thinking about giving up...
reefah
Active Member
Don't give up. I battled the same thing to where my white sand bed was basically non-existent by how much dino build up and algae everywhere...I stopped using conditioned tap water and got myself a 5stage RODI.. I got a 18W UV with a sicce pump and made sure the flow was slow enough for the UV to catch anything.. I then dosed No Pox by red sea as I was also battling high Nitrates... I also dosed Vibrant Aquarium Cleaner for Marine 16OZ .. and now I have a white sand bed with my lights full 100%. First you just really gotta understand what dinos you got and have all water levels tested and go from there. Best of luck
BanjoBandito
Valuable Member
RIP CLEAN it and hard reboot. Rinse the sand out, dip or spot treat your rock with H202. No need to keep pushing a tank that's clearly out of whack. I've had to do it. No shame.
I lost a year battling mine and it was so frustrating. What finally helped was getting a seed rock from a healthy system. I was doing all the stuff with uv and nutrients but then I got that seed rock and bam a month later Dino’s gone and sps growing. I did pick up some aptasia with it that I kill off every month or so buy it pretty manageable
Acros
Valuable Member
RIP Clean is not a bad suggestion. That’s how I solved my very stubborn second Dino outbreak. Here is how I did it.
Solved the issue in a week. Dino free for close to a month now.
- I siphoned out all the sand over the course of a week.
- While doing so, I would siphon the surface of all my rock work.
- Dose all new water with adequate nitrates, phosphates and silica. (I used NeoNitro, NeoPhos, SpongExcel)
Solved the issue in a week. Dino free for close to a month now.
BanjoBandito
Valuable Member
I'm a RIP CLEAN fan, I was converted on this forum by the examples, threads and persistence of brandon429. It's way easier on smaller tanks, but the whole idea is that by rinsing the sand in freshwater you are removing a lot of the problems and allowing the system to get a foothold. Treating the rocks superficially will still allow for cycling bacteria to survive. It's basically like bleaching your bathroom. You are taking this down to a manageable time before you lost the battle, because most don't just "get dinos". There's something wrong with the system that has allowed them to procreate rapidly and choke out the rest. My only suggestion beyond a rip clean is to dose silicates out of the gate once it's clean. Tanks don't seem to go back into a cycle, but it gets nerve wracking with a heavily stocked system. It sounds like OP is basically at the end of the road with the current attempt and defeated. This hobby can be brutal. There's no shame in starting on new ground. My experience with aquariums is it's easier to reboot a bad tank than jerk the wheel back onto the road. Personal opinion.
samrggzy
Community Member
thank you for this input, i only have a 32 gallon biocube so this is definitely manageable. Would it be easier to just remove the old sand and replace it with completely new stuff?
Karen00
2500 Club Member
Are you sure it's dinos and not diatoms? They look similar. Dinos thrive when nutrients are too low and diatoms thrive when nutrients get too high. If you're sure it's dinos then you need to put a sample under a microscope and take a picture and post it. As mentioned different dinos types need different treatments. I wouldn't give up until you get a proper diagnoses of what is plaguing you. Also, I would never make changes to a tank (like raising the temp) and then go away for a prolonged period. Any changes to a tank need to be monitored in case emergency intervention is needed.
Double monti 61
Well-Known Member
monkeyCmonkeyDo
7500 Club Member
Quit. Take a break. Take a step back and away. Seems mean but a clear mind and contious go a long way.
Dinis dinos dinos.
Lot of talk about dinos these days. Most of it is talk imo...
-d
Dinis dinos dinos.
Lot of talk about dinos these days. Most of it is talk imo...
-d
Karen00
2500 Club Member
From my understanding diatoms can also be stringy and produce bubbles. I think it's best to get a microscope to be sure. It doesn't have to be expensive (I think 400x magnification is fine) but I'm sure there are recommendations on here. I think dosing 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide works for most. I believe it's 1ml/10g but I'm sure there are articles on here for that. I believe the peroxide is done at night and then you re-add beneficial bacteria during the day (I've seen directions posted here) but the most important thing is to get it identified first. If there are no inhabitants left in the tank then maybe a complete reset would be easier. Supposedly the rip clean method that has been mentioned works wonders. It would be a shame to give up. It could be as simple as proper identification to get you back on track or a complete reset.
bruno3047
Valuable Member
When was the last time you gave your sandbed a thorough cleaning, all the way down to the glass? If it’s more than six months, then you owe it to yourself to do that before you quit. Of course, any cleaning that you do must be done with tank water. I use the Python gravel washing system with an extended gravel washing tube. This one:
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Idech
2500 Club Member
If the sandbed has never been disturbed before, that’s a sure way to kill any fish or invert remaining in the tank.
If this must be done, it has to be very gradual, one littke section at a time, over many weeks.
