dinos, how to rid my tank of them

TomRep

New member
This is the message I posted a couple days back in the Reef Discussion forum. I have since started dosing kalk as my top off water and verified PO4 is 0ppm (with photometer) and NO3 0ppm (using brand new Salifert kit, didn't even turn a tint of color). So, here goes...

Hello all! I have a 120 reef with mostly sps. I have this algea that I can't seem to get rid of. It reminds me of a type of Cyano, but I thought I saw a post somewhere where it was actually labeled a type of diatom. The stuff blows off, or can be sucked off, the rocks very easily. However, it can return in as quick as a day. I'm really fed up with this stuff and I want to see if anyone else may have it, the exact species I'm dealing with, if there is anything I am missing to try and get rid of it, etc. So here goes, system specs:

PO4 levels according to Tropic Marin test kit are showing less than .01ppm. As far as nitrates, I have no idea. I used to always test them and never had anything higher then 5-10ppm. That was when I had a sandbed and hardly ever did water changes. Now, however, this is a barebottom tank (since June or July), 20 gallon water change once a week, I have a Bermuda BPS-3C skimmer in the sump (skimming on the dry side), run a Phosban reactor with Rowaphos (changed monthly) and now carbon in it (carbon is TLF HydroCarbon which will also be changed once a month), and I have a good amount of flow (low guess is around 33x turnover). Lights are two XM 10k 250w SE with homemade Lumenarc reflectors (one is 7 months old, the other 5 months) burning 10 hours per day, supplemented by two 110w VHO actinics (URI Super Actinic replaced in September) burning 12 hours per day. I used to feed the tank maybe twice a week if I was lucky. I was trying for a nutrient free tank so I could focus on SPS. I only feed frozen foods (mysis, Formula 1 and 2, Rod's reef food, etc.). I have since started feeding live foods as well as frozen. This algea started when I was not feeding the tank often. I also lost the color green in my Acro's. Every other color looks fine, but I can't get the color green, it just turns to brown. Coral growth is still good. I was doing a lot of reading about my lack of green color and a lot of people say it is because of lack of nutrients. I am working on picking up a nitrate test kit just to see how I am doing there. My RODI water was also in need of work. The water I was using was around 38ppm TDS. Lastweek I replaced my membrane amd resin and now have 0 again. Some stuff I forgot: I run a fliter sock on my sump replaced every other day, I use Reef Crystals salt, salinity 1.025, CA: 430ish, dkh: 9-10, pH: 8.3, Mg: 1350-1400, I run a CA reactor with aragonite in it...I think thats about it.

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Great article bertoni, a very good read. I would have to agree that these are definitly dino's now that I read that. I never really knew what they were. Well, I should be on the right track then. I proved my nitrates and phosphates aren't a problem and now that I have been adding the kalk, my Ph stays between 8.5-8.6 all the time. I will have to keep updating this thread as well as taking some full tank shots once a week to compare them and be sure I am getting somewhere. If anyone else has any experience/advice with dino's, please feel free to post. Thanks again!
tom
 
Tom

Are you sure about that pH ? And it is not a pH error ? How is it measured ?

I'm not 100 % certain but they do appear to be dino's.
 
Just my opinion, but if it were my tank I'd bump the alk up to about 12 or 13 dkh. I'll bet they disappear. :D
 
Actually Billy, with the kalk addition, the alk did go up. I haven't measured it in the past couple days, but I think it was at 11 dkh like 3 or 4 days after I started the kalk. Boomer- I am almost positive. Actually, I never checked it in the morning cause I always forgot. Just checked it now and it is 8.3. So my range is 8.3-8.6 throughout the day. I monitor it with a Milwaukee Ph controller that had a new probe put on it in approx. Feb-March 07 and was just calibrated with 7.01 and 10.01 solutions about a month to a month and a half ago.
tom
 
good stuff, it does seem to be Dinos, my PH tends to stick around 8.25 to 8.30, even with the Kalkreactor, I may need to increase the drip, as it only drips about 1 drop every 2-3 seconds.

I'll adjust my photoperiod as well, along with the siphoning out the goop, which I already do, but not as often as I should.
 
OK Tom just checking on the ph ;) But a month is a long time. More like every 2-weeks is better. When was the last time you cleaned it. Algae can grow on the probe and raise the pH at the probe algae glass interface.
 
I clean it every time I calibrate it. So, a month to a month and a half! lol I have the calibration solution at home, I will recalibrate sometime this week. Hopefully tonight, but if not, Friday night (maintainance night!). Thanks for the replies! I should have posted here in the first place. The reef discussion forum is a waste if you truly need help. Just thought it would get moved if I posted here. Thanks a bunch!
tom
 
Oh, and to clean the probe I use the probe cleaning solution ( I think Pinpoints?). I let it soak for an hour, then rinse with RODI or tap water.
 
Yes :)

You can use Q-Tips and gently brush it after a soak in cleaner, which helps even more.
 
TomRep

TomRep

I got dinos for more than a year and a half now, just like yours they use to be all over everywhere I have check and keep my water parameters in top condition .
All my parameters are checked with photometers and all are very good just like yours.

Most things above help out but one thing works the best is to turn all the lights out for four+ days if the tank is near window cover the tank up everything will be ok just be sure you run GFO because the dinos will start to die in two/three days and the P04 will got to the roof .

Also high PH helps but to keep it at 8.6+ is almost impassible with a Calcium reactor running and the home closed up for the winter months , also all the pumps will seize up from Dosing all that Kalk from trying to keep the PH up.

High alk also helps some so if you can combing all of this thing and keep the light out for four days you be good for many months.

My dinos come back some, but now I just do the lights out thing every two months and I can enjoy my tank .
Be advise you may have some corals that will get unhappy with the lights out but after a week or two they will go back to they old glory .

I'm on my way to a dino free tanks for the past four months now it is very little dinos in my tank now you really have to look very close to see any of them.
good luck.
 
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Hmm, interesting Zoom. I had the lights out for three days and it didn't even make a dent in them. Maybe I should do my typical water change and syphon the rocks, then do the lights off immediatly afterward. There is no sunlight that hits the tank directly from a window or anything. Closest thing is our back sliding dorr which is in another room about 20' away. If the blinds were open, it would get a sliver of sunlight directly on the tank. But, we keep the blinds pulled.
tom
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11668897#post11668897 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TomRep
Hmm, interesting Zoom. I had the lights out for three days and it didn't even make a dent in them. Maybe I should do my typical water change and syphon the rocks, then do the lights off immediately afterward. There is no sunlight that hits the tank directly from a window or anything. Closest thing is our back sliding door which is in another room about 20' away. If the blinds were open, it would get a sliver of sunlight directly on the tank. But, we keep the blinds pulled.
tom
If they are Dinos no lights for four days will kill them completely .
I'm not home right now but I have some pictures of the dinos in my tank I can post for you later so you can compare to yours..
Lights out did not make a dent to my Cynobacteria.
 
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i believe the lights out is a temporary solution.
dinos struck two of my tanks at approx. the same time, i have no idea why. it has now completely disappeared in my older tank and it remains in my newer tank. the only difference i can think of is that in the older tank i do less water changes.....i'm still stumped at this point.
 
Sometimes, water changes seem to encourage dinoflagellates by adding more trace elements that they need to grow. Or say it is said. :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11670512#post11670512 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ezcompany
i believe the lights out is a temporary solution.
dinos struck two of my tanks at approx. the same time, i have no idea why. it has now completely disappeared in my older tank and it remains in my newer tank. the only difference i can think of is that in the older tank i do less water changes.....i'm still stumped at this point.
When i first got dinos i did not do any water changes for six months but feeding the fish i'm sure they got plenty trace elements to grow .
Lights out is the only thing that kill the dinos it may be a temporary solution but kill them for two months .
I do this every two months so the tank don't get overrun by them .
Everything stop grown when the dinos is out of hand in the tank .
They are so far the worst thing i ever have to deal with so far in this hobby.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11671863#post11671863 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DrBegalke
I would consider a uv sterilizer.
I never try UV so far i need $350/400 for a good one .
I have to wait any see , times are not to shabby right now in this country. :( Money is hard to get right now.
 
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