Hi Dna, i have to say this is an extremely scary thread, however i do have a few questions
1-what are the odds of getting dino? is it common?
2- does it have to be introduced to your tank or can it be created in your tank? (if i set an aggressive qt routine for everything will i be able to avoid such a disaster? in other words qt-dip in fw then qt in a different tank following more fw dips?
i am about to setup my 265g (first sw tank) and reading this thread just scares the crap out of me! i cant even imagine the amount of time, money, death and torture to your current fish and corals it takes to get rid of this
could you post a few pics? /timeline /history of your tank
or just the last one, i want to see the dino in your tank
There are about 2000 different kinds of dinos and virtually all tanks have them.
It's just the beneficial types like zooxanthellae in corals. They are also very important part of the natural food chain.
Then there are the toxic species that are causing reef-keepers problems as well as mass killing fish and invertebrates in the ocean when they bloom.
The encysted forms of some dinoflagellates may remain viable for a century lying dormant in sediment until the environment is suitable for them.
I don't know the odds but I'd guess less than 1% of reefers get them as a plague, but it seems to be on the rise or they are getting more often identified.
I have it from Potsy here on Reef Central they they die almost instantly in freshwater or rapid drop in salinity and I surely hope it works that way for me.
Some of the pictures I've taken my cause quite a stir and I'm not posting them, but imagine your fish having this organism sitting on their fins, gills and vents.
Shrimps may have hundreds hanging on a single tentacle at any given time since the dinos have a unique way to attach instantly to almost anything.
All of my fish and shrimp are still alive though and to a normal reefer everything seems to be alright.
Most of us run carbon none stop and I think that is very important for your own health if you have some of the toxic ones in your tank.
I don't know of anyone that has died, but a lot have gotten respiratory problems and red eyes just by staying briefly near a shoreline where there is a dino bloom.
After identifying the ones I have and knowing it's palytoxin they produce I was swift to decide to pull the plug.
Palytoxin is one of the most toxic natural poison known and the amount that takes to kill a man, if it enters the bloodstream, can hardly be seen by the naked eye.
It does indeed sound scary, but I recommend not to be to paranoid and just enjoy your reefkeeping.
Most of us will never get them in big numbers or even notice them and carbon will take care of the toxins.
I do think it's important to be informed if you get them so you can act accordingly.
That is the purpose of this thread.
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I found an image suitable for the public.
It's a tiny Neon Goby and you can see a few individual dinos on top of it's head against the background.
