Dinos gone, now what??

[loweryphil]

So for the second time in 3 months, dinos have stopped blooming and my sand is white. High nutrients and algae starting also. Hears the problem, the first time after two weeks of it gone I thought great! And turned on my bio pellet reactor. The next day...boom back again.

This time I want them not to return. Is there anything I can do to prevent the return of them and bring nutrients down?

 

[Biglew11]

I'm in a similar situation, been feeding heavy and no water changes going on 4 or 5 months, I'm finally at the tail end of dino outbreak.

I have a large amount of ulva in refugium section (only algae I can seem to grow). My current plan is to start dosing multiple bacteria (dr Tim's one and only, renew, and microbacter7) and maybe light carbon dosing,

My thoughts being, the bacteria may out compete the dinos, and the carbon dosing may allow the beneficial bacteria to thrive, hopefully.


Edit I currently still have to dose phosphates to keep them around .05 to .1 ppm.

 

[dvgyfresh]

You need something to outcompete Dino’s, what worked for me was adding a refugium once Dino’s were taken care off, that way the excess nutrients were being taken up by macro algae , do not clean the tank and allow them to just come back as you’ve said , also dosing microbacter 7 might help

 

[loweryphil]

I'm in a similar situation, been feeding heavy and no water changes going on 4 or 5 months, I'm finally at the tail end of dino outbreak.

I have a large amount of ulva in refugium section (only algae I can seem to grow). My current plan is to start dosing multiple bacteria (dr Tim's one and only, renew, and microbacter7) and maybe light carbon dosing,

My thoughts being, the bacteria may out compete the dinos, and the carbon dosing may allow the beneficial bacteria to thrive, hopefully.


Edit I currently still have to dose phosphates to keep them around .05 to .1 ppm.

I have ulva too, sounds like we are in an identical situation. Mine have stopped appearing, to look at the tank, you would not know I had dino, but as soon as any frozen food or carbon is added. Boooom they come back. Now I think once they stop showing would be the right time to add bacteria. One trick I used is I bubble scrubbed 24/7 and kept stiring it up.

 

[loweryphil]

You need something to outcompete Dino’s, what worked for me was adding a refugium once Dino’s were taken care off, that way the excess nutrients were being taken up by macro algae , do not clean the tank and allow them to just come back as you’ve said , also dosing microbacter 7 might help

I do have a fuge, they were in there too, but as the ulva has grown they have dissapeared in the sump. My fuge is packed full it's grown that much, but weirdly nitrates have not come down

 

[thedon986]

My sand is about 95% clear now after dosing phyto and keeping nutrients up. As dinos started to slow down my nitrates skyrocketed to over 25, when they had held steady at about 10. I would avoid using biopellets for a long while. I lowered my nitrates by slowly dosing NPOPOX while also dosing phosphates so they wouldn't bottom. Maybe trimming back the fuge would help? I feel like when I cut back my cheato they do a better job taking up more nitrates. King of like pruning a shrub spurs new growth.

 

[GoVols]

So for the second time in 3 months, dinos have stopped blooming and my sand is white. High nutrients and algae starting also. Hears the problem, the first time after two weeks of it gone I thought great! And turned on my bio pellet reactor. The next day...boom back again.

This time I want them not to return. Is there anything I can do to prevent the return of them and bring nutrients down?

If your phosphates and or nitrates bottomed out by firing up your bio pellet reactor then don't turn it back on so soon.

A carbon source (which can fire up cyano) does bring down phosphates and nitrates, which may lead to starvation of your good bacterias in the long haul.

Just use really good test kits to be your guide, and stay patient.

 

[GoVols]

My sand is about 95% clear now after dosing phyto and keeping nutrients up. As dinos started to slow down my nitrates skyrocketed to over 25, when they had held steady at about 10. I would avoid using biopellets for a long while. I lowered my nitrates by slowly dosing NPOPOX while also dosing phosphates so they wouldn't bottom. Maybe trimming back the fuge would help? I feel like when I cut back my cheato they do a better job taking up more nitrates. King of like pruning a shrub spurs new growth.

+1
Get some pods and dose Algaebarns OceanMagik live phytoplankton

 

[loweryphil]

Tank is full of pods and crustaceans and the fuge, my nitrates are 30 and phos is 0.25, it baffles me that although they appear gone now. One carbon source and they are back. I'm going to trim my ulva algae and not do any changes.

Side note, they bloomed big when I added red sea alk to bring it up.

 

[GoVols]

Tank is full of pods and crustaceans and the fuge, my nitrates are 30 and phos is 0.25, it baffles me that although they appear gone now. One carbon source and they are back. I'm going to trim my ulva algae and not do any changes.

Side note, they bloomed big when I added red sea alk to bring it up.

Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

I don't know what percentage of folks had luck battling dinos with any of the methods in the old Dino thread but it's obviously a very low percentage, so I'd like refresh folks on the natural alternatives and lay out three areas of info: some of the factors that contribute to a dino outbreak...

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