I have almost completely eradicated dinoflagellates overnight.

[Javamahn]

I had Dinos. Originally I thought it was diatoms and a substrate leeching phosphates and silicon even though all my tests should zeros or very low. I am not prone to using chemicals as a solution because it just becomes another expensive step that is added if you rely on it. I endind up dosing Vibrant and honestly I was amazed with the results. I dont work for them and only used it 2 times over 6 weeks. Each time the dino was gone with in 48 hours and after the second time it has not returned. That was 2 months ago and so far still no issues. I hope I did not just jinx myself..

 

[DesertReefBoy]

Those are different than the ones I have and velcro had. Many different strains. I have a ultra low nutrient system. Like I struggle to keep .01ppm phos and .80ppm nitrate. That's my record high after the 3 days lights out lol. Nano tanks are a different animal. Good filtration and husbandry affects the tank DRASTICALLY. I have a skimmer and algae scrubber. and 7 nano fish. Very few snails and such as I don't get much algae to speak of.

Bottom line there are different ways to go about different dino's. The ultra low nutrient ones lose to dirty water. Also for the first time my goni is SO happy lol. 2 weeks now no water change.

Don't know if this is normal but after uv my ph went up from 8.1-8.2 now to 8.3. Tank is also running a degree warmer so yeah there are those things but man so far so good. I'll keep thread updated

What kind of test kit were you using to test your water? A lot of people think they are running a very low nutrient system but the algae in their tank is eating it. This is what happened to me before I increased my nutrients. Not saying this is what is going on in your system just food for thought.

 

[FarmerTy]

In no expert at UV, but I'm a nerd and read a lot on the subject up to this point. There is an ideal flow rate to be calculated when trying to kill marine protests such as ich. Dinos are not as critical for flow rate because they are so small and easily irradiated by the UV.

Ideal placement is in the tank with an inlet and outlet both in the display itself and not plumbed in the sump or off a manifold. I found if marginally effective for ich until I removed it from my manifold and hooked it straight into my display.

Sizing of the UV is most important, you'll need much bigger than you thought originally, trust me. I had a 55-watt for my 215 gallon and after calculations, realized I need something in the 110 watt range with a flow of 300 gph to be effective.

Here's what I wrote for another reefer on reef2reef when he had questions on his unit:



You have a 150-watt HO Emperor you plan to use on a 300-gallon total water volume tank. Emperor suggests for killing marine protists (ich), you would need an exposure of 180,000 µWsec/cm2 running at 840 GPH to do that.

According to research by the University of Florida:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa164

"Use of ultraviolet (UV) sterilization to kill theronts has been suggested, based on research involving Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (freshwater "ich"). The recommended UV dose for Ichthyophthirius theronts is 100,000 µWsec/cm2 (Hoffman 1974). However, UV doses required for Cryptocaryon irritans are anecdotal or extrapolated, and range from 280,000 µWsec/cm2 (industry numbers) to 800,000 µWsec/cm2(Colorni and Burgess 1997)."

So the extrapolated saltwater ich exposure needed to kill it with UV is anywhere from 280,000 to 800,000 µWsec/cm2. I've run with 336,000 µWsec/cm2 because I pulled that from a chart I saw many years ago for an exposure level to kill marine ich.

So to adjust Emperor's GPH from the 840 GPH needed for 180,000 µWsec/cm2 exposure to almost double the exposure suggested at 336,000 µWsec/cm2:

336,000 µWsec/cm2 ÷ 180,000 µWsec/cm2 = 1.87
840 GPH ÷ 1.87 = ~450 GPH

Running your UV at 450 GPH will effectively kill marine ich protists going through your 150-watt UV unit. The problem is most recommend at least a 3x turnover per hour for UV to be effective. Basically, the 450 GPH will kill any ich that goes through your UV, but if you don't have it turn over the tank volume at least 3x/hour, you're not killing enough of them to make a true impact to the population. For 3x turnover of your 300-gallon system, you need at least 900 GPH. So effectively, believe it or not, your unit is actually half the size it needs to be for your system as you're only running 450 GPH through it.

Again, these aren't hard rules of thumb. The 3x turnover is not a hard rule, just a suggested rule. The 280,000 µWsec/cm2 - 800,000 µWsec/cm2 extrapolated marine ich exposure value is not a hard line either, especially since it's just extrapolated from a freshwater ich exposure dose.

I just wanted to do the calculation for you to let you know where you stand and to give you comparison to suggested industry rules-of-thumb. Your own application and your intended purpose will help you decide what you really need to do. Just trying to help out a fellow hobbyist.

 

[chevegan]

What kind of test kit were you using to test your water? A lot of people think they are running a very low nutrient system but the algae in their tank is eating it. This is what happened to me before I increased my nutrients. Not saying this is what is going on in your system just food for thought.

Oh no by all means ask. Red sea reefer pro nitrate ultra low kit. hanna checker phosphorus. I have zero like no algae in the tank at all. I get a slight film on black back panel which feeds the snails. My ATS only needs to be harvested like once every couple weeks and even then it's not much at all. Tons of pods in there that escape and feed my fish though so I keep it going. I did the 3 day black out to kill off some cyano and dino's and my nitrates went from 0.25 to 0.8. So that's what the cyano was holding in. I'll do my weekly check tomorrow and see what the no water change has done.

 

[chevegan]

lol just checked my ats and what clumps I had on there are gone. the sheet is almost bare with tons of pods on there. Wondering if they are the culprits. Only things I've changed is now keeping skimmer on and uv

 

[Reef Pets]

UV works, I've done it in the past. One thing I've learned is to keep the UV light on the system for several weeks after you see no sign of Dino.

 

[DesertReefBoy]

My dino is gone as well but adding a UV might be a good idea just to make sure this crap never comes back!

 

[mwilk19]

UV works, I've done it in the past. One thing I've learned is to keep the UV light on the system for several weeks after you see no sign of Dino.

Is there a downside to running the UV all the time besides the electric costs?

 

[chevegan]

BEFORE 2 days of UV, 100 micron pads changed every 3-4 hours, wet skimming


After only 2 days and nights- water is crystal clear! Only some slight shading on sand in lower flow areas (one of my pumps is in warranty service) plus 2 threads I pulled out.

 

[chevegan]

oh and no water changes going on 14 days

 

[DesertReefBoy]

@Velcro and @chevegan can you guys post pics of what your dino looked like? I verified mine under my friends microscope but was wondering what it looked like in your tank?

 

[Velcro]

@Velcro and @chevegan can you guys post pics of what your dino looked like? I verified mine under my friends microscope but was wondering what it looked like in your tank?

I'll try to find a picture but I avoided taking pics of the tank with Dino's because it made me depressed

 

[mwilk19]

I'll try to find a picture but I avoided taking pics of the tank with Dino's because it made me depressed

The last two days are the first time in over a month that I enjoyed looking at my tank, although I did wake up to a RTN'd acro this morning.

 

[Velcro]

The last two days are the first time in over a month that I enjoyed looking at my tank, although I did wake up to a RTN'd acro this morning.

Small sacrifice to make for getting things back under control.

 

[Velcro]

The last two days are the first time in over a month that I enjoyed looking at my tank, although I did wake up to a RTN'd acro this morning.

I took the precaution of running some fairly heavy carbon when I started the UV In case dino die off caused any issues.

 

[mwilk19]

I took the precaution of running some fairly heavy carbon when I started the UV In case dino die off caused any issues.

Yes, I've had carbon running also. I changed out my filter socks today and I have never seen them that dirty. One was completely clogged and the other two were nasty.

 

[Velcro]

Mmmmm dead dino guts. SO SATISFYING.

 

[FarmerTy]

Is there a downside to running the UV all the time besides the electric costs?

I've had no issues running it 24/7 for the past 2-3 years other than added heat and electrical costs. Here's an old video of my tank this Spring before my move.

 

[mwilk19]

I've had no issues running it 24/7 for the past 2-3 years other than added heat and electrical costs. Here's an old video of my tank this Spring before my move.

Beautiful tank. You have my favorite fish, the Imperator Angel. How do you keep him from eating your corals?

 

[FarmerTy]

Beautiful tank. You have my favorite fish, the Imperator Angel. How do you keep him from eating your corals?

Thank you. He will destroy zoas and some LPS so just don't keep any. It helps that I am an SPS nut.

He sadly passed away 2 months ago, got marine velvet from a frag of all sources and it killed 2/3 of my fish stock. [emoji53]