When do I claim victory over the dinos?

[Joe31415]

I found my tank covered in dinos a few weeks ago. For the past two weeks I've been adding H202 and MicroBacter7. I've had the lights turned down considerably and cut the time their on by half (maybe more). All of a sudden, over the past few days the tank started clearing up. As of today, virtually all the dinos are gone. Is that it? Am I done? Did I win?
I started slowly turning the lights back up. I have them on for the normal amount of time but put them in acclimation mode for a few weeks. I'm thinking I'll start dosing the H202 and bacteria less and less over the next week or two, or until I forget about it, but otherwise treat the tank like normal.

Also, two more questions:
1)I realized just this morning that there's an on/off switch on the power brick for the UV light. So I bought this brand new UV light to replace a smaller one and it's been pumping water all this time with out the light on. I was about to flip it on this morning, but then I started thinking that maybe I should just leave well enough alone. And all that time I spent remembering to turn it off when I put anything live in the tank (pods/phyto bacteria) and remembering to turn it back on a few hours later. Oh well.

2)Is an explosion of pineapple sponges normal? A few days before it cleared up I started noticing lots of pineapple sponges all over the place. Just picking the algae out, I probably got a dozen pineapple sponges a day. Plus tons and tons of spirorbid worms (I think, haven't looked all that closely) on just about every surface.

2)

 

[vetteguy53081]

I found my tank covered in dinos a few weeks ago. For the past two weeks I've been adding H202 and MicroBacter7. I've had the lights turned down considerably and cut the time their on by half (maybe more). All of a sudden, over the past few days the tank started clearing up. As of today, virtually all the dinos are gone. Is that it? Am I done? Did I win?
I started slowly turning the lights back up. I have them on for the normal amount of time but put them in acclimation mode for a few weeks. I'm thinking I'll start dosing the H202 and bacteria less and less over the next week or two, or until I forget about it, but otherwise treat the tank like normal.

Also, two more questions:
1)I realized just this morning that there's an on/off switch on the power brick for the UV light. So I bought this brand new UV light to replace a smaller one and it's been pumping water all this time with out the light on. I was about to flip it on this morning, but then I started thinking that maybe I should just leave well enough alone. And all that time I spent remembering to turn it off when I put anything live in the tank (pods/phyto bacteria) and remembering to turn it back on a few hours later. Oh well.

2)Is an explosion of pineapple sponges normal? A few days before it cleared up I started noticing lots of pineapple sponges all over the place. Just picking the algae out, I probably got a dozen pineapple sponges a day. Plus tons and tons of spirorbid worms (I think, haven't looked all that closely) on just about every surface.

2)

Once gone, I run the tank as normal but I continue to add.5 ml of 3% peroxide per 10 gallons at night for the following 2 weeks as an assurance they are truly done

 

[Reef.]

Was it dinos?

mine came back after a couple of weeks, when I did similar to you.

Turning lights down I wouldn’t recommend, yes you will reduce their spread but also impact the grow of algae, you want the algae to replace the dinos, dinos can do without lights longer than the algae.

What worked for me was, letting my nutrients increase, keeping lights on, removal of the dinos manually and a UV.

 

[mdb_talon]

Dont claim victory it is sure they will hear and come back even stronger. Just let them think they are winning.

Seriously though sounds like you got them under control, but they will come back quickly in the right conditions.

 

[Joe31415]

Was it dinos?

It was. Verified with a microscope.

What worked for me was, letting my nutrients increase, keeping lights on, removal of the dinos manually and a UV.

Both my tanks (this QT and my DT) are notorously low on nutrients. I had to dose Nitrate and Phosphate into the this tank for quite a while to get the numbers off zero, and then even more to get them to where they should be.

 

[fishmonkey]

I found my tank covered in dinos a few weeks ago. For the past two weeks I've been adding H202 and MicroBacter7. I've had the lights turned down considerably and cut the time their on by half (maybe more). All of a sudden, over the past few days the tank started clearing up. As of today, virtually all the dinos are gone. Is that it? Am I done? Did I win?
I started slowly turning the lights back up. I have them on for the normal amount of time but put them in acclimation mode for a few weeks. I'm thinking I'll start dosing the H202 and bacteria less and less over the next week or two, or until I forget about it, but otherwise treat the tank like normal.

Also, two more questions:
1)I realized just this morning that there's an on/off switch on the power brick for the UV light. So I bought this brand new UV light to replace a smaller one and it's been pumping water all this time with out the light on. I was about to flip it on this morning, but then I started thinking that maybe I should just leave well enough alone. And all that time I spent remembering to turn it off when I put anything live in the tank (pods/phyto bacteria) and remembering to turn it back on a few hours later. Oh well.

2)Is an explosion of pineapple sponges normal? A few days before it cleared up I started noticing lots of pineapple sponges all over the place. Just picking the algae out, I probably got a dozen pineapple sponges a day. Plus tons and tons of spirorbid worms (I think, haven't looked all that closely) on just about every surface.

2)

you will probably have something else come up, but getting rid of dinos was the worst thing i dealt with so far. if u see any more brown crud i would dose mb7 again


i had a bunch of pineapple sponge/spirorbid worms as well and they went away eventually.

 

[Joe31415]

Well, I do have something else coming up...or maybe it's the dinos coming back. I have to pull some out and check under a microscope. Whatever is coming back up, isn't nearly as bad as it was before. I assumed it was the dinos starting to bloom as the lights got brighter but I was just thinking about it and noticed that it's not covered in bubbles. So, my guess, with absolutely nothing to back it up since I'm nowhere near the tank, is diatoms. But I should have a better idea later.

I've been growing tisbe pods, so they're in the tank. I was going to run to an LFS before I get home and pick up some other pods as well, just to add some variety (and increase their numbers).

Incidentally, does anyone know how to add a better filter to an IM AIO tank? It uses filter socks with the square plastic part molded on to the top. Typically I run filter floss, but switched over to these dinos, though I'm not sure how many they're actually catching. At the moment, I'm thinking I'll either get a regular felt filter sock and see if I can cut the ring off the top and attach it to the plastic frame of the correct one OR I'll just stuff a ton of filter floss down into the OEM sock and hope for the best.
I know I saw someone mention adding a media reactor with a sediment filter, but that sounds like a lot of extra work.

i had a bunch of pineapple sponge/spirorbid worms as well and they went away eventually.

I've been noticing some, what I'm thinking are, collonista snails, but I'm not sure.

 

[SlugSnorter]

when you eat them all.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

You win when you start growing another algae, coraline is ideal but even green algae, cyano, diatoms, etc are all a sign of improvement.

 

[Reefbuds]

Once you figure out why you had dinos in the first place and how to fix/prevent them from returning is when you can claim victory. I only get dinos when my nitrates and phosphates bottom out and stay down. Could be other reasons tho. Mine return quickly when conditions are right. Once you figure out how to keep them away you will have won the battle

 

[Joe31415]

Once you figure out why you had dinos in the first place and how to fix/prevent them from returning is when you can claim victory. I only get dinos when my nitrates and phosphates bottom out and stay down. Could be other reasons tho. Mine return quickly when conditions are right. Once you figure out how to keep them away you will have won the battle

Dinos, I'm assuming are were simply due to lack of nutrients. In both this tank and my DT I almost never have nitrates or phosphates above zero unless there's a reason for it. Not on purpose mind you, that just seems to be where they naturally end up. The only way I've found to raise them is by dosing them, but that's temporary.
I have been dosing this tank and it's probably why (on top of the other things I did) why the dinos disappeared so quickly. Now I'm just trying to balance them. IIRC, Nitrates are at 20, phosphates at .68, so I've been doing some small water changes to bring phosphates down and dosing nitrates to bring them back up.

 

[Idech]

I left the UV sterilizer on for 3-4 weeks after they were gone. Just to make sure. Maybe it didn’t do anything but it made me feel better, lol !

 

[Joe31415]

I left the UV sterilizer on for 3-4 weeks after they were gone. Just to make sure. Maybe it didn’t do anything but it made me feel better, lol !

Since I turned it on*, it's been running 24/7 other than a 4 hour break any time I add pods/phyto/bacteria etc.
I really need to clean it one of these days. I have no idea whats in store for me in there, especially since I've never taken it apart.


*Well, since I turned the light on, the pump was on for a few weeks before I saw the switch for the light.

 

[Reefbuds]

Yea dinos always seem to show back up if your nutes bottom out for a few days straight. Definitely just work on keep those nutes above 0, just not to high or other algae issues will show up. I had to dose for weeks to keep mine up, it seems to have leveled out now.. heavy feeding for nitrates and reef roids when phosphates get low. Hopefully this helps you keep those dinos at bay man

 

[fishmonkey]

Well, I do have something else coming up...or maybe it's the dinos coming back. I have to pull some out and check under a microscope. Whatever is coming back up, isn't nearly as bad as it was before. I assumed it was the dinos starting to bloom as the lights got brighter but I was just thinking about it and noticed that it's not covered in bubbles. So, my guess, with absolutely nothing to back it up since I'm nowhere near the tank, is diatoms. But I should have a better idea later.

I've been growing tisbe pods, so they're in the tank. I was going to run to an LFS before I get home and pick up some other pods as well, just to add some variety (and increase their numbers).

Incidentally, does anyone know how to add a better filter to an IM AIO tank? It uses filter socks with the square plastic part molded on to the top. Typically I run filter floss, but switched over to these dinos, though I'm not sure how many they're actually catching. At the moment, I'm thinking I'll either get a regular felt filter sock and see if I can cut the ring off the top and attach it to the plastic frame of the correct one OR I'll just stuff a ton of filter floss down into the OEM sock and hope for the best.
I know I saw someone mention adding a media reactor with a sediment filter, but that sounds like a lot of extra work.


I've been noticing some, what I'm thinking are, collonista snails, but I'm not sure.

are you looking for these?

 

[fishmonkey]

Dinos, I'm assuming are were simply due to lack of nutrients. In both this tank and my DT I almost never have nitrates or phosphates above zero unless there's a reason for it. Not on purpose mind you, that just seems to be where they naturally end up. The only way I've found to raise them is by dosing them, but that's temporary.
I have been dosing this tank and it's probably why (on top of the other things I did) why the dinos disappeared so quickly. Now I'm just trying to balance them. IIRC, Nitrates are at 20, phosphates at .68, so I've been doing some small water changes to bring phosphates down and dosing nitrates to bring them back up.

Nitrates at 20 are pretty high imo and same with ur phos

 

[Joe31415]

Whatever I have growing in there now isn't dinos. It looked the same under the tank lights but as soon as I had it out of the water it was green. I'm guessing it's just normal green hair algae.


More pictures.

 

[Duncan62]

I found my tank covered in dinos a few weeks ago. For the past two weeks I've been adding H202 and MicroBacter7. I've had the lights turned down considerably and cut the time their on by half (maybe more). All of a sudden, over the past few days the tank started clearing up. As of today, virtually all the dinos are gone. Is that it? Am I done? Did I win?
I started slowly turning the lights back up. I have them on for the normal amount of time but put them in acclimation mode for a few weeks. I'm thinking I'll start dosing the H202 and bacteria less and less over the next week or two, or until I forget about it, but otherwise treat the tank like normal.

Also, two more questions:
1)I realized just this morning that there's an on/off switch on the power brick for the UV light. So I bought this brand new UV light to replace a smaller one and it's been pumping water all this time with out the light on. I was about to flip it on this morning, but then I started thinking that maybe I should just leave well enough alone. And all that time I spent remembering to turn it off when I put anything live in the tank (pods/phyto bacteria) and remembering to turn it back on a few hours later. Oh well.

2)Is an explosion of pineapple sponges normal? A few days before it cleared up I started noticing lots of pineapple sponges all over the place. Just picking the algae out, I probably got a dozen pineapple sponges a day. Plus tons and tons of spirorbid worms (I think, haven't looked all that closely) on just about every surface.

2)

Never. Lol. I consider the battle over when they go away naturally by fixing your water. Can't forget the uv. The sponge phase will pass. Good luck!

 

[Arego]

Never. The moment you claim victory the universe will correct you somehow, somewhere, in that tank

 

[Reef.]

Well, I do have something else coming up...or maybe it's the dinos coming back. I have to pull some out and check under a microscope. Whatever is coming back up, isn't nearly as bad as it was before. I assumed it was the dinos starting to bloom as the lights got brighter but I was just thinking about it and noticed that it's not covered in bubbles. So, my guess, with absolutely nothing to back it up since I'm nowhere near the tank, is diatoms. But I should have a better idea later.

I've been growing tisbe pods, so they're in the tank. I was going to run to an LFS before I get home and pick up some other pods as well, just to add some variety (and increase their numbers).

Incidentally, does anyone know how to add a better filter to an IM AIO tank? It uses filter socks with the square plastic part molded on to the top. Typically I run filter floss, but switched over to these dinos, though I'm not sure how many they're actually catching. At the moment, I'm thinking I'll either get a regular felt filter sock and see if I can cut the ring off the top and attach it to the plastic frame of the correct one OR I'll just stuff a ton of filter floss down into the OEM sock and hope for the best.
I know I saw someone mention adding a media reactor with a sediment filter, but that sounds like a lot of extra work.


I've been noticing some, what I'm thinking are, collonista snails, but I'm not sure.

I use the Red Sea max nano socks, I bought one of those IM felt socks, cut the sock off and then sit the Red Sea mesh sock in that, mesh is so easy to clean. They are a little long tho so you can either cut the end of the bottom and use a cable tie, or cut the sock at the top and glue the sock back on the plastic ring after shortening it.

I also use the IM UV, cleared my dinos up in a week.