Dinos vanished as I was installing the UV?!?

[a.t.t.r]

I have either Amphidinium or Prorocentrum forming brown slime around the tank. Today I did a blackout and within 4 hours of the time the lights would normally come on the water was brown if I shine a light from the side. A water sample under a scope showed yes the dino's were swimming around and off the sand bed.
I decided to go out and find a small UV system I can throw in my tank and by the time I got home the water is crystal clear and still nothing on the sand bed. I took a water sample and found nothing in the water. I took a sand sample and tossed it under the scope and only found a few dino's chilling and even then had to hunt for them. I do not run any filtration even close to being able to remove these lil guys mechanically and my skimmer while foaming is not producing much. Where did these lil demons go?

Additionally. Should I bother running the UV at this point (i bought a small 5 watt uv system with a slow pump for my 20 gallon) or just continue the blackout for a few more days and then give the dr tims method a try?

 

[CoralB]

Not sure if five watts is enough to kill them ( I’ve always used at least a 25 watt myself ) but yes in my opinion I would still run the UV light for a week or so to make sure you get them while using a competing bacteria like microbactor 7 . Also try to not do a water change for a couple of weeks if you can while keeping your parameters in line and lighten up on feeding.

 

[CoralB]

Lighten up on feeding If you can ? I’ve never had luck darkening out my tank that they didn’t come back but daily doses of comporting good bacteria as I mention and running the UV worked well for me after a two week period . Good luck !,

 

[vetteguy53081]

Run UV and realize they are photosynthetic and will appear to vanish at lights off to reappear hours after light are on.
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

 

[a.t.t.r]

Run UV and realize they are photosynthetic and will appear to vanish at lights off to reappear hours after light are on.
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

I realize they are photosynthetic but to go from brown water to clear in a matter of hours BEFORE adding a UV. They went somewhere and they are not hanging out in the water anymore so the UV won't be doing anything. Need to figure out how to get them BACK into the water from where ever they are hiding but I can't find em. Took samples from all over the tank and looked at them under a scope and am finding next to nothing.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Filter, and skimmer

 

[CoralB]

Unless your filter got them their still their somewhere . Did you try blowing them off or out of the rock like vetteguy 53081 said ? I agree with most everything he said except the part about the peroxide,and only because I’ve never tried it before

 

[a.t.t.r]

Filter, and skimmer

Filter, and skimmer

no mechanical filter and even checked the skimmate for em. It is making me think i got the ID wrong and they burrowed into the sand deeper then I was taking samples. Just kinda stumped. Anyways got the UV on there now running some carbon and blacking out another day then starting to add some DR tims refresh and wasteaway and have some silica on order to add aswell to try and promote diatoms over dinos.