dino experiment
- Thread starter t4zalews
- Start date
frank2926
Active member
Your focusing on raising the PH , instead, look at increasing ALK to 13-14 DKH .
Take it as high as 15 if your PH will stay under 8.5
Then... keep an eye on PH not to get to 8.5
I did increase magnesium, but my mag was always high, So i give credit to the high Alk and no lights.
It was a 2 cycle process for me.
High Alk and no lights at all for 3 days.
3 days of a little light (Half Light cycle) then 2 days of high alk and no lights.
Take it as high as 15 if your PH will stay under 8.5
Then... keep an eye on PH not to get to 8.5
I did increase magnesium, but my mag was always high, So i give credit to the high Alk and no lights.
It was a 2 cycle process for me.
High Alk and no lights at all for 3 days.
3 days of a little light (Half Light cycle) then 2 days of high alk and no lights.
I've been fighting them for a few months. I've tried two cycles of lights out for 3 days and dosing peroxide at 1ml per 10 gallons without any luck. This is with siphoning them daily. They weren't covering everything but they were irritating some of my sps. I just finished 6 days of lights out with my tanked completely blacked out this time. I also double the peroxide dosage. I'm going to ramp up my lights slowly over the next week. My fingers are crossed.
Skynyrd Fish
Member
Mike and Justin do you have any green algae or coraline actively growing? I'm working on a theory of out competing the dinos.
Skynyrd Fish
Member
Frank my dkh is 12.6. thanks for bringing that up. Putting another powerhead in my tank to blow under and around the rock work has done wonders. Im blasting areas I can't vac.
My first battle with the Dinos 8 months ago was resolved by raising pH to 8.5 and going lights out for three days. I recently had a tank crash (terrace door blew open when I was away for 10 days and dropped tank temp 6 degrees). It was an 80% loss, pH got down to 7.6 and the Dinos are back. It was rough, watching the tank crash from 3,000 miles away via my Apex controller day after day.
Anyway, got pH back to 8.5 and covered tank with a towel for another 3 day blackout.
Will post back with my results.
Anyway, got pH back to 8.5 and covered tank with a towel for another 3 day blackout.
Will post back with my results.
JustinGr
Clown Pimp
Tons of coraline, no green at all.
I can't get my Alk over 7.8 with the Cal being 500+. Won't go!
My tank will not support cheato or calurpa at all. It dies off within days or becomes a large ball of dino infested mess.
Justin
Other than a very small patch on one part of a particular rock I've never have had green algae in my tank. I normally clean my glass every 3 or 4 days.
I also been having a cyano outbreak in my fuge with a little bit in my display. That showed up right after I added some more biopellets to my reactor. I also had switched my fuge light and my calupra died off around that same time. I've since replaced it with cheato which seems to be doing well. I gave my fuge a good cleaning a few days ago and so far there's no evidence of cyano coming back.
I do have coraline algae actively growing in my tank. I did rescape my tank just before this dino outbreak started. Come to think of it the rocks that seem to get the most dinos on then are the ones that have less or no coraline growth because they were shaded before I moved them around.
My phosphate levels have always measured 0.00 ppm using a hana meter. My nitrates have been 0.50 ppm or less using a red sea test. They just jumped to 1.0 ppm after my lights out. pH is around 7.8 to 8.0, alk 8.5 to 9.5, calcium 400 to 420, and my magnesium is 1280 to 1400. Ive got a fairly heavy bioload and feed small amounts a few times a day. My skimmer is rated for 250 gallons and I have a 120 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. In the past I've been religious about changing 10% of my water weekly but have stopped temporarily to try to combat the dinos. I also run gfo and carbon.
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Skynyrd Fish
Member
Thanx guys. I had totaly crashed my green algea. So I was wondering if it had anything to do with Dino's grabbing a foothold. Il be home tomorrow to see what the tank and dino's look like.
Sounds like organics from the dying algae and/or biopellets may come into play in spurring it on in two of the above scenarios.
I don't have green algae to speak of, nor cyano ,nor dinos. I do skim well and use GAC. Alk is pretty steady around 9dk with pH 8.15 to 8.35 .
I purchased a coral last year with some on the base and didn't realize it until after I put it in my system. Uh Oh. I siphoned them off and it completely disappeared in days
When I treated a rather heavy mess of them in the show tank in my friends lfs , I ran GAC , added some kalk and siphoned them out with a turkey baster from one end of the 6 foot tank to the other every few days , a 15 minute tedious task . After about 4 siphonings, they vanished for good.
Just my experience.
I don't have green algae to speak of, nor cyano ,nor dinos. I do skim well and use GAC. Alk is pretty steady around 9dk with pH 8.15 to 8.35 .
I purchased a coral last year with some on the base and didn't realize it until after I put it in my system. Uh Oh. I siphoned them off and it completely disappeared in days
When I treated a rather heavy mess of them in the show tank in my friends lfs , I ran GAC , added some kalk and siphoned them out with a turkey baster from one end of the 6 foot tank to the other every few days , a 15 minute tedious task . After about 4 siphonings, they vanished for good.
Just my experience.
JustinGr
Clown Pimp
I did the siphon into a bucket with a filter sock every day to remove the dino, then filter that water again thru 2 more socks and return water to the tank. I run a Reef Octo NW 150 on a 75 gallon tank and it pulls a lot of junk. The sump is clean as a whistle.
Ran 2 cups of GFO in one reactor and 2 cups GAC in another. Changed once a week. I would add Macro in and it would turn into a dino infested mess within 48 hours.
This stuff is nasty.
Ran 2 cups of GFO in one reactor and 2 cups GAC in another. Changed once a week. I would add Macro in and it would turn into a dino infested mess within 48 hours.
This stuff is nasty.
drummereef
Team RC
I'd like to find out some more information about these tanks that are having recurring Dino issues.
1. Brand and Type of rock used in your display and/or refugium?
2. Month/Year the tank was set up with this rock?
1. Brand and Type of rock used in your display and/or refugium?
2. Month/Year the tank was set up with this rock?
Skynyrd Fish
Member
I used rock from various places and from my old 50 gal. this tank has been set up almost 13 years. about 30 lbs of rock i have used for over 17 years.
drummereef
Team RC
Thanks guys. So far it's 3 to 1 in favor of base rock users. I myself also started my tank with base rock and have gone through just about every horrible algae bloom known to mankind, including Dinos. Seems like there's a trend of recurring issues that follows a lot of dry rock users. Keep the stats coming! 
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
Thanks guys. So far it's 3 to 1 in favor of base rock users. I myself also started my tank with base rock and have gone through just about every horrible algae bloom known to mankind, including Dinos. Seems like there's a trend of recurring issues that follows a lot of dry rock users. Keep the stats coming!
I think your thinking is similar to what I've been thinking for a while now. I believe there may be more cases of Dinos now because we tend to use much less of quality liverock.
drummereef
Team RC
Indeed. I think there's a direct correlation with Dinos and base rock. Obviously, not in all cases but I think the lack of beneficial/established bacteria colonies play a huge role. I don't know if it's specific strains are just missing or that bad bacteria tends to multiply faster or what... I can say it's taken a good 3 years for my tank to stabilize and even still have strange blooms from time to time. :uhoh2:
EddieJ
Premium Member
I used 90 percent BRS reef saver dry rock. I did seed it in a 100 gallon tub with ammonia to cycle it. Only added a couple of real live rock pieces. I also run the Zeovit system and it does seem Dinos can get the upper hand quickly in low nutrient systems. I also had a period where I had to leave the tank fallow for 12 weeks to get rid of a ich infestation. My tank has been up and running for 16 months at this point.
