Jack-the-reefer Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 I've been a little neglectful the past few months, so when I started getting red/brown patches on the sand I assumed I has cyano. I've dealt with it before so I just started upping water changes and removing it when I had time. When it just kept getting worse, I looked a little more carefully. Turns out I have dinos. I would love some advice from people who have dealt with this. So far I have been changing 5-10 gallons of water every day, sucking it the same as I go. I also threw a big bag of carbon in the sump and installed a big canister filter to help catch everything I'm stirring up since I'm blowing everything off with s turkey vaster every time I walk by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 I swear there was a dino thread recently somewhere,it might have gotten buried in the new posts. Let me see...http://www.pnwmas.org/topic/37476-need-advice-on-beating-dinoflagellates/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanoDrummer09 Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Try cutting the lights back or go lights out for a couple days. This helped me along with doing a 25% water change right once i had the lights back on. Good luck! Also this article is pretty helpful. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/how-i-beat-dinoflagellates-and-the-lessons-i-learned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 OH and this one from not long ago. http://www.pnwmas.org/topic/37860-peroxide-dosing/ http://www.pnwmas.org/topic/24957-dosing-hydrogen-peroxide-for-dinos/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexinverts Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Bert linked to it already, but this is my standard recommendation for beating the suckers. Given that I have beaten it in all three of my tanks, I consider myself and expert. LOL. I've dealt with it several times. For me, no single thing got rid of it. It was a combination of tactics that finally got rid of it. 1) I got a nice TMC UV sterilizer that was rated for a larger tank 2) I made sure my phosphates were no higher than .08 3) Two times per day, I disturbed all surfaces that dino had settled on. Turkey basters or swirling the water with my hands kept it from building up. 4) I increased my flow 5) I added a lot of activated carbon and changed it out every week in order to absorb any dino toxins 6) I reduced my feeding to just frozen mysis and nori to reduce the nutrient input into my system 7) I added a cleaning crew of Tiger Conchs. These guys are the only thing that will eat the stuff. They eat cyano too! After using all of these things in concert, I got rid of it, and have kept it at away. It will kill much of your corals, especially your sps, if you let it build up, so acting quickly is key too. I'm thinking that phosphate could be the culprit for you, if you were slacking on maintenance a bit. Good luck! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 A few of you said that you upped water changes. I thought that only fueled Dino's?? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexinverts Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 A few of you said that you upped water changes. I thought that only fueled Dino's?? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Well, you could stop water changes and then potentially let your nutrients creep up, which ultimately will not help solve the problem. When I am fighting dinos, I keep up my regular maintenance regimen. Kill em' with UV, don't let them build up in any one place in the tank, and keep nutrients constant. Alternatively, if I were having dino issues in an ULNS, then I know that nutrients are not the issue and stopping water changes might make sense if it starves the dinos of some trace element. Some people do observe that dinos seems to come back stronger after a water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted May 27, 2016 Share Posted May 27, 2016 Hmmmmm I just threw a UV sterilizer on the tank and i stopped water changes because my system has always had low nutrients. Guess I'll hold off on the water changes and see how that goes. Came out of the 72 hour black out and they are almost all gone! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack-the-reefer Posted May 27, 2016 Author Share Posted May 27, 2016 If water changes are fueling them then I'm screwed. My first reaction is always lots of water changes. I'm picking up a uv sterilizer tonight. I'll probably go blackout for the weekend too. They aren't too bad at this point, but they are very persistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaidin Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 I've had success with Peroxide dosing. Coupled that with lights out period for 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pledosophy Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 If water changes are fueling them then I'm screwed. My first reaction is always lots of water changes. I'm picking up a uv sterilizer tonight. I'll probably go blackout for the weekend too. They aren't too bad at this point, but they are very persistent. Watch the pH during a black out. It's not the lack of light that seem to kill the corals, it's the pH drop. Just run the skimmer and keep the fuge light on longer if applicable. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paratore Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 We'll knock on wood, but after 72 hours of pure darkness and adding a UV sterilizer the Dino's are gone! Been a few days and no signs of them returning. Hopefully it stays that way over the next few weeks. Only lost one little Acro frag during the process the other Acros look stressed(color loss) but other than that they should all be fine! So don't be afraid to do the lights out approach. It leaves the tank spotless haha! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack-the-reefer Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 I just turned uncovered the tank this morning. So far so good. I pick up the uv sterilizer tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.