Help with I believe dinoflagellates

[loui]

I am having problems with dinoflagellates (I think I have the right ID) It is growing more in the sand then anywhere else. I do not have a DSB maybe about 1/2 inch of sand. I was dosing red sea NOPOX, I started with 1ML per day after a couple of weeks I went to 3ML per day and started seeing some receding on a couple of my SPS corals, so I stopped. I checked nitrates with red sea algae control kit and they where 0, so I guess I stripped the tank of nutrients which is why I got some receding. The areas of receding have not shown any algae growth yet and I have been over feeding the tank a little bit to get the nutrients back up. I have experimented with turning the white channels down from my LEDS (reef breeders 48 inch photon V2 only a few months old) it helps keep it down, but as soon as I turn the whites back up it comes back.

This stuff siphons up very easy main problem is, it is getting wrapped around some of my SPS corals.

I am looking for ways to get rid of it what eats this crap? Believe it or not I have witness my captive grown stripe blenny eat it but I have to get it suspended for him to do so he does not seem to pick it off the rocks or sand.

The tank is 2 years old 85 gallon total water volume
Triton test results for phosphates was almost perfect
ALK 8.2 Hanna
CAL 425 Hanna
Mag 1300 Salifert working to get it up higher

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[CodyRVA]

I've lost count of how many people have mentioned dosing NOPOX and having some sore of algae problem. Definitely need to start at the root cause, you wouldn't have any algae, dinos, ect., to my knowledge, if your nutrients were non-existent. I'm no expert at identifying this stuff, but it could be cyano; i've had dinos before, looked a bit different than that. If your lights make the stuff grow, then they're feeding off something in the column or they would die out. I would start by controlling the nutrients, watch your feeding, etc. then slowly ramp up your lights. If you see the stuff coming back I would either black out the tank for a few days or cut the nutrients even lower. If it is dinos, stop water changes, this makes them worse.

 

[brandon429]

opinions vary on dino attacks we throw the sink at them usually heh

agreed about tradeoff invasions, carbon dosers see various things popping up

you have specific indication in you pics and morphology that make UV bought/rented from amazon the wisest move possible over any chems. you would clean the entire tank pristinely free of all invaders, hours of detail work. tank has zero invader...then, install a pond sterilizer and run it until you are able to remove it and sustain. what you have above does look like dinos as one component, but, multiple invasions happen too and that could easily be a cyano component mixed in, we are often dealing with communities and not singular invaders since we aren't always that lucky.

if you buy a correctly sized UV, you have a chance of it not working.

if you buy a grossly oversized one, you do. it doesn't have to be permanent, it needs to be strong so you can run it a month and pull it off to see if you wiped the invader.

there is only one cause of dinos in marine aquaria-

import. that's why uv can eventually be removed...zap the invader as we hand remove it too, then not reimport it (qt)

 

[loui]

Thanks for the responses guys. I do remember a zoa frag that I introduced I did dip the frag in revive, but remember something stringy coming off of it. I bet that was when it was introduced. I will stop water changes for a bit and see about getting a UV.

 

[brandon429]

Best trick

Amazon and thirty day return less stocking fees

Rental mode

Oversized by at least double rating volume, helps on being less critical about flow through rate although nice and easy helps there too, slower singe time

Results seen after first cleaning, pronounced less grow back if not, send back less stocking fee pack nicely. An excellent technique

Things I buy from there like pumps have been opened I can tell, nbd to me.

 

[CodyRVA]

You do not need a UV to solve this problem, but to each their own.

 

[twilliard]

Send me a sample of your suspected pest and I will return with a conclusion

 

[loui]

@twilliard that would be awesome sent a PM

 

[loui]

@CodyRVA

Hi Please pass on any information you may have on defeating this crap.

Thanks

 

[CodyRVA]

@CodyRVA

Hi Please pass on any information you may have on defeating this crap.

Thanks

Assuming you do have dinos, this is how i beat them....

Remove as much as possible to start. Then black out the tank, meaning cover with large blanket, or something to make it pitch black for 48 hours. No feeding, no nothing for 48 full hours. Then run your lights at low power or maybe 1 actinic, something like that for 24 hours and inspect. If you see even the smallest amount, black it out again for 24 more hours. Run your bulbs low again for another 24 and check. Once the coast is clear slowly ramp up your lights over the next few days. It might take several attempts at this depending on how aggressive it is. Mine were REALLY bad, but manually removing the majority helped tremendously. Also important to remember to NOT perform water changes, this will cause dinos to thrive.