Snails dying suddenly??

[homer1475]

Your vid looks like normal GHA(green hair algae), not dino's. Thats also not your issue.

But inverts don't eat the long flowing hair algae, they prefer the thin algae like forms on your glass, or biofilm.

 

[maleks.reef]

I was wondering if a new tank, just because sometimes used tanks, may have had copper in them. That would explain your mysterious invert deaths, but obviously if it's a new tank with dry rock and sand, thats not an issue.

The tank isn't new. it was bought second hand. How would copper make its way into an empty tank though? Before setting it up, I thoroughly washed the tank with a high pressure water hose.

 

[homer1475]

Copper will leach into the silicone seals. Have you checked for copper?

I would suspect though since you have inverts alive and doing fine, copper is not the issue.

 

[Harold999]

Interesting, never knew dinos are poisonous to snails. Also here is a vid of the algae im getting, hope you can confirm its not dinos.

Wouldn't be surprised if those are dino's, do you also see air bubbles?
And your lps aren't doing well because no3 = zero. To begin with start overfeeding your fish, this will rise your no3 and po4. Try to reach no3=10 po4= .03

 

[maleks.reef]

Your vid looks like normal GHA(green hair algae), not dino's. Thats also not your issue.

But inverts don't eat the long flowing hair algae, they prefer the thin algae like forms on your glass, or biofilm.

Good, was worried for a sec that i have dinos. Anyway, I do have some film algae here and there, so I think we can eliminate the malnutrition theory.

 

[homer1475]

Ok lets start fresh and sus this out......

What test kits are you using to come up with these 0's? Malnutrition can most certainly still be an issue. Doubtful, but could be a possibility.

 

[maleks.reef]

Copper will leach into the silicone seals. Have you checked for copper?

I would suspect though since you have inverts alive and doing fine, copper is not the issue.

Never checked for copper no. However as you said, I have snails that have been alive for 4-6 months. My cleaner has been alive for about 2 months. If it was leached copper, they'd die instantly I'm assuming.

 

[maleks.reef]

Ok lets start fresh and sus this out......

What test kits are you using to come up with these 0's? Malnutrition can most certainly still be an issue. Doubtful, but could be a possibility.

I use all salifert kits. Keep in mind I have a DIY refugium in my back sump, plus all the algae in the DT, so im not very surprised that I have low PO4 and NO3. The algae in the DT probably takes up all the nutrients as soon as they get into the water.

 

[homer1475]

Salifert is fine, just wanted to make sure we weren't using API or something that doesn't report NO and PO4 as 0 when it really isn't.

While more then likely not your issue, but I would not let any number we test for be 0 other then ammonia.

We may never know why they died, sometimes inverts just die. If everything else(fish, corals, inverts) are fine, just chalk it up to old age. lol

 

[maleks.reef]

Wouldn't be surprised if those are dino's, do you also see air bubbles?
And your lps aren't doing well because no3 = zero. To begin with start overfeeding your fish, this will rise your no3 and po4. Try to reach no3=10 po4= .03

I dont think dinos can stretch out to be this long and wavy, almost tentacle like. Plus, back when i did have LPS, i had a little bit more NO3 and PO4. I used to feed reef roids bi-weekly. The whole LPS thing is even weirder than my snail problem because all my euphillia died over the course of 3 days. Two months later i got a candy cane colony and a duncan frag. Within 2 months time the candy cane started dying and melting away, I gave both the duncan and candy cane to a friend for now until i figure out the issue. Now i have softies only.

 

[maleks.reef]

Salifert is fine, just wanted to make sure we weren't using API or something that doesn't report NO and PO4 as 0 when it really isn't.

While more then likely not your issue, I would not let any number be 0 other then ammonia.

We may never know why they died, sometimes inverts just die. If everything else(fish, corals, inverts) are fine, just chalk it up to old age. lol

That's what i said about the first snail that died. But what are the chances that 3 bumblebee and 2 trochi just die within the same 3 month period?

 

[homer1475]

You only listed alkalinity in one of your posts. Do you have test kits for, and numbers for Calcium, and Magnesium?

LPS dying with those parameters is interesting. How long ago did you loose the LPS in relation to the invert deaths?

 

[maleks.reef]

By the way, could this be dinos? I heard dinos make air bubbles.

 

[homer1475]

That looks like Dino's to me. Have a microscope?

 

[homer1475]

Which would explain your mysterious deaths on all things. Snails, and LPS. Snails from eating it, corals from starving to death(0 nutrition).

 

[maleks.reef]

You only listed alkalinity in one of your posts. Do you have test kits for, and numbers for Calcium, and Magnesium?

LPS dying with those parameters is interesting. How long ago did you loose the LPS in relation to the invert deaths?

I do not have any Mg or Ca kits for now, unfortunately. However, during the short time that I did have LPS, i didn't exactly see growth so it didn't seem like Ca, Mg or alk were being used up in the first place. My lps, which consisted of 2 torches and 1 hammer, withered away around 5 months ago. The first snail died back in june.

 

[homer1475]

Sounds like Dino's and 0 nutrients are your causes to me.

 

[maleks.reef]

That looks like Dino's to me. Have a microscope?

I dont.

Which would explain your mysterious deaths on all things. Snails, and LPS. Snails from eating it, corals from starving to death(0 nutrition).

FYI, these bubbles only recently appeared. I definitely didn't have them back when I had LPS. Back then my NO3 were 3-5 ppm while PO4 was at 0 for a bit, i later raised it a bit. I also fed reef roids often as I mentioned.

 

[maleks.reef]

So dinos seem like the most logical explanation right now. How should I approach this, how can i treat my algae & dinos issue and be able to LPS again? Im open to all suggestions.

 

[homer1475]

Start here, but a positive ID on them will help you immensely on fighting them. There are other tests without a microscope that will confirm if they are dino's. Just have a read through that thread for some ideas on how properly ID them(there is a test you can do with a coffee filter that will give you an idea if they are), and how to fight them.

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...

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