What do dinos look like when they first start?

[hllb]

See if you can scrap up a sample to look at under a scope. I still recommend raising nutrients to help with coral coloration and also help prevent dinos. But I'd get a more accurate phosphate tester first.

Lighting schedule seems good. What brand and type of lights are you running?

No microscope here. I did order a Hanna ULR Phosphorus tester that should be here next week. API still tests 0. I compared pictures and didn’t realize how green my rock has become. I’m thinking this is just run of the mill algae in the ugly phase. At least I hope lol.

 

[hllb]

I clearly have nutrients going on that the algae is using up (my nitrates keep going down, currently at .5) I’m growing some pretty macro algae that I hope doesn’t overtake the tank.

 

[Ajayabb]

I was thinking a water change to get down the silica now that my new water will have 0 in it. I suppose as long as my makeup water is 0 it will work itself out in time I dont have a scope, what power would i need to view this?

Agree with above. Don’t worry about Silica. Dino’s are being fueled by low tank nutrients and outcompeting other algae. You want to slowly raise your phosphates and nitrates and get ahead of it with a 2-3 Day tank blackout until you ID Dino. Water changes will aggravate the outbreak and make it more difficult to eradicate

 

[John08007]

Agree with above. Don’t worry about Silica. Dino’s are being fueled by low tank nutrients and outcompeting other algae. You want to slowly raise your phosphates and nitrates and get ahead of it with a 2-3 Day tank blackout until you ID Dino. Water changes will aggravate the outbreak and make it more difficult to eradicate

I thought I have read that silica is what dino lives on. My understanding with going lights out is that since dino is photosynthetic that it will die off but with the high silica levels in the water wont it come right back once the lights come back on?

 

[Jay Z]

If worried about your corals, give them a quick squirt with a turkey baster 2-3 times a day if getting any brown or bubbles on/near them. Should blow them right off with not much effort. I just switched out my 6 with a 10, going through the same stage right now.

 

[John08007]

I also hooked my uv filter back up, would this help kill dino that is in the water column?

 

[hllb]

Update on my algae. The bubbles are gone now. It wasn't dino, but is just a film of algae.

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

A diatom bloom due to Si would aid in getting rid of dinos. One of the biological byproducts of a diatom bloom is polyunsaturated aldehydes, PUA, and is toxic to dinos. So I recommend letting the diatoms bloom all they want for now if you are fighting dinos. The diatoms will eventually use up all the Si at some point anyway and then die off.

Your RODI water may not have anything in it but your salt probably has some trace elements in it that would aid the dino bloom. Part of the strategy to fight off dinos with increased nutrients is to create a trace element limitation. Some believe Fe is the main one. Under these conditions other forms of algae can more easily out compete dinos.

I used a USB scop with 250X. It was good enough for an ID but 1000X will make it much easier. Here is the one I bought. The field of focus is very good. I can focus on anything in my tank from the front to back for awesome pictures and videos but to take advantage of the 250X you will need to remove a sample and place it directly underneath. I chose this one for its use at looking into the tank close up, even if less than 250X, because it's fun to see all the micro fauna.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=[MEDIA=amazon]B00XNYXQHE[/MEDIA]

 

[John08007]

A diatom bloom due to Si would aid in getting rid of dinos. One of the biological byproducts of a diatom bloom is polyunsaturated aldehydes, PUA, and is toxic to dinos. So I recommend letting the diatoms bloom all they want for now if you are fighting dinos. The diatoms will eventually use up all the Si at some point anyway and then die off.

Your RODI water may not have anything in it but your salt probably has some trace elements in it that would aid the dino bloom. Part of the strategy to fight off dinos with increased nutrients is to create a trace element limitation. Some believe Fe is the main one. Under these conditions other forms of algae can more easily out compete dinos.

I used a USB scop with 250X. It was good enough for an ID but 1000X will make it much easier. Here is the one I bought. The field of focus is very good. I can focus on anything in my tank from the front to back for awesome pictures and videos but to take advantage of the 250X you will need to remove a sample and place it directly underneath. I chose this one for its use at looking into the tank close up, even if less than 250X, because it's fun to see all the micro fauna.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=[MEDIA=amazon]B00XNYXQHE[/MEDIA]

Im 30 hrs into lights out, i used a powerhead today and it seems like its coming off the rocks easier. Maybe a sign its dieing. I run gfo, could that be a source of fe?

So whats the plan after 48-72 hrs lights out? Wont it just come back after the lights are back on?

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

Im 30 hrs into lights out, i used a powerhead today and it seems like its coming off the rocks easier. Maybe a sign its dieing. I run gfo, could that be a source of fe?

So whats the plan after 48-72 hrs lights out? Wont it just come back after the lights are back on?

Yes GFO will be a source of Fe. I recommend pulling it if you think you have dinos. Dinos don't stick to things very well sometimes and can be blown off easily but they are not dying. That is just a natural characteristic of them. Blackouts will help give your tank some relief from dinos collecting on the livestock but they will come back if nutrients aren't raised.

 

[John08007]

Yes GFO will be a source of Fe. I recommend pulling it if you think you have dinos. Dinos don't stick to things very well sometimes and can be blown off easily but they are not dying. That is just a natural characteristic of them. Blackouts will help give your tank some relief from dinos collecting on the livestock but they will come back if nutrients aren't raised.

I dont have a scope yet so i cant confirm, but after looking at pictures and videos of diatoms i think thats what i have. Its a light tan color and kinda thick. I put a marineland polishing filter in my tank with DE in it, been blowing it off rocks with a powerhead. I think this is a better assumption because icp showed i have high silica and i probably have higher phosphates because on my sand i have a small patch my a green-blue cyanobacteria looking algae

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

Another easy test which can be done instead of using a scope is to take a sample and stir it in a cup of tank water to break it up. Wait 15 minutes and if it reforms a clump, then it's dinos.

 

[John08007]

Another easy test which can be done instead of using a scope is to take a sample and stir it in a cup of tank water to break it up. Wait 15 minutes and if it reforms a clump, then it's dinos.

Good to know, put some in a small dish, waited several hrs and still just looks like pieces of yellow algae, i would think that means diatoms. Sinceive changed my RO filters my tds are 0, seems like the diatoms arent spreading like before. Id assume the silica is depleting

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

Better to use a cup and make sure you stir it to break it up. You only need to wait 15 minutes for dinos to reform a mass.

Glad to hear things are looking better. Remember to not bottom out nitrates and phosphates or you probably will get dinos.