Algae or dinos on acros?

[Tuffloud1]

For those that dose live phytoplankton - do you remove filter socks before dosing? If so, how long? Does time of day matter?

 

[thedon986]

Why do you continue to dose Microbacter 7?

Are you dosing live phytoplankton? How does dosing Phyto combat dino?

It doesn't hurt anything to continue dosing MB7. I think of it like, why would take probiotics more than once? The bacteria doesn't live forever and might not reproduce enough.

Yes, live phyto from Tommy's Phyto on this forum and also using Algae Barn. I think the idea is that phyto is a competing algae for the dinos.

 

[Cory]

Forget everything just buy a uv sterilizer. Even a cheap one works but if your serious youll buy the big guns eventually and wont waste on a cheap one. Uv beat mine in 3 days. But that was ostreopsis ovata.

 

[Tuffloud1]

I’ve been reading about dosing silicates in order to have a diatom bloom which would in turn outcompete dinos for real estate on sand bed, surfaces, etc.

Here is my refugium section of my sump.

All I have in there is a 7 year old Marine Pure block and rock that I transferred from my old system when I started this one.

Tons of sponges in there. Maybe I’m silicate limited because the sponges are sucking it all up, or would it be the opposite because they are thriving?

Are the hairs on the rock Bryozoa?

Is it the lack of silicates alone that contribute to Dino or just that other silicate loving algae can’t thrive to compete with Dino without the silicate available?

 

[Tuffloud1]

Forget everything just buy a uv sterilizer. Even a cheap one works but if your serious youll buy the big guns eventually and wont waste on a cheap one. Uv beat mine in 3 days. But that was ostreopsis ovata.

I’ve been reading that UV doesn’t work well with sand dwelling dino.

 

[Cory]

I’ve been reading that UV doesn’t work well with sand dwelling dino.

Not really. A uv can destroy potential food sources for dinos too. Like uera for example. Chances are it feeds off stuff in the sand. I used to rent a uv 15 years ago from my lfs. Maybe see if you can rent one.

 

[Tuffloud1]

This is the best I can do with the microscope I have.

This is the stuff on the sand bed. Can you tell what kind it is?

 

[landlubber]

the advice here is essentially the same as giving no advice at all.
you have to know which species you're dealing with to decide how you're going to correct it. buying an expensive UV sterilizer for the prorocentrum i was dealing with would have done absolutely nothing and doing water changes would have exacerbated the issue.
bottom line: if the advice you're getting doesn't include detailed info on which species its effective against, then i would respectfully say thank you and ignore it.
throwing your wallet at dinos because of terrible advice doesn't make them go away any faster.

 

[Tuffloud1]

the advice here is essentially the same as giving no advice at all.
you have to know which species you're dealing with to decide how you're going to correct it. buying an expensive UV sterilizer for the prorocentrum i was dealing with would have done absolutely nothing and doing water changes would have exacerbated the issue.
bottom line: if the advice you're getting doesn't include detailed info on which species its effective against, then i would respectfully say thank you and ignore it.
throwing your wallet at dinos because of terrible advice doesn't make them go away any faster.

Yep, that’s why I posted pictures of it under a microscope asking for help to identify it.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Phyto is a great way. Adding pods also helps a ton. I like Reef Nutrition for both. Find a LFS that carries them.

AlgaeBarn's Phyto is good but way weaker than Reef Nutrition's

Our phyto is 20 times as concentrated. Much more economical.

Thanks for pointing out the difference. Also, thanks for supporting your LFS!

-Chad

 

[Tuffloud1]

Our phyto is 20 times as concentrated. Much more economical.

Thanks for pointing out the difference. Also, thanks for supporting your LFS!

-Chad

I just purchased 2 bottles of your Live Phyto Feast.

How much do you recommend dosing on a 300 gallon system to combat dinos?

 

[rtparty]

the advice here is essentially the same as giving no advice at all.
you have to know which species you're dealing with to decide how you're going to correct it. buying an expensive UV sterilizer for the prorocentrum i was dealing with would have done absolutely nothing and doing water changes would have exacerbated the issue.
bottom line: if the advice you're getting doesn't include detailed info on which species its effective against, then i would respectfully say thank you and ignore it.
throwing your wallet at dinos because of terrible advice doesn't make them go away any faster.

Fun fact...name one strain that doesn't require raising nutrients, adding biodiversity, adding pods, phyto, and/or dosing silicate.

There isn't one. Every strain of dinos gets worse with water changes. Every strain calls for more biodiversity and a healthier tank. If it's sand dwelling, dose silicate. If it enters the water column, get a UV.

We really only see 3-4 strains in the hobby and they all have the same basic recipe for dealing with.

 

[rtparty]

Our phyto is 20 times as concentrated. Much more economical.

Thanks for pointing out the difference. Also, thanks for supporting your LFS!

-Chad

It's like dumping green motor oil into the tank lol

 

[Cory]

This is the best I can do with the microscope I have.

This is the stuff on the sand bed. Can you tell what kind it is?

Doesnt look like ostreopsis its more rounded than ostreopsis.

 

[Tuffloud1]

Doesnt look like ostreopsis its more rounded than ostreopsis.

Any guess on which one it is?

 

[Cory]

Any guess on which one it is?

Looks like procentrum or amphidium

 

[Boxofpurplerocks]

I’ve been reading about dosing silicates in order to have a diatom bloom which would in turn outcompete dinos for real estate on sand bed, surfaces, etc.

Here is my refugium section of my sump.

All I have in there is a 7 year old Marine Pure block and rock that I transferred from my old system when I started this one.

Tons of sponges in there. Maybe I’m silicate limited because the sponges are sucking it all up, or would it be the opposite because they are thriving?

Are the hairs on the rock Bryozoa?

Is it the lack of silicates alone that contribute to Dino or just that other silicate loving algae can’t thrive to compete with Dino without the silicate available?

Interesting question. I have the same exact thing happening in my tank and I wonder the same thing. I do have that same Bryozoa as well, if that’s what it is. Don’t know how to get rid of the darn stuff!

 

[Reef Nutrition]

I just purchased 2 bottles of your Live Phyto Feast.

How much do you recommend dosing on a 300 gallon system to combat dinos?

There is no guarantee that live algae will combat/outcompete dinos. While we have heard plenty of anecdotal evidence of this from hobbyists and competitors, no one has done a scientific study. I honestly can't give you advice along this line since every tank is different when it comes to the biology of the system. There is really no one-size-fits-all that I can think of.

With this being said, our lowest recommend dose for feeding animals that consume phytoplankton is 1 TSP per 100 gallons per day. If you happen to see the dinos go away, it may or may not be related to the live algae you are dosing.

Thanks for asking!

-Chad