Dino’s or Algae taking over!! HELP

[zach_jb69]

This hasn’t been a big issue til recently. I siphone these out w my turkey baster and it’s fine. Then fast forward today, this morning I turn on very low light 2/5 what it’s usually on and these exploded once I came home. Legit everywhere on my euphilias, sand, rocks. I do usually stir my sand bc of the regular algae making small carpets of sand bits. I also changed my carbon. Any ideas? I know you all are gonna ask. Params are in check,
Ammonia 0
Nitrite0
Ph 8.1
Calf:370
Mag:1200

 

[brandon429]

read this, consider it:

 

[brandon429]

Dino outbreak?

only recently has this happened. My tank has been fine and like 2 days ago these showed up on majority of my corals and rock work. Is this dinoflagellates or cyanog or what?

www.reef2reef.com

 

[zach_jb69]

read this, consider it:

I did, I don’t think I have the time or space for it. Rip cleans mean taking the whole tank apart and deep cleaning sand rock and all of that. I have a bucket but no aerator for the fish while I’m doing this so I’m hesitant. Surely there’s a simpler way. Right??

 

[vetteguy53081]

This hasn’t been a big issue til recently. I siphone these out w my turkey baster and it’s fine. Then fast forward today, this morning I turn on very low light 2/5 what it’s usually on and these exploded once I came home. Legit everywhere on my euphilias, sand, rocks. I do usually stir my sand bc of the regular algae making small carpets of sand bits. I also changed my carbon. Any ideas? I know you all are gonna ask. Params are in check,
Ammonia 0
Nitrite0
Ph 8.1
Calf:370
Mag:1200

It appears to be gone but is also photosynthetic, so when the lights go on, you are in essence restoring part of the food source - Light
Assure your readings especially with phosphate are accurate. I suspect you may be using API test kits. To confirm your readings, take a water sample to a store that does NOT use Api kits and have them test your ammonia and nitrates and compare readings- then you'll know where your levels truly are at
Water changes are important unlike what the perception of not doing one which reduces the organic content that feeds cyano.
Often, cause is areas of low flow, overfeeding, use of No-pox, and using Tap water for mixing or top-off from evaporation.

 

[zach_jb69]

It appears to be gone but is also photosynthetic, so when the lights go on, you are in essence restoring part of the food source - Light
Assure your readings especially with phosphate are accurate. I suspect you may be using API test kits. To confirm your readings, take a water sample to a store that does NOT use Api kits and have them test your ammonia and nitrates and compare readings- then you'll know where your levels truly are at
Water changes are important unlike what the perception of not doing one which reduces the organic content that feeds cyano.
Often, cause is areas of low flow, overfeeding, use of No-pox, and using Tap water for mixing or top-off from evaporation.

But isn’t dinos and cyano caused from phos and nitrates hitting 0? I’ve been feeding extra to battle this since someone advised me mine could be zero. I usually never tested this tank and my API test kits I believe are garbage approximations. I want H4NNA checkers but they’re so pricey. Got any good reliable test kits that are accurate enough? And if I black out my tank for a few days by the time I turn it on again wouldn’t they regrow? Also wouldn’t say there “gone” if anything they’ve grown more.

 

[vetteguy53081]

But isn’t dinos and cyano caused from phos and nitrates hitting 0? I’ve been feeding extra to battle this since someone advised me mine could be zero. I usually never tested this tank and my API test kits I believe are garbage approximations. I want H4NNA checkers but they’re so pricey. Got any good reliable test kits that are accurate enough? And if I black out my tank for a few days by the time I turn it on again wouldn’t they regrow? Also wouldn’t say there “gone” if anything they’ve grown more.

Not from hitting zero.
When we see zero readings, automatically we assume this is the cause but by the time you see zero numbers, its because the dino has consumed the po4 and no3 and are multiplying and in turn many dose no3 and po4 to bring numbers up not realizing they are feeding these flagellates even more.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure
For kits Salifert also good. There are always used Hanna kits on here (marketplace) for about $30 shipped

 

[vetteguy53081]

But isn’t dinos and cyano caused from phos and nitrates hitting 0? I’ve been feeding extra to battle this since someone advised me mine could be zero. I usually never tested this tank and my API test kits I believe are garbage approximations. I want H4NNA checkers but they’re so pricey. Got any good reliable test kits that are accurate enough? And if I black out my tank for a few days by the time I turn it on again wouldn’t they regrow? Also wouldn’t say there “gone” if anything they’ve grown more.

Regarding return, For 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which works as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Gradually then increase lights in small increments until desired intensity

 

[Uncle99]

But isn’t dinos and cyano caused from phos and nitrates hitting 0? I’ve been feeding extra to battle this since someone advised me mine could be zero. I usually never tested this tank and my API test kits I believe are garbage approximations. I want H4NNA checkers but they’re so pricey. Got any good reliable test kits that are accurate enough? And if I black out my tank for a few days by the time I turn it on again wouldn’t they regrow? Also wouldn’t say there “gone” if anything they’ve grown more.

Any kit for nitrate works good as the colour change is easy seen by eye.

Phosphate colour change is almost impossible to read by eye. In this one case, the Hanna is better at providing results, and IMM, is one of the most important levels to manage.

If you simply feed the good guy stuff and reduce the bad guys manually every day, you’ll win!

Be very careful using any algicide type stuff as it is indiscriminate in what it kills and can be counterproductive to what you need to accomplish.

 

[zach_jb69]

Not from hitting zero.
When we see zero readings, automatically we assume this is the cause but by the time you see zero numbers, its because the dino has consumed the po4 and no3 and are multiplying and in turn many dose no3 and po4 to bring numbers up not realizing they are feeding these flagellates even more.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure
For kits Salifert also good. There are always used Hanna kits on here (marketplace) for about $30 shipped

So simple terms, don’t keep trying to raise phos and nitrates, so no feeding, no light bc those are its energy base? Also vette dude I freaking love u dawg. Always helping me out. (I post on here too much bc I’m an insecure reefer)

 

[vetteguy53081]

So simple terms, don’t keep trying to raise phos and nitrates, so no feeding, no light bc those are its energy base? Also vette dude I freaking love u dawg. Always helping me out. (I post on here too much bc I’m an insecure reefer)

Thats correct and my pleasure

 

[brandon429]

the challenge in dinos tanks is that what works well for someone at home rarely translates well for others to copy, it's why the big dinos threads are really just successions of GHA-dinos-cyano cyclically

the real sustained cure is the rarest thing to earn in patterns when advising others





the right proof of best method will be a large thread of someone's ability to cure other people's dinos, several jobs completed in one pattern thread. it's amazing how hard that thread is to find, among many resolved cure ability offers. I consider dinos the top scourge in reefing

we also discussed in that thread how the lighting is the main driver now, that's easy to reduce. but yes, everybody justifies no rip clean, at the start


they then either get lucky (1%)

or they relent, and clean that repository of waste + invader complex right out


or they reef in challenge a long while, that's the true risk breakdown % in my opinion.

the risk of loss grows based on gallonage, with larger tanks more risky to delay rip cleaning vs smaller ones where a catch up surgical run is mighty easy.

you should get a very large cheap jebao UV off amazon, clean the tank at least, and then hook it up. that boosts you into a palpable cure option many tanks have used (UV is a known dinos battle tool, as is peroxide)

 

[1stPhantom]

me personally I didn’t have it that bad but I was able to remove it I would physically remove it as much as I can then do a weekly water change and add nitrifying bacteria with the water change. It was at least a 45% water change every time then I added SeaGel to my filter carbon to get rid of silicons which feed Dino’s and change it out weekly and killed the lights for five days and dose dr. Tim waste away with the instructions. And had a 10w uv lamp attachment

 

[zach_jb69]

Thats correct and my pleasure

Hey I was thinking, I replaced my carbon with new activated carbon. You think this sucked up all my beneficial bacteria and Dino’s took over?

 

[Waters]

Hey I was thinking, I replaced my carbon with new activated carbon. You think this sucked up all my beneficial bacteria and Dino’s took over?

Your beneficial bacteria is on the surfaces inside the tank....not the water column. Your carbon will not remove anything substantial.