Dinoflagellates outbreak

[Raul6741]

Hey guys, I’ve been dealing with a Dino outbreak in my tank and to answer some questions coming my phosphate is at 0.2 ppm and nitrate at 36 ppm. Last few days I’ve been siphoning out as much as possible I just dosed virbrant (1ml per 10 gal once a week). I’m wondering if I can dose vibrant and Dino x at the same time. Also I have mainly euphyillia like hammers torches and frog spawns with some alveopora and gonis. I also have a zoa island. I’ve lost three frags so far to the them being grown over. I do not have a Uv sterilizer and I’ve heard it can help. I have a fluval flex 32.5 with a Nero 3 and 2 of the fluval marine 3.0 lights. I’ve heard I can turn off the lights for 3 days and it will cause a large die off and between that and dosing and a uv it should work right? I don’t want to lose my corals at all costs. I’m afraid what a black out will do to my corals.

PS: I positively ID’d them as Dino’s as when the lights are off after a few hours they are no longer on the sand bed or rocks. And I can use a turkey baster to blow them off whatever’s they’re on.

 

[Raul6741]

Hey guys, I’ve been dealing with a Dino outbreak in my tank and to answer some questions coming my phosphate is at 0.2 ppm and nitrate at 36 ppm. Last few days I’ve been siphoning out as much as possible I just dosed virbrant (1ml per 10 gal once a week). I’m wondering if I can dose vibrant and Dino x at the same time. Also I have mainly euphyillia like hammers torches and frog spawns with some alveopora and gonis. I also have a zoa island. I’ve lost three frags so far to the them being grown over. I do not have a Uv sterilizer and I’ve heard it can help. I have a fluval flex 32.5 with a Nero 3 and 2 of the fluval marine 3.0 lights. I’ve heard I can turn off the lights for 3 days and it will cause a large die off and between that and dosing and a uv it should work right? I don’t want to lose my corals at all costs. I’m afraid what a black out will do to my corals.

PS: I positively ID’d them as Dino’s as when the lights are off after a few hours they are no longer on the sand bed or rocks. And I can use a turkey baster to blow them off whatever’s they’re on.

Also should I turn off my protien skimmer to allow more nutrient build up?

 

[Forty-Two]

There’s a large Dino thread here:

Dinoflagellates my experience......h2o2 reefing tool!!!!!

Sad to say, hydrogen peroxide didn't work for me (Proro & Amphs). Sigh! I was hopeful, but after 5 days of dosing, there was little to no improvement. Luckily I had no losses from the treatment. I guess I'm back to Silicate dosing and Phyto (which I have already done for months with no...

www.reef2reef.com

A couple of quick items on Dino’s:

1) don’t dose vibrant - it will just make it worse

2) you need to identify the species under a microscope. My guess is Ostreopsis by the description- but you need to confirm that.

3) hydrogen peroxide will work in most cases however it will not address the underlying issue - which is you have a bacteria related hole in your tank. Some ‘trauma’ has occurred to your tank most likely - and now you have to figure out what that is and plug it.

Better info is contained in the above thread I linked

 

[Mark Goode]

A UV wiped out my ostreopsis overnight.

 

[I never finish anythi]

How old is the tank ??

 

[Forty-Two]

A UV wiped out my ostreopsis overnight.

UV did nothing for me. I felt it was a waste of money - but perhaps it can work for some. OP should try it - I agree.

 

[Raul6741]

How old is the tank ??

7 months old

 

[apb03]

I had the same issue at 7 months and I too had high nutrients. To me that's a good thing, you just need to remove the dinos until other bacteria can take over.

I don't have experience with Vibrant and DinoX but ehat I did to solve my problem was focused around UV. I took the more expensive route but it was the only thing that guaranteed a result for me.

Buy a UV and dedicated pump, plumb it in a closed loop configuration directly in the display. This is ugly and temporary you can move it later.

Start a 3 day blackout and cover your tank during that period. Purchase a small handheld utility pump and use it to blast the sand and rocks two to three times a day. Get as much of the dinos in the water column as possible.

Begin the DR Tim dino treatment.

Keep blasting the sand for at least another week after treatment.

This is what did work for me.

 

[shwareefer]

Night time swimming dinos use UV as mentioned. Mike Paletta recommends for non swimming dinos, 3 day blackout combined with bacteria additive + carbon source in this article:

https://reefbuilders.com/2023/09/23/how-to-manage-the-ugly-stage-of-a-new-reef-tank/.

 

[Raul6741]

Also should I turn off my protien skimmer to allow more nutrient build up?

Anyone know what uv can fit in the fluval flex 32.5?

 

[UMALUM]

Anyone know what uv can fit in the fluval flex 32.5?

Look up Aquatop SP7 probably your only option for that size tank.

 

[Raul6741]

Look up Aquatop SP7 probably your only option for that size tank.

Already got one that fits nice and hidden in the “sump” of the tank it’s the aquatop SP nano

 

[UMALUM]

Already got one that fits nice and hidden in the “sump” of the tank it’s the aquatop SP nano

Probably a good idea to get some flow in the tank. IMO way more important.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Don’t use vibrant the algicide will kill any micro flora competition against the Dino’s and make like 10 times worse.

Uv if free swimming. If not try adding phyto /pods and add some iron.

 

[Boehmtown]

Hey guys, I’ve been dealing with a Dino outbreak in my tank and to answer some questions coming my phosphate is at 0.2 ppm and nitrate at 36 ppm. Last few days I’ve been siphoning out as much as possible I just dosed virbrant (1ml per 10 gal once a week). I’m wondering if I can dose vibrant and Dino x at the same time. Also I have mainly euphyillia like hammers torches and frog spawns with some alveopora and gonis. I also have a zoa island. I’ve lost three frags so far to the them being grown over. I do not have a Uv sterilizer and I’ve heard it can help. I have a fluval flex 32.5 with a Nero 3 and 2 of the fluval marine 3.0 lights. I’ve heard I can turn off the lights for 3 days and it will cause a large die off and between that and dosing and a uv it should work right? I don’t want to lose my corals at all costs. I’m afraid what a black out will do to my corals.

PS: I positively ID’d them as Dino’s as when the lights are off after a few hours they are no longer on the sand bed or rocks. And I can use a turkey baster to blow them off whatever’s they’re on.

You're almost there. Dose phyto daily and syphon off the dinos daily. Leave the system running and just suck them out. Syphon out as little water as you can manage.

 

[Raul6741]

Probably a good idea to get some flow in the tank. IMO way more important.

So take it out of the sump and put it into the actual display? Would this benefit treatment as the Dino’s are more densely populated in there?

 

[UMALUM]

So take it out of the sump and put it into the actual display? Would this benefit treatment as the Dino’s are more densely populated in there?

That's a good idea although I was referring to more water movement. Do you have a power head or wm in the tank?

 

[Raul6741]

That's a good idea although I was referring to more water movement. Do you have a power head or wm in the tank?

Yea I do I have an AI 30

 

[Fire Shrimp]

Hey guys, I’ve been dealing with a Dino outbreak in my tank and to answer some questions coming my phosphate is at 0.2 ppm and nitrate at 36 ppm. Last few days I’ve been siphoning out as much as possible I just dosed virbrant (1ml per 10 gal once a week). I’m wondering if I can dose vibrant and Dino x at the same time. Also I have mainly euphyillia like hammers torches and frog spawns with some alveopora and gonis. I also have a zoa island. I’ve lost three frags so far to the them being grown over. I do not have a Uv sterilizer and I’ve heard it can help. I have a fluval flex 32.5 with a Nero 3 and 2 of the fluval marine 3.0 lights. I’ve heard I can turn off the lights for 3 days and it will cause a large die off and between that and dosing and a uv it should work right? I don’t want to lose my corals at all costs. I’m afraid what a black out will do to my corals.

PS: I positively ID’d them as Dino’s as when the lights are off after a few hours they are no longer on the sand bed or rocks. And I can use a turkey baster to blow them off whatever’s they’re on.

I dealt with dinos for 3 months. It came and went. At the end, it covered the entire tank in 6 inch long sheets of brown snot. For me it was related to nitrate and phospate hitting zero too often. For a while, daily testing and dosing kept it at bay but it was too much work for me. I got small UV sterilizers (green killing machine) and all of the dinos vanished within 3 days. have not returned at all. Get UV.

 

[Raul6741]

I dealt with dinos for 3 months. It came and went. At the end, it covered the entire tank in 6 inch long sheets of brown snot. For me it was related to nitrate and phospate hitting zero too often. For a while, daily testing and dosing kept it at bay but it was too much work for me. I got small UV sterilizers (green killing machine) and all of the dinos vanished within 3 days. have not returned at all. Get UV.

Just put a uv in today, what size tank did you have and where did you put your uv