Please help me with my Algae Issues
- Thread starter RyanHoan
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Dave Cureton
Well-Known Member
OP I recommend doing some reading on dino's before making any rapid changes. If you have access to a microscope you can confirm what the issue is and I agree it does not look like algae. Good luck!
ScottR
Surfing....
Here’s a good read - it’s a long thread. But don’t need to read it all @ScottB and @taricha have done some great work and given great countless advice on this topic. I’ve battled dinos 3 of 4 times. I’m no expert but I’ve been through this enough to know what works and what doesn’t.
www.reef2reef.com
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...
www.reef2reef.com
ScottR
Surfing....
Don’t assume they’re eating it. If you take a turkey baster and blow it off and they immediately disappear, it’s dinos. A snail can merely crawl through it and send them into the water column.
JoshO
Valuable Member
Just going to clarify something that was mentioned earlier, @Randy Holmes-Farley did a comprehensive thread about water parameters and specified that phosphate should be at 0.03...not 0.1 as another poster has encouraged.
Let's try to get a positive ID on this first before you start trying to rectify
Let's try to get a positive ID on this first before you start trying to rectify
Dave Cureton
Well-Known Member
How old is your tank? Older established systems seem to handle higher nutrients than a 9 month old tank.
ScottR
Surfing....
If I were to suggest someone get phosphates up in a dino battle, I’d ask to stop dosing aminos and use something like potassium phosphate. Seachem makes one.
OP
OP
RyanHoan
Active Member
This is what is confusing me about the DINO conclusion:
I was feeding HEAVY. I had amazing coral color and extension. Phos was steady around .03. Then BOOM, bloom.
Isn't dino supposed to start because of low nutrients?
I was feeding HEAVY. I had amazing coral color and extension. Phos was steady around .03. Then BOOM, bloom.
Isn't dino supposed to start because of low nutrients?
Dave Cureton
Well-Known Member
One thing I didn't notice is what you use for source water? Are you using 0 TDS RODI?
Dave Cureton
Well-Known Member
I had the same thing happen. Did your corals start growing super fast? You would be amazed how much nutrients a bunch of happy coral can consume. Battlecorals has a great writeup on it titled SPS Suck!
ScottR
Surfing....
Don’t give up man. It’s frustrating. But you can win. Just need to research a bit more. Sometimes the things we do that we think help are hurting our battle. Here’s a birdsnest that I almost lost due to this stuff. Finally fully recovered. I stopped all food additives to my tank. No reef roids, coral nutrition and just purely fed my fish frozen food more often to maintain higher phosphates and nitrates. Takes time.
Dave Cureton
Well-Known Member
Sorry had to do it.
ScottR
Surfing....
-Installing a UV that is properly rated and sized
-May need to do blackouts to allow other organisms to get a foothold
-Stop dosing any coral foods
-Up nutrients like PO4 and NO3 (May need to dose directly if feeding doesn’t help)
-May need to take fuge offline
-If wanted, can dose silicates to help feed diatoms that look similar to dinos but are short lived
A proper ID is needed however. There’s also a dino “coffee filter” test. I forget how it works but never tried it.
