I've done a water change and siphoned the sand while doing it but it just comes right back. There's some on the rocks as well.
Does this look like dinoflagellates
- Thread starter mumra
- Start date
How old is the tank and what are the nutrient levels? If it's on the newer side, I'd guess standard new tank ugly diatoms. I've been dealing with what I think are dinos in my frag system because I had abundant PO4 but no detectable NO3. Do they get really stringy and fill up with lots of tiny bubbles?
almost 9 months old. I've had it pretty clear/clean before.
Tested Sunday 08/27: Then dosed calcium after the test.
Alkalinity 9.7
Calcium 380
Magnesium 1200
Mag and calcium need to go up but cook was referring to phosphate and nitrate. Do you know those numbers? At 9.7 alk those numbers are pretty important and also if they bottom out that can cause dinos...so important to know.
In my experience, the 'new tank uglies' have not been avoidable and can rear their ugly head any time in the first year. This is a good thing! We can deal with the standard new tank issues a lot easier than dinos.
Doesn’t look like Dino’s to me. What are your nitrates and phosphates. May be diatoms as the tank is still relatively “new”?
I forgot what the numbers were but the lfs tested my water and I do remember them saying that my levels were good. But they also think it's Dino too.
Did they test with a microscope or just the parameters of your water. Normally your nitrates and phosphates are bottomed out with Dino’s so numbers wouldn’t look good if they were.
so what I'm thinking of doing is a water change tomorrow or Friday. I drain into 5 gal buckets and when I do that taking out each piece of rock and scrubbing them as best I can. then replacing and adding new water. I currently have a bag of phosfiltrum in the filter sock in the back of the tank. I was thinking it might get better flow in the compartment with the pump but idk if that might be bad for the pump.
So those options haven't worked. Any other ideas? Anyone ever use Dino-X?
I fought dinos at one point and its a job but you can do it. From my research Dino-X is a last gasp effort because its so harsh. I had ones that would cover my sand during the day and completely disappear at night. First thing I'd do is look at them under the microscope and you'll know exactly what you have. If its long brown rod not moving its diatoms. If it looks like a little seed and moving all around its Dinoflagellates. If it is dinoflagellates you actually do the exact opposite of what youd think you'd do. You let your tank get dirty. You can pick up these cool little microscopes you hook up to your phone and have enough magnification to let you know what you have. Feel free to contact me if youd like and I can give you the whole routine because they sound like exactly what I had.
You gotta figure out what kind of Dino it is. Most of the time it’s gonna be a strong UV, dosing phosphates, NOT doing water changes and letting the tank get dirty, and dosing water glass that work. It’s a slow, crappy process but gotta get a microscope and see what you have first. I personally would not do the Dino x. Have heard of horrible side effects on corals from that.
So along the lines of what you guys are saying adding a protein skimmer would be a bad idea at this point. Correct?
I can’t say definitively but yea. That would seem correct. When I was treating my Dino’s though I left the skimmer going normal. Do you have a UV? I would start there.
+1 on UV if it's Dinos, that has benn my solution in several different Dino situations
While I do love my UV, Uv won’t work if you have the ones that disappear into the sand at night, they don’t have the free swimming stage. Go to Facebook and look for the Dinoflagellete support group, they can help you identify your type
You can buy it online. How big is your tank? BRS and Amazon sell them. Your LFS will probably be able to help you better with sizing options thiuggb
Got a UV filter wednesday and it's almost completely wiped out the dino already.. crazy
