Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[jonelder68]

Dino Fears

I’m concerned that at least some of the brown pest I now see in the display is perhaps the same thing that I thought might be dinos.

I cannot get a close up picture to detail it, but there also clearly is some green turf type algae under the brown, and in a very few places by itself. The brown stuff does trap bubbles like folks report for dinos. Pics below.

I gave the system another 3 grams of the sodium silicate solution to promote diatoms over dinos.

One change, aside from upping nutrients a while back is switching to phyto feast live from the Dinkins phyto, but I have no idea in the significance of that.

The uv lights have not been used in a week or more.

Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated .


Tank rock

Side glass not scraped

Your pictures aren’t working? But if it’s similar to what I had the 20L fuge was covered in the brown crud shortly after all the TBS rock and sand installed in it. Eventually moved to the DT. Heavy cuc and manual removal took care of it in two weeks time in the DT. I’ve read it’s super important to run a canister type filter to catch all the debris when scrapping and removing it. DT is spotless now but it’s still on going in both of my fuges. The pods love it so debating on cleaning both fuges or not.

Before using the marineland canister filter if I scraped it seems to spread and come back worse. After scrapping and running filter for 24hrs it never really seemed to come back. Or made it easier for the cuc to keep on top of it.

Just an idea. Seemed to work for me.

 

[Reefer1978]

@Randy Holmes-Farley what parameters are you aiming for with your tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Your pictures aren’t working? But if it’s similar to what I had the 20L fuge was covered in the brown crud shortly after all the TBS rock and sand installed in it. Eventually moved to the DT. Heavy cuc and manual removal took care of it in two weeks time in the DT. I’ve read it’s super important to run a canister type filter to catch all the debris when scrapping and removing it. DT is spotless now but it’s still on going in both of my fuges. The pods love it so debating on cleaning both fuges or not.

Before using the marineland canister filter if I scraped it seems to spread and come back worse. After scrapping and running filter for 24hrs it never really seemed to come back. Or made it easier for the cuc to keep on top of it.

Just an idea. Seemed to work for me.

Can you not see them a few posts above? I can, but I’ll add them below:

 

[Reefering1]

Would you stop dosing the phyto? The bulbs will kill that too. I can put the bulbs in the return brute that houses no intentional organisms.

If you think it will impact the phyto, I would stop dosing. I’ve tried phyto so many times over the years and never see anything good or bad. So I just stopped dosing it

My understanding is that uv will sterilize organisms, not kill them outright, but prevent reproduction..(?)
But even if it does kill, it doesn't destroy, isn't dead phyto still of value to its' consumers?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Oh crap you have dinos now? Same as mine too. I'm on day two of blackout with two UV running. I was going to add the refugium to help combat but it would appear it doesn't matter if I use live rock or not, I'll probably still have dino just a lighter wallet. POOOP

Maybe. I may have made some mistakes, such as starting the refugium before getting nutrients up.

 

[Reefer1978]

Can you not see them a few posts above? I can, but I’ll add them below:

@Randy Holmes-Farley time to throw a sample under the microscope.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My understanding is that uv will sterilize organisms, not kill them outright, but prevent reproduction..(?)
But even if it does kill, it doesn't destroy, isn't dead phyto still of value to its' consumers?

Yes, just a different impact on nutrients. But I understood that it’s not a big deal to kill the phyto.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley time to throw a sample under the microscope.

Don’t have a scope, but even if I did, how would I respond differently based on what I saw?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I put the uv bulbs back into the return chamber and they are on.

 

[Reefer1978]

Don’t have a scope, but even if I did, how would I respond differently based on what I saw?

Depending on the species, there are better methods to beat it. With dinos, we have learnt a lot over the years, and specific treatments work magic.

 

[Reefer1978]

I put the uv bulbs back into the return chamber and they are on.

UV only works on ostreopsis, which your pics do kind of look like. but important to ID.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you think it will impact the phyto, I would stop dosing. I’ve tried phyto so many times over the years and never see anything good or bad. So I just stopped dosing it

One main reason for the phyto is to feed the pod population that the mandarin is feeding on.

 

[jonelder68]

Can you not see them a few posts above? I can, but I’ll add them below:

No couldn’t see in previous post but this post is good. That looks exactly like what I had/have.

 

[Reefer1978]

@Randy Holmes-Farley mean while how much phyto are you feeding per gallon?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Depending on the species, there are better methods to beat it. With dinos, we have learnt a lot over the years, and specific treatments work magic.

Still, if I’m using uv, boosting nutrients and silicate, what else would I do based on a particular scope identification. It may be easier to just do it. Lol

 

[Reefer1978]

Still, if I’m using uv, boosting nutrients and silicate, what else would I do based on a particular scope identification. It may be easier to just do it. Lol

Personally I would not be doing all 3. I would not dose silicates if it't not required. And I've been running without UV for 6 weeks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley what parameters are you aiming for with your tank?

Pretty broad ranges right now. 10-50 ppm nitrate, 0.1 to 0.3 ppm phosphate, pH above 7.8, 7-10 dKH, 34-35.5 ppt salinity, temp 78-80. I expect calcium and
magnesium to follow along with alk.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Personally I would not be doing all 3. I would not dose silicates if it't not required. And I've been running without UV for 6 weeks.

Ok, but I was planning to dose silicate anyway, for sponges. I never had any dinos in my last tank and dosed silicate for years for sponges.

 

[FishLvR]

Maybe. I may have made some mistakes, such as starting the refugium before getting nutrients up.

OOOOh you know I wouldn't think that was a thing. Well I ordered some rock and sand, won't be here until the end of July I guess. So that means I have plenty of time to move all my crap around. Did you scope it? Might be a big bag of nothing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

OOOOh you know I wouldn't think that was a thing. Well I ordered some rock and sand, won't be here until the end of July I guess. So that means I have plenty of time to move all my crap around. Did you scope it? Might be a big bag of nothing.

No scoping yet.