Dinos or Diatoms?
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lelandmarine
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Your attachment didn’t work for me can you try again. Maybe its my ipad
vetteguy53081
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If it’s golden brown and looks like snot - Dino . Check your phosphate and nitrate for elevated levels
If Dino,
Prepare by starting with a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15%) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off.
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights - ramping up and work your white lights up slowly
If Dino,
Prepare by starting with a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15%) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off.
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights - ramping up and work your white lights up slowly
OP
OP
ilott
Active Member
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lelandmarine
Well-Known Member
Probably not Dino’s if the snails love it. Can you give a little bit more information about the tank. Size, how old, what your parameters are, what livestock you have in the tank, that type of stuff. Maybe more pictures as well
lelandmarine
Well-Known Member
Agree #7 looks like dino’s
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ilott
Active Member
It’s 80 gallons, about 4 months old and my phosphate didn’t pick up on my test but my nitrates are about 5-10
lelandmarine
Well-Known Member
Anyone else have any thoughts?
bsr2430
Valuable Member
Hello, good morning!
You have Dinos on your hand! Is it only in the sump with your Chaeto?
If you clean a nice portion of that algae out and put your Chaeto back in, you should notice your Chaeto will grow faster.
Now your tank is four months old. You’re going to see swings from top to bottom until everything levels out. You can reduce lighting to help slow the processes.
Also, do you have anything else besides just Dinos here?
I recommend you doing a nice clean job in that sump, and the tank if it’s there too. Make sure your Chaeto is there afterwards and reduce lighting.
Just read all the comments, what @vetteguy53081 said, everything he said is the correct way at doing this.
You have Dinos on your hand! Is it only in the sump with your Chaeto?
If you clean a nice portion of that algae out and put your Chaeto back in, you should notice your Chaeto will grow faster.
Now your tank is four months old. You’re going to see swings from top to bottom until everything levels out. You can reduce lighting to help slow the processes.
Also, do you have anything else besides just Dinos here?
I recommend you doing a nice clean job in that sump, and the tank if it’s there too. Make sure your Chaeto is there afterwards and reduce lighting.
Just read all the comments, what @vetteguy53081 said, everything he said is the correct way at doing this.
Last edited:
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ilott
Active Member
It’s only in the sump where the chaeto is, the growth has really died down this week it was horrendous about 4 weeks ago, i have been scraping the algae off with an old toothbrush then sucking it out with the pump, the chaeto has stopped turning brown and getting covered in it. I have some turf algae on my rocks in the main display, it got in from a snail which also has turf algae on his shell.
bsr2430
Valuable Member
Nothing beats taking a toothbrush to the sump trick! Use a credit card too, or run one of those two inch nets up the side walls can also get everything out good!
How’s the flow in your sump?
If it’s sticking to your chaeto then it sounds like flow might also be a problem for your Chaeto.
Here’s what I recommend, clean your tank good, and your sump. Place a cheap $5-$10 power head in your sump to move water through your Chaeto and you should see a major difference.
Also keep up with those water changes! That’ll also help!
Please keep us updated!
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ilott
Active Member
I have one of my old salt mixing pumps circulating the sump’s water now, it was a hands on job before just rotating the chaeto every day but I soon got bored. Saturday is ny water change day, I was doing 10% water changes but i’ve done 20% since turning the sump lights on and the algae turned up, but it seems to be going down, i’ll get something flat edged in there tomorrow to really clear the sump up! Thanks for your help!
ShepherdReefer
5000 Club Member
Just a thought, I read that water changes make dino worse.
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ilott
Active Member
I mean, they seem to have died down since doing larger water changes, I understand why though because water changes remove phosphates and nitrates. But as it stands at the moment they seem to be slowing down, the chaeto isn’t growing much at the moment tho
lelandmarine
Well-Known Member
That is confusing, some say water change some say stop water changes. Maybe it depends on which type of dinoflagellate you have, ie amphidinium or ostreopsis
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ilott
Active Member
I’m unsure on which I have, I have seen a few threads about people having the same issue as me, where they are only in the sump with the chaeto
lelandmarine
Well-Known Member
Heres a website that talks about the different types. Better if you have a microscope
https://algaeid.com/identification/
https://algaeid.com/identification/
