dino experiment
- Thread starter t4zalews
- Start date
Bpb
New member
I'm also battling Dinos. I'm so aggressive with turkey basting the rock and corals several times a day, and changing my filter sock daily they haven't really gained a strong foot hold but they grow so fast. You can practically watch them grow. I'll blast and area clean and 10 minutes later its covered again.
My gfo and carbon reactors arrive in the mail today so I'll be installing them. I've reduced feeding as well and have shortened the photoperiod (blues 8hrs, daylight 5 hrs). I did a 3 day black out to rid some of the last traces of cyano that had been bugging me. Tank has been cyano clear for a month, but Dinos have taken its place.
I'll do another black out this month. I have a question about H2O2 dosing. I've read all the threads on it and get the idea for the most part. Siphon off as much as you can, reduce numbers with lights out, 10 days of peroxide dosing at 1mL per 10 gallons as a final death blow. My question is this...
Doesn't peroxide also kill off nitrifying bacteria? I understand fish, corals, and even some inverts can tolerate it fine. But in theory it should also kill good bacteria. If one doesn't have a bio pellet reactor, how does one go about maintaining good bacterial numbers as to avoid any ammonia spikes? This question is what has kept me from trying peroxide.
My gfo and carbon reactors arrive in the mail today so I'll be installing them. I've reduced feeding as well and have shortened the photoperiod (blues 8hrs, daylight 5 hrs). I did a 3 day black out to rid some of the last traces of cyano that had been bugging me. Tank has been cyano clear for a month, but Dinos have taken its place.
I'll do another black out this month. I have a question about H2O2 dosing. I've read all the threads on it and get the idea for the most part. Siphon off as much as you can, reduce numbers with lights out, 10 days of peroxide dosing at 1mL per 10 gallons as a final death blow. My question is this...
Doesn't peroxide also kill off nitrifying bacteria? I understand fish, corals, and even some inverts can tolerate it fine. But in theory it should also kill good bacteria. If one doesn't have a bio pellet reactor, how does one go about maintaining good bacterial numbers as to avoid any ammonia spikes? This question is what has kept me from trying peroxide.
t4zalews
65g Ritteri Tank
I have tried h202 before and for me it didnt do anything. The h202 has a short life once it hits the water. While the carbon and GFO reactor will help out with water quality, they will do little to defeat dinos. Dino's do not feed off of phosphate. The carbon may help to absorb some of the die-offs at night time. Light restriction is the main go to action for dinos. I would not dose peroxide to the tank. I've literally tried every method known (elevated ph 8.4+ for a couple weeks, extreme light outages, none worked. These are methods you could try tho. If this Algae X actually works, it would be amazing, considering nothing else in my tank is effected by it.
Bpb
New member
Thanks for the reply. The gfo and carbon aren't necessarily to cure the problem, but my tank has a lot of phosphate leeching from the rocks and substrate I think. It was an FOWLR for years and years with minimal water changes before I got it so I think that the rocks were subject to massive amounts of detritus accumulation and phosphate. I figured it couldn't hurt. I've had algae problems since I got the tank so this should help along with my other means of waste removal. I've also read lots of stories of drastically reduced feelings, with high gfo and carbon use paired with STOPPING water changes for a couple months helping.
It seems like there are tons of people with lots of ideas but nobody has really figured out a fool proof method. For every story I've read of something working, I see replies from others saying that method did nothing.
Seen success stories on heavy water changes, no water changes, high ph, peroxide, ozone, uv sterilizers, no lights, sea hares, and people doing literally nothing. Also read stories of each one of those methods, and often combined methods reporting total failure.
One thing I think I have in my corner, is that my particular strain of Dinos appears to be the non toxic kind. My snails eat it, but it doesn't kill them. It's definitely NOT diatoms either. It's slimy, and forms long strings that attach to everything including glass. And grows fast enough to watch. Lots of bubbles in it too. My snails just can't keep up and it's really irritating my toadstool. The Dinos cover its polyps until it retracts. I haven't seen full polyp extension on it in weeks
It seems like there are tons of people with lots of ideas but nobody has really figured out a fool proof method. For every story I've read of something working, I see replies from others saying that method did nothing.
Seen success stories on heavy water changes, no water changes, high ph, peroxide, ozone, uv sterilizers, no lights, sea hares, and people doing literally nothing. Also read stories of each one of those methods, and often combined methods reporting total failure.
One thing I think I have in my corner, is that my particular strain of Dinos appears to be the non toxic kind. My snails eat it, but it doesn't kill them. It's definitely NOT diatoms either. It's slimy, and forms long strings that attach to everything including glass. And grows fast enough to watch. Lots of bubbles in it too. My snails just can't keep up and it's really irritating my toadstool. The Dinos cover its polyps until it retracts. I haven't seen full polyp extension on it in weeks
Taylor, please keep updating us. This has been 3 months of water changes, lights out, peroxide dosing, limited fish feedings and still NO AVAIL. I have read many reports now of Ultra Algae X and I have ordered mine today. I am literally letting life completely pass me by because all I do is go to work and come home and work on my dinos. Wife and kids barely recognize me. The dinos havent completely gotten out of hand but that is only because I stay on top of it every single night. This is by far, and I mean far, the worst type of aquarium plague I have encountered. It's crazy because my water parameters are darn near perfect and it has absolutely no affect. I never thought I would use chemicals to dose my tank, but I am at my breaking point.
brandon429
Well-known member
just to update the peroxide options while you guys are searching for cures
make sure you aren't just dosing the full tank, thats the least impactful mode. you need to be doing pumps off submerged spot treatments which is way more concentrating of the same dose. I realize its hit and miss with anything trying to beat dino's. We've collected a few cures in the peroxide thread using this approach.
Peroxide will not kill your nitrifying bacteria, we have tested this extensively, not even huge doses will.
Its a poor antibiotic. very poor, especially against aerobes that are catalase positive.
it may or may not work, but to have any chance of it working we need to replicate dosing strategies that came from tanks who did beat the dino outbreak using peroxide. We think ORP ratings and other tank dynamics are to blame for some of the non responses, but we are happy to attack any dino tank you couldn't beat otherwise in our big peroxide thread in the nanos forum. we w take a look at pics and then make up a dosing scheme custom for the tank with a stronger dose than 1:10 which is the entry level starting dose most people use
make sure you aren't just dosing the full tank, thats the least impactful mode. you need to be doing pumps off submerged spot treatments which is way more concentrating of the same dose. I realize its hit and miss with anything trying to beat dino's. We've collected a few cures in the peroxide thread using this approach.
Peroxide will not kill your nitrifying bacteria, we have tested this extensively, not even huge doses will.
Its a poor antibiotic. very poor, especially against aerobes that are catalase positive.
it may or may not work, but to have any chance of it working we need to replicate dosing strategies that came from tanks who did beat the dino outbreak using peroxide. We think ORP ratings and other tank dynamics are to blame for some of the non responses, but we are happy to attack any dino tank you couldn't beat otherwise in our big peroxide thread in the nanos forum. we w take a look at pics and then make up a dosing scheme custom for the tank with a stronger dose than 1:10 which is the entry level starting dose most people use
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t4zalews
65g Ritteri Tank
Listen..Ive been there. I broke down my tank the first time and almost quit the hobby. I can't believe I got them again in a new tank with new rock and new sand. They somehow transfered over.
I've noticed some strands forming on the sand after ramping up my lights to 6 hours so I'm going down to 5. I'm being extremely critical and picky about what I see. If I see any strands its not defeated. I'd say the tank is 95 percent eradicated but I'm not happy until I see 100% gone. I will be doing a large water change here probably sunday and try to siphon off as much algae as I can see. I've noticed that is tends to grab onto my hair algae that I have remaining in the tank. I've noticed algae X making a big dent in the hair algae. I'm going to up the dose a little bit and see if that helps out. Corals seem fine, a little pale because of the shortened light schedule but no serious signs of stress.
How long is the dosing regimen supposed to last? I thought I read that you will be dosing for 3 weeks? Anyway, guess I will find out soon enough. Good luck Taylor and the countless others out there battling this $#%@ plague. Keep up with the updates as I know I will when my Ultra Algae X gets here!
t4zalews
65g Ritteri Tank
I did a water change today and the tank looks pretty clear of dinos. From where I originally started at to now...wow. I have some other nuisance algae in the tank but those are the easy ones. I'm going to quit the dosing for now and probably ramp up to 8 hours in light starting next week. ill get a picture
t4zalews
65g Ritteri Tank
ehhhhhh...it looks like it is coming back without dosing. I'm going to yank my refugium and totally clean out my sump. I have a lot of detritus that has settled in it over the years. I'm going to yank the rubble out of my sump and suck out all the detritus and then start another round of dosing and see if that makes a difference. I'm also going to pick up some more hermit crabs tomorrow. My lights are currently at 6 hours. Hopefully I can find some time to clean up the sump this weekend.
I'd like to hear some other experiences.
I'd like to hear some other experiences.
Angelos Christo
New member
Overgrown
Member
Fwiw, I had a Dino outbreak about a year ago in one of my systems and tried the 1mL per 10 gallons H202 doing regimen. Didn't notice any results so I got frustrated and started dosing 1mL/ Gallon( in a 40 cube) instead. Daily. Dino's were gone within the week, and all corals unharmed including my most finicky SPS. My Z/P's would close up for about 15 mins but then reopened with no ill effects. It works, I just think people are hesitant to dose what's needed to really knock out the issue.
t4zalews
65g Ritteri Tank
So I yanked out my refugium from my sump and completely cleaned it out...oh man was there a lot of detritus settled down there. Started dosing again accordingly. My lights are on for 6 hours a day and I did not do the 3 day black out that I did previously. I've noticed that the dino's definitely decline during treatment. Every couple of days I makes sure to suck out dead algae. I've noticed that the dino's mostly grab onto the hair algae I have. But as it dies off I suck out more and more and less and less show up. For not doing too much work, I've noticed some serious improvement. I think it didn't work completely last time was because I had a GIANT amount of chaeto in my sump that I feel was inhibiting the algae x to work against the nuisance algae. I'm going to install a filter sock and start blowing loose the dead algae as well as sucking up dead areas I see.
I am not doing water changes, when I say suck out the dead algae, I suck it up into a turkey baster and then blow the water through a filter (currently its a fish net) so that the algae gets caught but the water returns to the tank..not having to add new water. I will be starting to blow it into a filter sock (felt) to catch all pieces of dead algae and the water will return to the tank once again not needing to add new water (algae fuel).
I believe I'm on my 4th dose tonight so 8 days. I also added a bunch of hermit crabs to eat dead algae...hermits dont seem to be effected by dinos like snails...especially all my expensive nerith snails.
I'll definitely say that using algae x is definitely less stressful than other methods I have tried. The only coral that seems a little fussy is my appleberry monti, besides that coral everything is doing just fine including other montiporas. The fact that I can leave the lights on for 6 hours a day and still see the algae receding is a huge victory in my book. In previous efforts it seemed like an hour of light would completely bring back heavy infestation.
Will continue to post my progress/regression as I see it unfold.
I am not doing water changes, when I say suck out the dead algae, I suck it up into a turkey baster and then blow the water through a filter (currently its a fish net) so that the algae gets caught but the water returns to the tank..not having to add new water. I will be starting to blow it into a filter sock (felt) to catch all pieces of dead algae and the water will return to the tank once again not needing to add new water (algae fuel).
I believe I'm on my 4th dose tonight so 8 days. I also added a bunch of hermit crabs to eat dead algae...hermits dont seem to be effected by dinos like snails...especially all my expensive nerith snails.
I'll definitely say that using algae x is definitely less stressful than other methods I have tried. The only coral that seems a little fussy is my appleberry monti, besides that coral everything is doing just fine including other montiporas. The fact that I can leave the lights on for 6 hours a day and still see the algae receding is a huge victory in my book. In previous efforts it seemed like an hour of light would completely bring back heavy infestation.
Will continue to post my progress/regression as I see it unfold.
t4zalews
65g Ritteri Tank
um...4 day lights out asap
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