Yeah that's the one I have brilliant and much easier on the eyes than squinting through the eyepiece, reckon biologists must end up with one squinty eye! Plus is that you can do all sorts with it, photo's videos and time lapse. Totally hooked on mine!
Dinoflagellates.
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Yeah that's the one I have brilliant and much easier on the eyes than squinting through the eyepiece, reckon biologists must end up with one squinty eye! Plus is that you can do all sorts with it, photo's videos and time lapse. Totally hooked on mine!
Yes same here, I thought the dino's were back with avengence as brown patches, air bubbles and even brown stringy bit's. However having taken samples it's not dino's at all but algae, diatoms and these tiny golden round things I have yet to identify. I am still finding one or two dino's but maybe one dino in five or six samples from everything sucked up from the rocks. The dino smell has been gone for around 15 days now as has any sign of dino's on any corals. I am also getting far less of the greyish debris, just syphoned the rocks this evening into the eden 501 and having not cleaned it for four days amazed at how little was in there. Normally syphoning every day with a mass of the grey debris in the cleaner tank. So like you remaining hopeful. Still daren't do a water change mind you.
karimwassef
Active member
I think a tank without some algae running somewhere (ATS, overflow, etc...) is not really healthy. I think the best path is to feed and evolve from diatoms to green hair to coralline... not to remove nutrients and devolve into dino death...
Agree. It certainly seems like systems without a broad base of some form of primary producers are an unstable and delicate equilibrium.
I meant to flag this earlier. Interested to hear what you observed that points this way.
One thing I've seen that supports this. When my tank was low N, the dinos always hugged cyano (maybe for their N fix). In the weeks I've been running high N (10-20+ppm) dinos aren't tied to cyano, I have spots with traces of cyano and dino separately.
If I were experimenting in this area, I'd try to go with available P, zero N and a low dose of H202 or chemiclean just enough to kill off cyano. Maybe been tried but I haven't seen if it had.
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Billybatz9
New member
I am out! I decided to tear my tank down. Did not want to deal with this anymore. 6 months of headaches and absolute eye sores from staring at brown crap all over my tank. No MORE! My biocube was torn down 4 days ago. I bought myself a nice nuvo fusion 30 L and I have my rocks basking in the sun right now (Burn you dino bastards). Then in 2 days, they will burn some more in RO dip for another 4 days. Then dry out again for another few days in the sun. Then going back in my new tank. If I get dinos again after doing all this, then peace out reef people!
jason2459
Well-known member
Personally, I would acid bath and then cured in saltwater and checked for PO4 leaching and treated with lanthanum chloride if so.
robertifly
Premium Member
Good news to report on my war with Dino, going over 10 days with no apparent infestation! Things I don't think had much affect are 1. Dino X, 2. H202 dosing separately or together, 3. Lights blackout alone or combined with dosing Dino X or H202. What has seemed to make a real difference is blackout 4 days combined with a strong UV, with adding phytoplankton, more clean-up crew, pods and a ball of cheato in DT. The tank looks good, yesterday I saw a tiny, new (to me) thorny oyster growing on a rock where 3 weeks ago I couldn't even see the rock for the dinos.
karimwassef
Active member
what did you try?
karimwassef
Active member
awesome. got pics?
Billybatz9
New member
That seems like a lot of work. I've never acid bath anything in my life. What if I go buy like 4 bottles of h202 and dose all four bottle in a bucket of ro along with my rocks? They are practically dry by now. Rocks are pure white (coraline is dried and dead). Do you really think dinos can still be alive?
robertifly
Premium Member
I'll try to get pictures up tonight.
jason2459
Well-known member
Acid bath could be something strong and dangerous like muratic acid and assured to strip off the top layer of everything including your hands if you're not careful.
Or as mild as just using Vinegar. I'd go the vinegar route personally for this situation and let it soak in the acid bath longer as it's a weaker acid.
Vinegar might work if given long enough and enough is added. I agree that muriatic acid requires careful handling, and work with it should be done outdoors because the fumes are toxic.
Hydrogen peroxide could remove some organics if dosed in a strong form, but that's no safer than muriatic acid. It won't remove copper or phosphate from the rock, not at any reasonable rate.
Hydrogen peroxide could remove some organics if dosed in a strong form, but that's no safer than muriatic acid. It won't remove copper or phosphate from the rock, not at any reasonable rate.
Billybatz9
New member
I am going to put all my rocks (30 lbs) in a 5 gallon bucket. How much vinegar would I need? They sell it by the gallon I believe. How long should the dip be also?
And quick question. Why would I need to acid bath the rocks if they are dried out? Is it really possible that some dinos can survive on rocks that have been dry for a week?
And quick question. Why would I need to acid bath the rocks if they are dried out? Is it really possible that some dinos can survive on rocks that have been dry for a week?
Not to critique an awesome public aquarium facility. The GA aquarium is amazing. Every tank is breathtaking.
Just went there on a school field trip.
Whatcha think? Dinos or no. The color is pure rust brown.
It's in the garden eel display, the first tank you see in the tropical diver section.
One of my students, who was with another group asked their tour guide. "Looks like y'all have a dinoflagellate infestation on the sand"
Their group guide (probably a volunteer) answered "no, the brown on the sand is for decoration."
They also have the largest, most awesome public coral display tank I've ever seen. They say its taken 5 years to get to the current 25% coral coverage over the artificial wall.
Just went there on a school field trip.
Whatcha think? Dinos or no. The color is pure rust brown.
It's in the garden eel display, the first tank you see in the tropical diver section.
One of my students, who was with another group asked their tour guide. "Looks like y'all have a dinoflagellate infestation on the sand"
Their group guide (probably a volunteer) answered "no, the brown on the sand is for decoration."
They also have the largest, most awesome public coral display tank I've ever seen. They say its taken 5 years to get to the current 25% coral coverage over the artificial wall.
Billybatz9
New member
Anyone ever try freezing rocks? Seriously. Instead of acid bath and all that crap, why not freeze the rocks in a big freezer. No way dinos survive being in a freezer.Then wash them in plain RO water for a few days to get rid of the dead matter.
jason2459
Well-known member
Well, if there's something leaching out of the rocks that's at the surface level that is helping to promote the dino's or other oganisims the dino's are feeding on the acid bath would remove it preventing a future outbreak. Freezing would not. And do we know freezing in a typical freezer would get rid of them?
karimwassef
Active member
Spores or cysts can survive through most conditions like freezing, fresh water, being completely dry, desiccation, or even baking. I don't know if boiling works either. It depends on the structure of the protective shell and the water content inside.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-one-celled-organis/
It's like a hard shell with a very simple seed hidden away in a molecular form deep inside. It can probably go into space and survive unless it gets hit by high energy particles to destroy the nucleus. Normal UV (like sunlight) won't destroy it either. Higher UV might, but the shell may still provide sufficient protection.
Here's cyano surviving in space on the ISS
http://phys.org/news/2010-08-microbes-survive-year-space.html
and even higher forms
http://morgana249.blogspot.com/2014/08/6-organisms-that-can-survive-travel-in.html
Acid will dissolve the tissue directly, so it literally removes the material it is made from.
Vinegar and H2O2 may not be strong enough though?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-one-celled-organis/
It's like a hard shell with a very simple seed hidden away in a molecular form deep inside. It can probably go into space and survive unless it gets hit by high energy particles to destroy the nucleus. Normal UV (like sunlight) won't destroy it either. Higher UV might, but the shell may still provide sufficient protection.
Here's cyano surviving in space on the ISS
http://phys.org/news/2010-08-microbes-survive-year-space.html
and even higher forms
http://morgana249.blogspot.com/2014/08/6-organisms-that-can-survive-travel-in.html
Acid will dissolve the tissue directly, so it literally removes the material it is made from.
Vinegar and H2O2 may not be strong enough though?
karimwassef
Active member
new word for me - cryptobiosis
Google it.
Google it.
