Is this Dinos or diatoms?

[Dorado]

My tank has been up and running for 2-1/2 years and recently my sand, only the sand,has been looking dirty. I’ve been siphoning the sand somewhat regularly, but doesn’t seem to do much. My nutrients have been pretty consistent, phosphate .1, nitrates 20ppm. Wondering if this could be a type of Dino?

 

[slingfox]

Only way to make a sure determination is taking a sample and examining under a microscope.

 

[Dorado]

I finally got a microscope and took a little video. From the little I know, it looks like dinos

 

[coralnoob22]

Whatever this is, I’ve got it too. And Dino-X does knock it back quite a bit.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My tank has been up and running for 2-1/2 years and recently my sand, only the sand,has been looking dirty. I’ve been siphoning the sand somewhat regularly, but doesn’t seem to do much. My nutrients have been pretty consistent, phosphate .1, nitrates 20ppm. Wondering if this could be a type of Dino?

Best determined under a microscope but visual offers clues, however this image is Too Blue to even take a guess. Please repost under white lighting

 

[Dorado]

 

[Dorado]

Best determined under a microscope but visual offers clues, however this image is Too Blue to even take a guess. Please repost under white lighting

Sorry trying to figure out how to take a video through the microscope and then how to post a video.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sorry trying to figure out how to take a video through the microscope and then how to post a video.

For now, post a pic under white lighting. Video can be posted via You Tube

 

[Dorado]

For now, post a pic under white lighting. Video can be posted via You Tube

Is the video above clear enough?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Is the video above clear enough?

Its dinos and on my phone may be amphidium.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure and tank is already doomed. Its important though to identify the type of dino for most effective battle.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) 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. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED AMINO OR ADD NOPOX which is food for dinos, however you can feed coral, food which will help no3 and po4 to increase. If increasing nutrients, try to keep no3 to about 5 until you are done battling these cells.
Doing a daily siphoning will help greatly But . . . . . Siphoning will reduce nutrients , so siphon the water into/through a filter sock and save the water and return it back to tank. Obviously clean the filter sock each time.
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

 

[Dorado]

Its dinos and on my phone may be amphidium.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure and tank is already doomed. Its important though to identify the type of dino for most effective battle.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) 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. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED AMINO OR ADD NOPOX which is food for dinos, however you can feed coral, food which will help no3 and po4 to increase. If increasing nutrients, try to keep no3 to about 5 until you are done battling these cells.
Doing a daily siphoning will help greatly But . . . . . Siphoning will reduce nutrients , so siphon the water into/through a filter sock and save the water and return it back to tank. Obviously clean the filter sock each time.
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

What do you mean when you say my tank is doomed? My tank is predominantly SPS, are there any adverse effects to dosing the hydrogen peroxide?

 

[vetteguy53081]

What do you mean when you say my tank is doomed? My tank is predominantly SPS, are there any adverse effects to dosing the hydrogen peroxide?

That the doomed youre thinking- meaning dino has taken its course

 

[Dorado]

I’m happy to report that the Dinos are all but gone, just a small stubborn patch on the sand bed behind the rock structure. I didn’t do anything terribly dramatic. The only thing I did differently is that I added microbacter daily and stirred up all the sand weekly followed by changing the filter socks. I monitored my po4 and no3 which stayed pretty solid at .1 and 10. I really believe that this success had everything to do with the microbacter.

 

[J_C_Reef]

My tank has been up and running for 2-1/2 years and recently my sand, only the sand,has been looking dirty. I’ve been siphoning the sand somewhat regularly, but doesn’t seem to do much. My nutrients have been pretty consistent, phosphate .1, nitrates 20ppm. Wondering if this could be a type of Dino?

Dinos

 

[Dorado]

Dinos

Good call

 

[Not_Erick]

I’m happy to report that the Dinos are all but gone, just a small stubborn patch on the sand bed behind the rock structure. I didn’t do anything terribly dramatic. The only thing I did differently is that I added microbacter daily and stirred up all the sand weekly followed by changing the filter socks. I monitored my po4 and no3 which stayed pretty solid at .1 and 10. I really believe that this success had everything to do with the microbacter.

Any updated pics? My phosphate is at .11 and nitrate at 20 and I got the same thing in my sand bed

 

[Dorado]

Here are a couple of pics

 

[sfin52]

Its dinos and on my phone may be amphidium.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure and tank is already doomed. Its important though to identify the type of dino for most effective battle.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) 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. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED AMINO OR ADD NOPOX which is food for dinos, however you can feed coral, food which will help no3 and po4 to increase. If increasing nutrients, try to keep no3 to about 5 until you are done battling these cells.
Doing a daily siphoning will help greatly But . . . . . Siphoning will reduce nutrients , so siphon the water into/through a filter sock and save the water and return it back to tank. Obviously clean the filter sock each time.
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

Just to add a little more. The sock should be 5 micron. Don't use for regular filter clogs way to quickly. But vets way is great use of the sock.

I would also recommend running activated carbon. Dinos can and do release toxins.

Black out won't stop them but will buy you time by slowing reproduction.

Also synthetic salts seem to cause dinos to bloom. I would stop all water changes.

Nitrates are fine at 20. No reason to try to lower them.