Beating dinos

[ShaneAugust]

What do you guys think of this idea to beat Dinos? I have 2 tanks, both waterbox frags. My 105.4 is going on one and a half years old doing extremely well and mature. My newer Waterbox Frag 165.6 is about 5 months old and now it’s getting a Dino outbreak and my nutrients bottomed out. Can I do a water change on my older more mature tank and use that water for the tank with the Dino’s? Will this help get nutrients up or is it pointless? Any advice? Thanks

 

[SlugSnorter]

you could try, not sure itll help too much. Post in the tired of battling dinos thread too

 

[ectoaesthetics]

I know that it really depends of the specific type of dynos you are fighting. However I’ve had a lot of success with simply upping nutrients (usually by increasing small foods like phyto, reef chili and reef roids) which can up the nutrients in a tank pretty quickly and manually removing as much as possible. At end of day I would scrape glass with credit card and followed by a turkey baster to suck e everything up. End of the day to allow the algae to build back up from its nightly retreat.

It takes a bit longer and some persistence doing it this way. But I dont like any quick changes in my tank and after nearly 30 years in the hobby have cone to disdain any quick fixes or rapid solutions. However, I do find that by the end of the battle I have lost a lot of coralline algae… which then leaves my rocks more susceptible to other algaes. In a small tank that cannot house tangs that for me has been the largest issue. As I will also end the battle with a “healthy level” of nitrates and phosphates to feed that algae. But by doing it this way I seem to keep a more stable tank.

-For what it is worth.

 

[ShaneAugust]

I know that it really depends of the specific type of dynos you are fighting. However I’ve had a lot of success with simply upping nutrients (usually by increasing small foods like phyto, reef chili and reef roids) which can up the nutrients in a tank pretty quickly and manually removing as much as possible. At end of day I would scrape glass with credit card and followed by a turkey baster to suck e everything up. End of the day to allow the algae to build back up from its nightly retreat.

It takes a bit longer and some persistence doing it this way. But I dont like any quick changes in my tank and after nearly 30 years in the hobby have cone to disdain any quick fixes or rapid solutions. However, I do find that by the end of the battle I have lost a lot of coralline algae… which then leaves my rocks more susceptible to other algaes. In a small tank that cannot house tangs that for me has been the largest issue. As I will also end the battle with a “healthy level” of nitrates and phosphates to feed that algae. But by doing it this way I seem to keep a more stable tank.

-For what it is worth.

I ran out of reef roids but switched to benepets. Will that do the trick in upping nutrients? Also, should I turn off the skimmer or will this harm my acro and SPS? Still new to the SPS world but all my frags are growing really well so I hope the dinos don’t harm them or stunt their growth.

 

[DavidinGA]

Go-to things to try for dinos:

Increase biological diversity (add mature LR)
Raise nutrient levels (NO3 and PO4): turn off skimmer, stop other export methods, no water changes
Run uv
Dose silica
No miracle cures in a bottle
No lasting benefits to turning off lights or running a blackout - don't bother


I beat dinos recently with a 40w UV that started showing results in only 8 hours!

 

[ShaneAugust]

Go-to things to try for dinos:

Increase biological diversity (add mature LR)
Raise nutrient levels (NO3 and PO4): turn off skimmer, stop other export methods, no water changes
Run uv
Dose silica
No miracle cures in a bottle
No lasting benefits to turning off lights or running a blackout - don't bother


I beat dinos recently with a 40w UV that started showing results in only 8 hours!

These are great tips and right to the point. I’m doing everything you mentioned, wish me luck and thanks again David

 

[ectoaesthetics]

Go-to things to try for dinos:

Increase biological diversity (add mature LR)
Raise nutrient levels (NO3 and PO4): turn off skimmer, stop other export methods, no water changes
Run uv
Dose silica
No miracle cures in a bottle
No lasting benefits to turning off lights or running a blackout - don't bother


I beat dinos recently with a 40w UV that started showing results in only 8 hours!

YES!!! Great idea in adding more bio diversity. Do you have a friend who's tank you trust to be equally as pest free as yours?? If so a 1/2 cup of sand a and couple of turkey basters full of detritus and it would boost your bio diversity for sure... couple that with increasing nutrients and a bit of time and you should have decent results. I can nearly promise slowed or stopped growth from your SPS, color loss... and cannot rule out losses. But taking the slow way out will be MUCH better than buying a few strains of bacteria in a bottle and dumping them into the tank.

I am usually VERY anti UV on tanks... but Dinos are a situation where I think it is warranted. IF you can reseed the tank after with more bacteria. @DavidinGA has GREAT advice.