DansReef New 180 Reef

Well... I am at a loss for words. After a ten day blackout, elevated PH and the dosing of Fauna Marines DinoX.... I just saw a slight haze on the sand bed and after removing a sample and placing it under the microscope.... Well...here is a picture representation I found on the Internet. I can't take pictures with this microscope.

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The little bastards survived...and are starting to grow out again. The lights were only on a very low intensity the last couple of days for a couple of hours each time.... I just can't believe the damn things survived. Under microscope thay are very active swimming around in the sample.

Not the result I had hoped for and extremely discouraging. At this point I am not sure what else to do. I have read so at last resort have let the nitrates and phosphates rise and go "dirty" and allow other green algae begin to take root. The green algae will out compete the DINOs. In fact, low nutrient systems are said to allow DINOs to thrive... Kind of counterintuitive I guess. Then once things are nice and dirty.... add Pods as they eat DINOs... Not sure about that. But at this point I have no flipping clue what to do short of breaking down the tanks and starting new.

I am open to suggestions. Please read my posts before making suggestions. I have tried a lot of things and am near my wits end....
 
I am really sorry to see you going through this. I remember when you unveiled the tank (not very long ago) and wish I had more to offer than my sympathy. Unfortunately, you've exhausted all remedies I'm familiar with.
 
Try the pods. Not the small pods, get the bigger amphipods like the ones from ipsf.com
Have you tried UV light? Get bigger one.


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Quick update... Day 3 of going "dirty".

Phosphates are registering at .8 this morning and nitrates at 4. To go "dirty" I shut the skimmer off and other that the filter socks and rock in the tank and sump....nothing is cleaning the water. I have also been feeding the fish generously both frozen and for the tangs... Romaine Lettuce. They like it over nori... Go figure. Anyway... Starting to see a film growing on the glass. I am also still seeing a slight haze of the DINOs on the sand...but it is not getting worse. To me that is progress....

I have increased the light cycle to 5 ish hours at a simulated depth of 30 ft and 50% intensity. Just to refresh... I am using Gen 3 Radions as lighting and a Deep Water template which allows me to manage both color and intensity for my eye....and hopefully it is not helping the DINOs. I also read where some of the more tenacious DINOs thrive in Ultra Low Nutirent Systems with intense lighting. So...I am going "dirty" for a bit and am trying to manage lower levels of lighting...

Heck... Nothing else seems to be working... I am willing to try anything at this point.

To Ninos comment about introducing amphipods...I harvested a bunch from one of my other tanks and added them. I will do it again in a week or so. But am hoping that thempopulation will kick into gear. I also added some photo and phyto plankton...again... to encourage a a bit dirtier water...and the critters that may consume these DINOs. I had read that pods will consume some DINOs and an increase of phosphates will piss off if not reduce DINOs. So...here is to pissing off the DINOs.

Here is a picture for reference....

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Assuming we have the same strain, these things thrived in my tank with 40ppm nitrate and 2.0 phosphate. After your blackout didn't work I'
m convinced it was the copper that killed them in my tank...
 
EricTheRed said:
Assuming we have the same strain, these things thrived in my tank with 40ppm nitrate and 2.0 phosphate. After your blackout didn't work I'
m convinced it was the copper that killed them in my tank...
Click to expand...


Dang It Eric.... So much for my hope that these damn things are in check and maybe on the decline. I am not at the point of nuking the tank.... I am hoping that the combination of some things that you did not do will defeat the little $hits...
 
Hi Nino.... Not sure what ozone will get me in the battle against DINOs. A UV light is something I have done some research on...and maybe something I could consider down the road. Again, not sure it will deliver a lot of value at this juncture as the DINOs are not in the water column and are currently only in my sand.

I will do some more research and see if either are worth employing at this point. If you have some suggestions on stuff you have read, send it my way.
 
So... Interestingly enough...my nitrates are still at 4 and phosphates are at 1.2. The skimmer is still off as is all other filtration except socks and the rock... I did another survey of the tank and it seems a couple of patches with heavy concentration of DINOs is disappearing. I also did a non-scientific look under the microscope and the colors of the DINOs seem somewhat muted. I would say the quantify of DINOs seem to be the same in the samples and they are extremely active.... but the color they have seems lighter. I wish I had a better microscope. This one is not too bad...but no way I can take a picture.....

So...I am not sure...but perhaps by going dirty the variety of DINOs I am battling is even more stressed than the days of blackout I put them through. With that... I sign off.... I am not getting my hopes up too much...but... One can dream of a nice tank.... Someday.

More to come!
 
I had Dino's before and it was miserable, lights out did nothing when I turned them back on, peroxide did nothing, massive water changes did nothing. I eventually did zero water changes and dosed KZ Zeobak and that worked fairly quickly for me. Not sure if it was the zeobak or the lack of water changes but it worked and I still dose zeobak every so often to keep that bacteria strain alive and have not had Dino since last time a year and a half ago. I should say I have not had a bloom, we all have Dino at some level in our tanks.
 
Really sorry
And im really sorry if I'm repeating things in this thread... I've only briefly read last 2 pages but, ....

Read the dinoflagellates thread on R/C. Best ive come across. I've had them now for 1.5 years. Horrible stuff. My most recent bloom is the dusty stuff you've described. Came after water change .
Seriously though, dirty method. Pods. Huge increase in feedings.
Definitely no water changes.
I siphoned them into sump in filter sock 2 X a day.
Get chaeto to grow or green film on glass and then you know you're on right track.

My problem now is that they're basically gone, but nitrates are building and I know a water change will cause a bloom. I'm thinking about carbon dosing but have heard mixed things on carbon and Dino's.

I'll read this thread more thoroughly tomorrow


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Well... It is day 8 of going dirty and I have to admit...I am pleasantly surprised that the DINOs seem to be in check. I have even increased my light period to a total of 7 hours... Still running a deep reef program but increasing the intensity to 65% at a depth of 21 ft. The fish are loving the increased feelings but I am going to need to order a refreshed cleanup crew soon. I could see how things could get out of hand quick with basically 4 tangs in this tank. If the DINOs stay in check...it will be worth it!

Here is my view sitting in my fish lounge enjoying having the windows open here in December ....reading the paper, drinking coffee...and recuperating from yesterday's Beer Bash... The second photo includes my lapdog that seems to feel compelled to sit on my lap when I sit here...


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yayy finally glad something is working for you :)

along with tangs once you get rid of all dinos .. get a foxface .. they are just living lawn mowers :marchmellow:
 
Thanks guys. Tin... I already have a fox face... Have had him for a few years... He has moved from one tank to another...and is loving this tanks size.
 
Feeding time. Look how fat these fish are. They love organic romaine lettuce more than nori...

You can also see the dusting of DINOs on the sand. I guess if I can't whip these DINOs I can always go to a fish only...

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