Dinoflagellates.
- Thread starter DNA
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jedimasterben
LED world domination!
Put two different rock scrapings under the microscope last night. No dinos, live or dead. Every previous sample has had 10-20 of each.
karimwassef
Active member
What was your ultimate solution? 55W UV and blackout?
jedimasterben
LED world domination!
I don't necessarily associate either as being the 'solution', but adding the UV sterilizer with ~360-400GPH flow, doing 3-day blackouts every other week (so be lit SMTWThFSaS and then unlit MTW, then lit ThFSaSMTWThFSaS and then unlit, etc) with a couple of them being 5-day blackouts, and I also removed my sandbed and began skimming again all within the past couple of months.
jedimasterben
LED world domination!
To be honest, I haven't noticed. I have a lot of amphipods in my rock, but I have not paid any attention looking for copepods, as I usually would find them on the glass at night. I'll look again tonight if I'm still up after the lights have been off for a while.
PorkchopExpress
New member
that's awesome! do you plan on keeping the UV online or taking it off (if you haven't already done so) now that you've fixed your dino problem?
and i agree, i had to remove much of my sand as well but i did not remove all of it...i have wrasse that burrow and my rock work would not hold up if i did so i left about an inch and a half...still i do not see any dinos after installing the UV
jedimasterben
LED world domination!
I'm not changing anything lol.
Also, if your rockwork relies on your sandbed to be held up, that's asking for trouble :uhoh2:
You can actually get rock-like bowls to put sand in that the wrasse will use.
karimwassef
Active member
Yes. We are killing all plankton but that's ok.
Taking antibiotics kills good and bad bacteria. After the bad guys die, you can replant with just good guys.
Taking antibiotics kills good and bad bacteria. After the bad guys die, you can replant with just good guys.
PorkchopExpress
New member
I just read this article and if it's true then we could be killing the bacteria that help aid corals in growth and healing ability as well as color:
http://www.reefs.com/blog/2015/01/13/network-coral-health-communication/#more-57945
I may just turn my UV offline for a bit to see if the dinos come back or if I am indeed dino free. I might as well, I can always turn it back on later because I know for sure it works. We simply don't have all the information of what we could be killing right now that could be beneficial to the corals we house.
http://www.reefs.com/blog/2015/01/13/network-coral-health-communication/#more-57945
I may just turn my UV offline for a bit to see if the dinos come back or if I am indeed dino free. I might as well, I can always turn it back on later because I know for sure it works. We simply don't have all the information of what we could be killing right now that could be beneficial to the corals we house.
karimwassef
Active member
I think that's great research but it doesn't say much about practical use. The microbes are within the coral, like zooxanthellae (that are good dinoflagellates). The UV only catches the free floating organisms that are mobile in the dark.
This is why they kill harmful dinos while leaving the zooxanthellae inside coral tissue unharmed. The same goes for free floating microbes vs. those harbored in coral tissue.
This is why they kill harmful dinos while leaving the zooxanthellae inside coral tissue unharmed. The same goes for free floating microbes vs. those harbored in coral tissue.
PorkchopExpress
New member
Yes I understand that it won't hurt bacteria present on or in the coral but what if you somehow manage to kill the useful bacteria present on the outside of the coral? Dosing peroxide can certainly do that and dipping as well. This makes it harder for new bacteria to attach and grow on the coral if they can no longer free float to the coral. It has to come from somewhere, i.e. the rocks and other corals closeby but it sure makes it harder.
If we are indeed dino free at this point, I'm not too sure what the benefits are of keeping my huge UV pond sterilizer online. A smaller one might be better just for something such as maintenance to keep algae in check and not something as big as what I have as mine might be doing more harm now than good with respect to the ecosystem. Just food for thought and a topic worth thinking about. I'm still reluctant to go offline as my reef is once again thriving right now and things look good. But then again, anything looks better than what my reef looked like covered in dinos... ;P
If we are indeed dino free at this point, I'm not too sure what the benefits are of keeping my huge UV pond sterilizer online. A smaller one might be better just for something such as maintenance to keep algae in check and not something as big as what I have as mine might be doing more harm now than good with respect to the ecosystem. Just food for thought and a topic worth thinking about. I'm still reluctant to go offline as my reef is once again thriving right now and things look good. But then again, anything looks better than what my reef looked like covered in dinos... ;P
jedimasterben
LED world domination!
Mine is staying on. If it kills bacteria, I couldn't care less, I've got plenty to spare and they reproduce quickly. Besides, the 'important' bacterial colonies live on the surfaces of the rock/tank/substrate/etc, the ones pushed out into the water column are skimmer food anyway. 
When you have dinoflagellates it is good to kill most of the bacterial population as dinos normally do symbiosis with bacteria to recycle some of the nutrients used. Killing bacteria will impact dino's growth negatively.
It's been almost three weeks with no trace of ostreopsis in my 600 gal system. Checking everyday on the microscope. Ostreopsis yielded thousands of copepods everywhere, so many that I could turn this tank into a synchiropus factory.
I gave some of my water to two fellows that also had ostreopsis and both got rid of it in 3-4 days; now they have copepods galore as well. One more buddy is coming home to get some water and try rid ostreopsis the same way. I wish I could send you some water from my tank...
It's been almost three weeks with no trace of ostreopsis in my 600 gal system. Checking everyday on the microscope. Ostreopsis yielded thousands of copepods everywhere, so many that I could turn this tank into a synchiropus factory.
I gave some of my water to two fellows that also had ostreopsis and both got rid of it in 3-4 days; now they have copepods galore as well. One more buddy is coming home to get some water and try rid ostreopsis the same way. I wish I could send you some water from my tank...
PorkchopExpress
New member
why don't you bottle up your water, slap a label on it, call it Ultra Algae DinoXal eXtreme or something fancy and sell it?
DNA
New member
Wow Montireef, that looks really promissing.
Even a rinse and repeat in additional tanks.
Can you be a little more specific on the water donations like...
Amount of water into what size tanks.
Where did you take samples from your water.
etc
Do snap a photo of those pods for a possible id.
Even a rinse and repeat in additional tanks.
Can you be a little more specific on the water donations like...
Amount of water into what size tanks.
Where did you take samples from your water.
etc
Do snap a photo of those pods for a possible id.
This is an ostreopsis cell in one of my tanks being attacked by these protists:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKeEeFt_gBU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKeEeFt_gBU
