How will I know when I have "beaten" Dinos?

[DexterKarin]

Hi. Another confused novice.

My tank has ostreopsis, confirmed by microscope and opinions from the Mack's reef Dinoflagellate group on FB. I don't think I had a super large infestation. I noticed it with one water change and the signature slime with bubbles in areas that have GHA too, not all over the rocks and not in the sand and not on the corals. I also have had and still have trouble keeping my nitrates above 0.

I have been treating (Dosing neonitrate, UV, adding good bacteria, lowering photo period and white light, AF Life force, Phyto, no water changes, no glass cleaning, lots of basting and nightly H2O2 1mil per 10 gallons) since Dec 14 (started H2O2 12/25 ). I noticed that visible signs of Dinos have been eliminated. However, while the microscope of algae (GHA?) shows a notable decrease in the flagellates, there are still some around doing their spinning although some are not moving. I do not have any microscope experience before the outbreak to compare too.

I am confused about how I will know when I have "beat" them. One person on the FB group advised that I am done when I don't see them visually. Another says to wait until all microscope slides are free of any dinos. I also have come to hear another opinion that dinos are in every tank just don't explode in well balanced tanks So my question, is how do I approach the end of treatment?

Option A:
Continue H2O2 for 5 days
Then stop everything except maintaining nitrate and adding good bacteria, pods, etc.
Wait on water change for another 5 days then do 10% changes bi-weekly (used to do 15% weekly)

Option B:
Do a water change and see what happens visually. If no slime/bubbles I'm done.
Maintain nitrates.

Option C:
Wait until you see no ostreopsis under the microscope, then I'm done.
Maintain nitrates

Thank you all.

 

[jonelder68]

I don’t think Dino’s is ever gone. It’s always present and waiting for its chance. We more just suppress it by outcompeting it. If what you’re doing is working great! But any tilt in the ecosystem in its favor it will be back. I would just slowly phase out what you’re doing and see how it goes. If it starts coming back start the regimen back up. You’ll get a million different answers on do this/do that. Everyone who’s had Dino’s and beaten it thinks how they did it is the only correct way. From what I’ve seen what works for one person hardly works for the next. Dino’s is just more trial and error from perspective.

 

[DexterKarin]

I don’t think Dino’s is ever gone. It’s always present and waiting for its chance. We more just suppress it by outcompeting it. If what you’re doing is working great! But any tilt in the ecosystem in its favor it will be back. I would just slowly phase out what you’re doing and see how it goes. If it starts coming back start the regimen back up. You’ll get a million different answers on do this/do that. Everyone who’s had Dino’s and beaten it thinks how they did it is the only correct way. From what I’ve seen what works for one person hardly works for the next. Dino’s is just more trial and error from perspective.

Any thoughts on if the microscope slide needs to be clear of dinos vs. visual assessment. That is the part that is really confusing. But I think you are saying visual assessment, correct?

 

[jonelder68]

Any thoughts on if the microscope slide needs to be clear of dinos vs. visual assessment. That is the part that is really confusing. But I think you are saying visual assessment, correct?

I’m on round 4 of Dino’s. The third time took 3 months of fighting. The microscope showed no Dino’s and just diatoms as I was dosing silicates amongst other things. Round 4 I shut off UV and within 24 hours had Dino snotty strings covering everything. After round 3 had GHA take over. Been dealing with it. But round 4 the GHA all were covered in 12 hours of Dino’s and 12 hours later most the rock and sand.

So sorry….i can’t really give a good answer. Mostly it’s just trial and error.

 

[EnterName]

As long as they don't cover significant parts of your rocks and your corals seem happy, I wouldn't worry about it. They are part of the natural food chain after all :)

Edit to clarify: If they are visibly gone to 90% and don't seem to increase in numbers again, you probably have reached your goal.

 

[jacmac]

In my experience C

I had prorocentrum knowing the type and treating the situation that created it worked

My nitrates and phosphate levels bottomed out

I blasted with phyto, silicates, bacteria and pods and stoped water changes. Introduced Dino’s and waited

It worked the Micks reef group know their stuff just keep going

 

[jacmac]

Oh and I dosed nitrate and phosphate and fixed that issue to make sure it didn’t come back