Cheato/Dino Relationship

[Booyah]

Does Cheato feed Dino?

 

[Ron Reefman]

No. Current theory (maybe fact) is that dino thrive in very low nitrate and very low phosphate environments. Cheato may help dinos get a foothold if it is keeping you nitrate and phosphate levels too low. Maybe harvest some of the cheato so it's not taking so much nitrate and phosphate out of the system.

 

[ectoaesthetics]

I’m with Ron. I’ve had Dinos I have chaeto. I absolutely believe their is a connection between the two. I’ve ONLY had Dino in tanks I’ve had chaeto in... but it is my belief that people are over thinking the connection. I’ve also ONLY been able to keep nutrients in check in systems with chaeto. Low nutrients will lead to dinos. Theory here is this: other algae easily out compete Dinos but when you starve algae with low nutrients dinos become the dominate/most successful algae. Might thee be an allelopathic compound released by the chaeto that helps select dinos even more so? It’s totally possible. But just feed more and keep those levels above zero and you don’t get dinos. I literally add about 600-800% more ReefChili than I’m supposed to to keep my levels up. My corals have yet to complain about the over feeding.

 

[Micaeltercer]

Maybe off topic but did y’all know conch snails eat dinos?

 

[hyprc]

I concur. Dinos are a result of nutrient deficiency (in my non-(bio)scientist opinion), which can be made worse or simply created by any number of causes including a refugium.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Maybe off topic but did y’all know conch snails eat dinos?

Not sure I buy this as fact. Can you point us to any scientific data or publication that says this? Conch do eat algae, but I don't think they eat dinos.

 

[Micaeltercer]

Not sure I buy this as fact. Can you point us to any scientific data or publication that says this? Conch do eat algae, but I don't think they eat dinos.

My two conch snails have been grazing nonstop on my Dino outbreak in the sandbed. They even go so far as to lift their mouths horizontal and eat off the Dino’s from the glass as high as they can reach their mouths to.

 

[Michael Gray]

My two conch snails have been grazing nonstop on my Dino outbreak in the sandbed. They even go so far as to lift their mouths horizontal and eat off the Dino’s from the glass as high as they can reach their mouths to.

I have two conches. I'll look for this. But mainly my conches are under sand all day and at night when Dino's go in and they come out. So I don't think mine do

 

[Acrofiend]

Low phosphates and not enough beneficial bacteria will cause dinos. Are you carbon dosing? Overdosing will feed bad bacteria.
Feeding more will raise phosphates.

 

[hart24601]

Keep in mind there are a lot of species of dino. I have dinos (ones that go into the water column at night) in several systems over the years. Some with chaeto, some with ulva, and a few that didn’t have algae export. All those systems had at least 0.1 po4 and 10ppm nitrate so dinos in low nutrients may happen, but they can sure happen in higher too. UV has been the only thing that consistently helped and controlled them long term.

 

[Booyah]

Maybe off topic but did y’all know conch snails eat dinos?

Do you have a link with that information? I'd loveto read it.

 

[Micaeltercer]

Do you have a link with that information? I'd loveto read it.

like I said, I had a Dino outbreak and it was everywhere, over sand, rocks, pumps, corals. I added two conch snails and they devoured the stuff off of the sand and glass about an inch above sand all around. Also, added spiny Star astrea snails which ate it off the rock work where the conches couldn’t get to

 

[hyprc]

like I said, I had a Dino outbreak and it was everywhere, over sand, rocks, pumps, corals. I added two conch snails and they devoured the stuff off of the sand and glass about an inch above sand all around. Also, added spiny Star astrea snails which ate it off the rock work where the conches couldn’t get to

I think he was looking for something beyond anecdotal evidence. Some have reported conch snails helping with dinos in the sand, but not too effective on the rock work. Also, similar to using tangs or fox faces to deal with bubble algae, some individuals will help with the outbreak, while others are absolutely and completely indifferent, so not really 'reliable' method.

 

[Micaeltercer]

I think he was looking for something beyond anecdotal evidence. Some have reported conch snails helping with dinos in the sand, but not too effective on the rock work. Also, similar to using tangs or fox faces to deal with bubble algae, some individuals will help with the outbreak, while others are absolutely and completely indifferent, so not really 'reliable' method.

Well, it is a fact that conch snails can’t climb up rocks and walls because of how they move vs snails. And no, they’re not helping the sandbed by stirring or turning it over, they’re actually consuming it. As for the rock work, several people have reported star astreas eating Dino’s as well.

 

[Janet Belanger]

Well, it is a fact that conch snails can’t climb up rocks and walls because of how they move vs snails. And no, they’re not helping the sandbed by stirring or turning it over, they’re actually consuming it. As for the rock work, several people have reported star astreas eating Dino’s as well.

Bubbling up an old thread because I have observed that my conches also eat the dinos in my sand and use their little "trunks" to eat whatever they can find on the glass. Its unclear if they're eating it or simply cleaning it off the sand/low rock and not ingesting it. I end up with swaths of sand that are clean and white where the conches hang out.