Rapidly Growing Brown Slime?

PicassoClown04 · Nov 10, 2020

ScottB said:
Potentially, you could just wait out things until the dinos exhaust everything available to eat including corals and inverts. Fish should be OK.

Otherwise, you should expect to go from dinos, to cyano, and finally to algae. Just setting your expectations. In the long run algae is not evil. It is natural (in moderation) and should be managed by herbivores and CUC. In new systems it often gets away from folks temporarily as the biome goes through puberty. Totally natural.

Thanks! Not my first rodeo with tanks (I have 7!) but my first time dealing with dinos unfortunately. I kind of figured I’d get them at some point I was just hoping not this soon! I’ve been reading some of those help threads and I think I’ve got a pretty solid game plan and recovery schedule set.

First thing tomorrow I’m transferring all my corals into my other tanks, I’m gonna leave the fish to provide nutrients and because it’s be a pain in the butt to net them from my other tanks. There’s only like 3 hermits in there currently and my snails reproduce all the time so I’m not too worried about leaving them in there. Stopping vibrant, adding nutrients, seeing if anybody nearby has a spare uv I can buy/borrow, and checking PO3 and PO4 often (using terrible test kit so not very confident in the accuracy but hopefully it will at least show if these levels are increasing). Also throwing some carbon in there as well as added filtration via socks and floss changed/rinsed daily. After I raise nutrients I think I can expect the dinos to leave in 4 months or less? Does this sound accurate?

I’ve got some seachem vitamin supplement stuff, would that help my situation? I hear that reefroids send phosphate through the roof, would that be helpful?

PicassoClown04 · Nov 11, 2020

Okay I moved all of the corals I could to other tanks, some are unable to be moved due to being secured to rocks (anemones and sinularia- I will frag this later today), and a few that I left as canary corals because I have multiple frags of them in my other systems. I left the fish and saved as many inverts as I could, I’m sure many snails escaped me though- I will do a recheck tonight when they tend to come onto the glass

LRT · Nov 11, 2020

Hi @footgal im sorry if i missed it but what did you say you run your nutrients at?
I would say yes a solid 3-4 months recovery is well within range for you to expect to get past them as long as your diligent.
My biggest issue was getting my phosphates to re register on my test kit. I dosed phosphates at .01 once or twice a day for a few weeks to get it to register and settle back in and then all of the sudden it balanced out around .15. So go slow with it. A little higher than I wanted honestly but thats where its wanting to sit with my Nitrates running around 10-15ppm red sea kit.
I'd highly reccomend you get yourself a decent test kit to cross refference to. And maybe have lfs confirm your results along the way.

PicassoClown04 · Nov 11, 2020

LRT said:
Hi @footgal im sorry if i missed it but what did you say you run your nutrients at?
I would say yes a solid 3-4 months recovery is well within range for you to expect to get past them as long as your diligent.
My biggest issue was getting my phosphates to re register on my test kit. I dosed phosphates at .01 once or twice a day for a few weeks to get it to register and settle back in and then all of the sudden it balanced out around .15. So go slow with it. A little higher than I wanted honestly but thats where its wanting to sit with my Nitrates running around 10-15ppm red sea kit.
I'd highly reccomend you get yourself a decent test kit to cross refference to. And maybe have lfs confirm your results along the way.

My guess is that my nutrients are very very close to 0 because of all the vibrant. Currently I’m upping my feedings and stopping the vibrant. I’m gonna dose some more phosphates today, testing my levels before and about 6 hours after dosing just to see if either test registers. I believe I have the API test kit so wish me luck!

LRT · Nov 11, 2020

footgal said:
My guess is that my nutrients are very very close to 0 because of all the vibrant. Currently I’m upping my feedings and stopping the vibrant. I’m gonna dose some more phosphates today, testing my levels before and about 6 hours after dosing just to see if either test registers. I believe I have the API test kit so wish me luck!

I'd imagine your correct.
Also id kindly reccomend having lfs confirm your api results. Trusting API kit is what started my demise and lead to all my issues. You have some beautiful, high end pieces. Its highly worth picking up a cpl, more reliable kits at the end of the day.
If not anything else but to cross refference your results.
I'm using salifert for phosphates and redsea for nitrates now. Probably best investment I've made in awhile.

PicassoClown04 · Nov 11, 2020

LRT said:
I'd imagine your correct.
Also id kindly reccomend having lfs confirm your api results. Trusting API kit is what started my demise and lead to all my issues. You have some beautiful, high end pieces. Its highly worth picking up a cpl, more reliable kits at the end of the day.
If not anything else but to cross refference your results.
I'm using salifert for phosphates and redsea for nitrates now. Probably best investment I've made in awhile.

Yeah I know all about the insufficiencies of API test kits. I think I know someone with some Hanna checkers but I’m not sure, my local club also offers some lab test kits (the name escapes me but you know the ones with the full readings) and I think I might spring for one of those just so I have absolute knowledge on what’s happening in there.

I managed to get all of the corals out except the nems (one RBTA and one RFA), some Xenia, and some zoa frags that I have many, many more of. I’m scared to remove the RBTA since both my other tanks already have BTA and I don’t want to cause any warfare behavior between them.

I’m going to my LFS today/tomorrow and hopefully they’ll have what I need in stock. If not, I’ll post a want to buy on my local forum for a UV since I think I want to run one anyway on this tank due to some algae issues I had with it in the past (why I had to do a rip-clean)

LRT · Nov 11, 2020

footgal said:
Yeah I know all about the insufficiencies of API test kits. I think I know someone with some Hanna checkers but I’m not sure, my local club also offers some lab test kits (the name escapes me but you know the ones with the full readings) and I think I might spring for one of those just so I have absolute knowledge on what’s happening in there.

I managed to get all of the corals out except the nems (one RBTA and one RFA), some Xenia, and some zoa frags that I have many, many more of. I’m scared to remove the RBTA since both my other tanks already have BTA and I don’t want to cause any warfare behavior between them.

I’m going to my LFS today/tomorrow and hopefully they’ll have what I need in stock. If not, I’ll post a want to buy on my local forum for a UV since I think I want to run one anyway on this tank due to some algae issues I had with it in the past (why I had to do a rip-clean)

Right on.
Is this also a bare bottom set up?
I found it helped tremendously when I removed the crush coral and sand I had in my tables and went back to frag racks and plugs. So much easier to maintain anyway.

PicassoClown04 · Nov 11, 2020

LRT said:
Right on.
Is this also a bare bottom set up?
I found it helped tremendously when I removed the crush coral and sand I had in my tables and went back to frag racks and plugs. So much easier to maintain anyway.

Yes it is! I prefer barebottom systems, although some wrasses have almost convinced me to make one with sand. For the most part, I found sand to look dirty very quickly and was a headache when it came to sand dwelling critters flinging it on all my corals. I really like having corals on the floor in my tanks so sand isn’t the best fit for me

. I do love having my zoa gardens on my glass though, makes for super easy maintenance!

LRT · Nov 11, 2020

footgal said:
Yes it is! I prefer barebottom systems, although some wrasses have almost convinced me to make one with sand. For the most part, I found sand to look dirty very quickly and was a headache when it came to sand dwelling critters flinging it on all my corals. I really like having corals on the floor in my tanks so sand isn’t the best fit for me . I do love having my zoa gardens on my glass though, makes for super easy maintenance!

Agreed I definitely prefer the look and ease of barebottom as well. I keep a small tupperware bowl of sand for my nassarius snails and they love it.
Never again will I do sand or crushed coral.
Straight sumps full of live rock and barebottom for me from here on out.

PicassoClown04 · Nov 12, 2020

Okay, quick update! It’s looking marginally better today. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m not stressed about it smothering my zoas anymore or what but I definitely feel like it’s a little better. Since I’m rinsing the filter socks every day I can tell y’all, dinos STINK. Literally. They smell SO BAD it’s really gross, like a skimmer cup x10. The fish are still fine and eat like pigs, hopefully they’re putting out some good nutrients but at 1” each it’s not gonna be a lot. Thanks for your help y’all, it’s gonna be a long road but hopefully a relatively stress-less one

PicassoClown04 · Nov 29, 2020

As quickly as it appeared, it has vanished. No UV (but it did come in the mail while I was away!) and no carbon (also found in the mail!). Went on vacation for a week and came back to a crystal clear tank with happy test corals and fish. Strange. I’m thinking maybe it wasn’t dinos because it all just seemed to happen way too fast. Anyway, thanks for all the help y’all!

New pic of clean cloves

Beefyreefy · Nov 29, 2020

*edit- I just saw it went away for you. I’d still read the dino thread in the link below, it will explain why you got it.

It’s dino. It’s because of zero nutrients. Stop dosing vibrant and if you are carbon dosing stop that too. Raise your nitrate/phosphate to acceptable levels. Read the Dino Thread, it will go over the details. It’s a million pages long, your not the only one, lol.

PicassoClown04 · Nov 29, 2020

Beefyreefy said:
*edit- I just saw it went away for you. I’d still read the dino thread in the link below, it will explain why you got it.

It’s dino. It’s because of zero nutrients. Stop dosing vibrant and if you are carbon dosing stop that too. Raise your nitrate/phosphate to acceptable levels. Read the Dino Thread, it will go over the details. It’s a million pages long, your not the only one, lol.

I did read it actually! I’ve stopped the vibrant since I posted the thread. I think my grandma (who fed the tank while I was gone) over fed which helped the issue. But it still resolved freakishly fast for dinos, which should’ve been closer to 3 months according to that thread. I don’t know, but whatever the case I know better now and won’t do that again!

ScottB · Nov 30, 2020

footgal said:
I did read it actually! I’ve stopped the vibrant since I posted the thread. I think my grandma (who fed the tank while I was gone) over fed which helped the issue. But it still resolved freakishly fast for dinos, which should’ve been closer to 3 months according to that thread. I don’t know, but whatever the case I know better now and won’t do that again!

It certainly looked like dinos. And given the "smell" I'd have guessed it to be ostreopsis. I can smell those things from miles away. Perhaps they saw you ordering the UV and wisely packed their bags and left.

But it is very surprising (and wonderful) that you came home to a clean tank.

PicassoClown04 · Nov 30, 2020

ScottB said:
It certainly looked like dinos. And given the "smell" I'd have guessed it to be ostreopsis. I can smell those things from miles away. Perhaps they saw you ordering the UV and wisely packed their bags and left.

But it is very surprising (and wonderful) that you came home to a clean tank.

Im so relieved. Everything’s doing great and I’m transferring all the corals back in starting today!

Will Wohlers · Dec 6, 2020

I have managed to eradicate dinos multiple times over my reefing years in under a week but I always hit them with a uv sterilizer and they've always been osteo. So the 3 month time frame isn't necessarily correct. Just be ready for round 2 even though things seem well now. Your system is still leveling out and finding its sweet spot which until it does leaves you open to another attack. Get that uv on line just in case. You might be in the clear but it's always better safe then sorry when fighting this fight. Good luck though you're doing well by not panicking and increasing nutrients.
Will

PicassoClown04 · Dec 6, 2020

Will Wohlers said:
I have managed to eradicate dinos multiple times over my reefing years in under a week but I always hit them with a uv sterilizer and they've always been osteo. So the 3 month time frame isn't necessarily correct. Just be ready for round 2 even though things seem well now. Your system is still leveling out and finding its sweet spot which until it does leaves you open to another attack. Get that uv on line just in case. You might be in the clear but it's always better safe then sorry when fighting this fight. Good luck though you're doing well by not panicking and increasing nutrients.
Will

Thanks! I’ve got a pretty good schedule going and the UV is plumbed in but I’m not running it because I’m trying to set up a fuge at the moment. It’s there and ready for action should the dinos attack again though! Thank you!