5 Months In - Dinos Going Strong

[BrutalMuffins]

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the simple question but I've had my tank since March. Here's the stats:

Ammonia - 0.0
Nitrite - 0.0
Nitrate - <0.5
Salinity - 1.25

So I'm fighting the diatoms as much as possible. If I give it a few days my sand is coated with a nice layer of diatoms and the live rock has coating with strings of it floating up. When it gets bad I'll brush the rock with a toothbrush. I use the glass cleaner every day or two - trying to go easy on the feeding. Haven't tried to do a blackout trial yet but I can. I only have two clowns and some cleanup crew. Any advice is welcome. Please let me know if you need any further info.

 

[sfin52]

Are you sure it's diatoms? What's po4?

 

[PDR]

The "floating strings" sounds more like dino to me. If it truly is diatoms it may be an issue with your source water. Are you using RODI?

 

[BrutalMuffins]

The "floating strings" sounds more like dino to me. If it truly is diatoms it may be an issue with your source water. Are you using RODI?

Yes I have the RO Buddy with the DI Attachment. Here's a picture of the tank. Unfortunately I brushed the rock recently but I there's a couple of the "strings"

 

[sfin52]

I agree with @PDR
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/

 

[BrutalMuffins]

Yes I have the RO Buddy with the DI Attachment. Here's a picture of the tank. Unfortunately I brushed the rock recently but I there's a couple of the "strings"

Here's a picture of the live rock

 

[BrutalMuffins]

Are you sure it's diatoms? What's po4?

I was mistaken. It definitely appears to be dinos.

Is it possible to get the title changed of this post to assist anyone else having the same issue?

 

[uhgster1]

I had an issue like that once and it turned out to be my ro unit not living up to expectations. I bit the bullet and got the BRS 5 stage and it cleared up after one massive water change.

 

[BrutalMuffins]

I had an issue like that once and it turned out to be my ro unit not living up to expectations. I bit the bullet and got the BRS 5 stage and it cleared up after one massive water change.

Good point. Honestly haven't had anything good to say about the RO Buddy.

I watched a video that highly recommends doing the blackout trial so I am going to start there. Will report as I go. Apparently dino is toxic if consumed by the clean up crew which explains why most of mine has died. I won't be replacing/adding anything until I got it under control

 

[JaimeAdams]

That is not diatoms that is Dinoflagellates.

 

[sfin52]

Black outs tend to work. The underlying conditions have to corrected. These flurish in ultra low nutrient system. Read the tread I sent you. Strongly recommend activated carbon in the system. I would also stop all carbon dosing like vodka and other things to reduce po4 and no3.

 

[BrutalMuffins]

That is not diatoms that is Dinoflagellates.

Understood. Any way to change the name of this post to better reflect this

 

[BrutalMuffins]

Black outs tend to work. The underlying conditions have to corrected. These flurish in ultra low nutrient system. Read the tread I sent you. Strongly recommend activated carbon in the system. I would also stop all carbon dosing like vodka and other things to reduce po4 and no3.

Thanks! Been going through that post today when I take a break from work. I have seen warnings not to let NO3 fall too low and mine is already pretty darn low. Any thoughts on this? I don't want to go into a "mini cycle" as they call it

 

[PDR]

Understood. Any way to change the name of this post to better reflect this

@mdbannister can you help him out?

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

@mdbannister can you help him out?

Yup! Done!

 

[BrutalMuffins]

Yup! Done!

Gracias

 

[Breefin1220]

Did you get it all figured out? Think I’m starting to have the same issue

 

[BrutalMuffins]

Did you get it all figured out? Think I’m starting to have the same issue

Need to block light out for a few days and see what happens. This video offered some guidance along with the link provided by another user early on in this thread

 

[DraggingTail]

This looks similar. However it is fibrous and not slimy

 

[Andygator]

I fought dinos for 6 months trying out every bit of advise and nothing worked long term. I reluctantly conceded that I didn't have anything to lose and decided to follow the advise I got from the local Petco fish dude - use a UV sterilizer. I cleaned the rocks and sand bed as best as I could and fired the UV sterilizer up. Within 24 hours I noticed a change. After a week there was no sign of the slime that I had fought for months and it has been gone for at least two months now. I also slowly raised my [NO3] up to 2 ppm with KNO3 (aka stump remover) so that hopefully the conditions that may have caused it in the first place are corrected.