So, explain dinos caused by low nutrients to me.

[Hans-Werner]

I run at 2 for nitrate and near zero phosphate and no algae, Dino or diatoms in multiple tanks

To have these waterparameters and no nuisance algae means nothing. A certain indicative herb that needs a certain soil, for example a calcareous soil, doesn't mean, everywhere it doesn't grow the soil is free of calcium carbonate or acidic.

Not for every true claim the reversion is also true.

Nitrate is no reduced nitrogen compound, amino acids, urea and also ammonium are.

As long as corals, especially SPS, are growing and not dying, the phosphate concentration is either not low enough or it is balanced by other deficiencies (i. e. nitrogen compounds, one or several trace elements), which cause a slow but healthy growth. These conditions are not necessarily supportive for dinoflagellates or cyanobacteria. In my experience when conditions get visibly worse for Acropora and Montipora dinos or cyanos may start growing where they didn't grow before.

However Cyanos may also grow with good coral growth, sometimes their needs even seem quite similar.

I guess in most freshly started tanks brownish microalgae are diatoms, especially if they disappear after some time without any further measures. When starting a tank the water usually contains some silica which is depleted with time - by diatoms.

 

[Reef.]

Glad I found this thread as I never believed my PO4 was ever at zero, and definitely not my nitrates, my dinos appeared when I reduced my flow, within hours my sand was covered, I also feed very heavily in a nano so was finding it hard to accept the zero nutrients argument.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Pretty much you need a UV sterilizer plumbed in and out of tank to handle this , depending on what type of DINO it is. Too much filtration not enough feeding caused it.

 

[brandon429]

The last five nano reefs we ripped clean one time are still dinos free, from a one pass cleaning and .5% effort follow up removal of any aggregate snots. How is failing to rip clean not on the accepted spectrum of causes? The dinos thread/500 pages of attempts didn’t get five in a row. The resounding theme on that thread: water changes are bad. 500 pages and 30% fix rate is what that tenet earns.

I can’t wait for the next winning combo: a nano reef with dinos and an owner fed up and not wanting to give kickback but rather join right in with the rinse steps then their reef will be fixed, and it’ll be #6 in a row. Dinos, you have the worlds simplest option of just cleaning them out, but not kid gloves style- gotta get mean.

 

[brahm]

Did you make sure it wasn't just diatoms? In my opinion the only way to make sure, is to put them under a microscope and indentify them positive as dinoflagellates.

In my opinion "0" phosphate is not necessary for dinoflagellate or cyanobacterial growth but it severly inhibits coral and coralline algal growth. This releases the dinoflagellates or cyanos from competition for iron and reduced nitrogen compounds and in this indirect way supports their growth.

To my knowledge dinoflagellate blooms in nature frequently are associated with reduced nitrogen compounds like sewage discharge.

0 phosphates (0- .03) in my experience doesn’t inhibit coralline growth..I wish it did. Here is an old photo of my uncleaned frag tank (shared a sump w/the DT) lining the photo date up with my notes I tested 0 flat around this time period and .04 after.

no issues with growth or pale colour either (this photo was taken later) same tank that I strived for sub .03 on

 

[brandon429]

that is one expensive square of reef life

 

[Ancient Mariner]

The last five nano reefs we ripped clean one time are still dinos free, from a one pass cleaning and .5% effort follow up removal of any aggregate snots. How is failing to rip clean not on the accepted spectrum of causes? The dinos thread/500 pages of attempts didn’t get five in a row. The resounding theme on that thread: water changes are bad. 500 pages and 30% fix rate is what that tenet earns.

I can’t wait for the next winning combo: a nano reef with dinos and an owner fed up and not wanting to give kickback but rather join right in with the rinse steps then their reef will be fixed, and it’ll be #6 in a row. Dinos, you have the worlds simplest option of just cleaning them out, but not kid gloves style- gotta get mean.

I do find that aggressive rock scrubbing and vacuuming (weekly) works for me.

 

[BiggestE22]

Low nutrients = no food for the competition of the dino's. Keep your nitrates at 10-20 and the dino's will eventually suffer.

Worked for me. Had an issue with Dino’s. Started feeding tank more. Stopped using Chaeto reactor for 3-4 days. Biggest change was turning off protein skimmer 12hours a day and also shortening photo period to about 5-6 hours for a couple weeks.

 

[brandon429]

I know for big tanks the rough handle mode is not practical

but among conduct rules for initial dinos invasion, one qualifier comes even before ID of species and params in play: are you dealing with a nano reef, even a largish one

when yes, bypass all go to rip clean lol

who cares what species it is if it’s all washed away leaving only corals, rocks and sand.


current rules: no distinction in action for gallonage. Always ID (then take the same steps anyway) always hesitate as you test and respond to params, tanks 1 gallon to 1000 all must follow same path. Water changes are bad.