scrub the rock. I can't really reach it to scrub it. But it doesn't come off easily so I can't just siphon it.

I was wondering if dino X would be a viable route. Or would that cause them to die and release the toxin?

My tank has:
2 clowns
1 neon goby
1 sapphire damsel
1 foxface
3 turbo snails
4 cleaner shrimp
2 conch
1 tuxedo urchin

Please help

 

[homegrowncichlid]

I highly recommend Dr Tim's Waste Away and Refresh combo. The package includes detailed dosing instructions for a 2 week regiment. The basic idea starts with a 3 day black out, which will kill off 99% of all photosynthetic microbes, dinos, diatoms and cyano. Anyone can do that by themselves, however the bacterial additives from Dr Tim, are planktonic, not benthic, and will directly out compete the pests. Now any bacterial product, just as Micro Bacter 7, will also compete with pests, but since Dr Tim's is bacterial plankton, the biomass is skimmed out, rather then settling out in your system. I've tried Micro Bacter 7 in the past, but their dosing instructions were too vague. I've also used Dino X, which is simply a weak herbicide. Dr Tim's is the way to go.
NOTE: it took me three tries to get rid of dinos, and I would repeat my treatment once a month. In the end, I realized, I was recontaminating my system by using dried nets and other equipment, which had dinos encycted onto it. The cycts were also dried onto the glass, piping and other areas that were exposed during "low tide" in the sump. When I placed plastic racks, which I removed and dried, back into the water, dinos would hatch out within a day and the rack would be covered in slimy bubbles again.
The bacterial plankton in high doses will out compete dinos and prevent future dino break outs.
Keep the water level at the highest level in the system. Also wipe down and rinse off any slime (dino cycts) or dried salt and get it all into the water BEFORE you start the treatment.
GL

150 gallon Dinoflagellate Treatment Bundle - Dr.Tim's

Are you ready to beat dinoflagellates? Arm yourself with the right tools to win, and say goodbye to the dinoflagellate scourge! Dr. Tim's treatment regimen, using the bacterial strains within Re-Fresh and Waste Away, forms an important part of the solution to dinoflagellates by creating less...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I highly recommend Dr Tim's Waste Away and Refresh combo. The package includes detailed dosing instructions for a 2 week regiment. The basic idea starts with a 3 day black out, which will kill off 99% of all photosynthetic microbes, dinos, diatoms and cyano. Anyone can do that by themselves, however the bacterial additives from Dr Tim, are planktonic, not benthic, and will directly out compete the pests. Now any bacterial product, just as Micro Bacter 7, will also compete with pests, but since Dr Tim's is bacterial plankton, the biomass is skimmed out, rather then settling out in your system. I've tried Micro Bacter 7 in the past, but their dosing instructions were too vague. I've also used Dino X, which is simply a weak herbicide. Dr Tim's is the way to go.
NOTE: it took me three tries to get rid of dinos, and I would repeat my treatment once a month. In the end, I realized, I was recontaminating my system by using dried nets and other equipment, which had dinos encycted onto it. The cycts were also dried onto the glass, piping and other areas that were exposed during "low tide" in the sump. When I placed plastic racks, which I removed and dried, back into the water, dinos would hatch out within a day and the rack would be covered in slimy bubbles again.
The bacterial plankton in high doses will out compete dinos and prevent future dino break outs.
Keep the water level at the highest level in the system. Also wipe down and rinse off any slime (dino cycts) or dried salt and get it all into the water BEFORE you start the treatment.
GL

150 gallon Dinoflagellate Treatment Bundle - Dr.Tim's

Are you ready to beat dinoflagellates? Arm yourself with the right tools to win, and say goodbye to the dinoflagellate scourge! Dr. Tim's treatment regimen, using the bacterial strains within Re-Fresh and Waste Away, forms an important part of the solution to dinoflagellates by creating less...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

So I can black out for 3 to 4 days without hurting/scaring my fish? How would oxygen get into the tank if I've covered it? It's in my bedroom so I can keep my bedroom pretty dark due to having blackout curtains

 

[Reefer Matt]

That looks more like cyanobacteria to me. Do you have a microscope?

 

[BuddyBonButt]

That looks more like cyanobacteria to me. Do you have a microscope?

No I was gonna collect some and take it to my lfs. I thought cyano was bright redish. I have plenty of flow in the tank, I thought that would stop cyano from developing

 

[Reefer Matt]

No I was gonna collect some and take it to my lfs. I thought cyano was bright redish. I have plenty of flow in the tank, I thought that would stop cyano from developing

Cyano is red, and/or green. Dino is usually brown, long, and snotty looking.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Cyano is red, and/or green. Dino is usually brown, long, and snotty looking.

That's this. It's golden brown and snotty

 

[Reefer Matt]

That's this. It's golden brown and snotty

I would get a positive id with a scope to be sure.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Yeah gonna call my lfs to see if they've got one. If not, maybe invest in a cheap one. Any chance you've got a brand or model you recommend?

I would get a positive id with a scope to be sure.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Yeah gonna call my lfs to see if they've got one. If not, maybe invest in a cheap one. Any chance you've got a brand or model you recommend?

This is the one I bought a while ago. I've had dino, cyano, byropsis, hair algae, etc. This takes the guess work out, so I can treat the tank and move on. Amazon has it for less than website.

SW200DL

SW200DL

swiftoptical.com

 

[homegrowncichlid]

So I can black out for 3 to 4 days without hurting/scaring my fish? How would oxygen get into the tank if I've covered it? It's in my bedroom so I can keep my bedroom pretty dark due to having blackout curtains

It's all on the instructions, which you can download. The fish think it's a long night. Turn down the current, I've lost fish who grew tired swimming at full speed without eating, since they aren't too good at grabbing food flying by in the dark. Your system is fully functional, except for the skimmer, which you need to leave off, for the bacterial to populate and the lights. 3 days is the limit set, with out starving your corals. To black out the system, you can use aluminum foil on the glass, or don't turn on the room lights. I assume dinos and get just enough light from the room to keep on living. All your other pumps remain on. Instructions also suggest an optional air pump to keep the water oxygenated.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Ok I have blackout curtains. I'll use aluminum foil. Is there a risk of it scratching my glass? Also I have an airstone but how would oxygen escape the tank if I cover It completely? I'm sorry. I trust you with it being in the instructions but I'd like to know everything before buying it

It's all on the instructions, which you can download. The fish think it's a long night. Turn down the current, I've lost fish who grew tired swimming at full speed without eating, since they aren't too good at grabbing food flying by in the dark. Your system is fully functional, except for the skimmer, which you need to leave off, for the bacterial to populate and the lights. 3 days is the limit set, with out starving your corals. To black out the system, you can use aluminum foil on the glass, or don't turn on the room lights. I assume dinos and get just enough light from the room to keep on living. All your other pumps remain on. Instructions also suggest an optional air pump to keep the water oxygenated.