New Tank (6 Weeks Old) & Dinos - Please help

[sanzz18]

Hey all,

I am pretty much having the worst beginning to a reef tank, especially comparing to my last tank almost a decade ago. It looks like I got myself a nice dino outbreak. I cycled my Waterbox 220.6 with dry rock/sand and bottle bacteria. When it completed the ammonia cycle, I added the two clown. I then waiting for a bit of diatoms until I ordered my CUC. Then every other week I added a fish until I had 6.

A little over a week ago, I thought I was just getting a large diatom bloom. Then I noticed it was different when it started looking like snot with air bubbles. I tested my phosphates and nitrates and sure enough, double zeros. Ammonia and nitrite are also zero. Also, did the tank water/dino in a cup after straining through a coffee filter, it clumped shortly afterwards.

Also, do Dinos make your water cloudy and smelly? My tank is cloudy I could barely see my Vortech on the other side and its smelling my basement up with a low-tide smell. I threw some carbon in there to help get this under control.

Steps I have taken:

- Skimmed through "Dinoflagellates - Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether" sticky (don't have time to ready all five hundred pages, wife and I have a 1 week old newborn)
- Turned off skimmer
- Stopped water changes
- Ordered microbacter 7 to dose for diversity (I cycled with XLM)
- Ordered Brightwell phosphate and nitrate additive

I am totally defeated to have this happening so early into my tank. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I want to rid the tank of this outbreak.

 

[paul01609]

keep Going as you are and start dosing silicates

 

[sanzz18]

 

[dvgyfresh]

Yea Dino’s have a smell can create red tide, some people can even get sick. You should install a UV it sounds like you are having a bacterial bloom (cloudy water). Another thing is to feed more to make sure N and P are not zero as Dino’s thrive in low nutrient

 

[sanzz18]

Cloudiness

 

[homer1475]

Diatoms, not dinos.

Doesn't look like dino's one bit to me. And a bacterial bloom to boot.

Either way, a UV would help immensely.

 

[sanzz18]

Diatoms, not dinos.

Doesn't look like dino's one bit to me. And a bacterial bloom to boot.

Either way, a UV would help immensely.

This is a better video showing all the bubbles on the snot-like slime lol. You really don't think it is Dinos?

 

[homer1475]

Nope still don't think it's dino's. Its greenish not a rusty brown. The bubbles is just normal gas exchange that happens to be stuck in the diatoms.

A microscope would be a definite way to give a positive ID, but I still don't think it's dino's.

What test kits are you using to get double 0's? Depending on the resolution of the test kit, the double 0's may not be close to 0 at all.

 

[dvgyfresh]

This is a better video showing all the bubbles on the snot-like slime lol. You really don't think it is Dinos?

Either way need to get rid of cloudiness, water change or UV and lower lighting period

 

[sanzz18]

Nope still don't think it's dino's. Its greenish not a rusty brown. The bubbles is just normal gas exchange that happens to be stuck in the diatoms.

A microscope would be a definite way to give a positive ID, but I still don't think it's dino's.

What test kits are you using to get double 0's? Depending on the resolution of the test kit, the double 0's may not be close to 0 at all.

Using Salifert for phosphate (borrowed from a buddy until I get a Hannah) and Red Sea for nitrates.

Any recommendation on a cheap microscope but not a plastic one? lol

 

[homer1475]

I bought a cheap kids $20 one off amazon that was plastic. Worked well enough to ID my dino's.

 

[sanzz18]

I bought a cheap kids $20 one off amazon that was plastic. Worked well enough to ID my dino's.

Yeah, I am going to grab one.

 

[sanzz18]

So carbon has been in my tank since yesterday afternoon. I used the recommended amount to help get rid of this algae/low-tide/marsh smell. Today the smell is definitely still there, maybe not as bad. Do you guys think this smell will dissipate over time leaving the carbon in there or do you guys think it won't work? It is driving my wife nuts.

 

[Crustaceon]

Turn your skimmer on and put a piece of tupperware upside down under it to act as a stand and raise it higher in the sump chamber for now. Adjust the skimmer way down so water isn’t rapidly flowing into the collection cup. It’s going to be the nastiest skimmate you’ll ever smell, but it’ll solve your problem and if you keep feeding the tank as normal, it’ll also solve your sand issue too. When your water clears up in a few days, you can remove the tupperware and readjust the skimmer, gradually dialing it up over the next week or two.

 

[sanzz18]

@homer1475 microscope came in. Do you mind taking at look at these pics and video?

Also, if it isn't dinos, do I still dose nitrate and phosphate because of my values being bottomed out so that way I can help prevent them?

 

[DoctaReef]

Dinos usually zip around under a microscope, at least mine did when I had some at the beginning, though I'm not sure what the big globby things are.
I do see a ton of diatoms in that view.

 

[zalick]

Dinos move around. In the video everything is stationary. In your last pic, the round looking things from the video actually look like tiny curled things.

doesnt look like dinos to me.

 

[sanzz18]

Okay great. With phosphates and nitrates bottomed out (assuming because of the algae in my tank), should I dose nitrate and phosphate to get them back within range? Also when should I turn the skimmer back on?

 

[DoctaReef]

Honestly, without corals I would just let things go and not add anything. I think your diatom/algae etc bloom is consuming your nitrates and phosphates, giving you a false zero reading. Be patient and let things run it’s course. It’s possible you added fish too fast for your system, or your clean up crew was too big for the cleanup needs, and you had die off and a nutrient spike.
If I were you I’d just be patient, turn the skimmer on, and let the diatoms consume what they will until they run their course.

 

[fishhead1973]

Hey all,

I am pretty much having the worst beginning to a reef tank, especially comparing to my last tank almost a decade ago. It looks like I got myself a nice dino outbreak. I cycled my Waterbox 220.6 with dry rock/sand and bottle bacteria. When it completed the ammonia cycle, I added the two clown. I then waiting for a bit of diatoms until I ordered my CUC. Then every other week I added a fish until I had 6.

A little over a week ago, I thought I was just getting a large diatom bloom. Then I noticed it was different when it started looking like snot with air bubbles. I tested my phosphates and nitrates and sure enough, double zeros. Ammonia and nitrite are also zero. Also, did the tank water/dino in a cup after straining through a coffee filter, it clumped shortly afterwards.

Also, do Dinos make your water cloudy and smelly? My tank is cloudy I could barely see my Vortech on the other side and its smelling my basement up with a low-tide smell. I threw some carbon in there to help get this under control.

Steps I have taken:

- Skimmed through "Dinoflagellates - Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether" sticky (don't have time to ready all five hundred pages, wife and I have a 1 week old newborn)
- Turned off skimmer
- Stopped water changes
- Ordered microbacter 7 to dose for diversity (I cycled with XLM)
- Ordered Brightwell phosphate and nitrate additive

I am totally defeated to have this happening so early into my tank. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I want to rid the tank of this outbreak.

Get u a cheato reactor