help with dino crud

[180+55reef]

I have 300 gallons of water and have been carbon dosing for a while, I have strings of algae, and matted crud on my live rock and sand, the stuff on the sand is matted, some crud on the walls has bubbles

I dose vodka 5 ml and vin 10 ml daily

I noticed that my skimmer wasnt running effectively and this was corrected about a week ago, since then I got bright green water out of my skimmate mate almost blue in color

anyone have any ideas what is going on and what is recommended

thanks !

 

[andresp]

If you ever carbon does whether it's via vodka,sugar or what you use, you need to slowly ween the tank off of the carbon. This way you won't get any spikes in parameters. As to the snotty looking dinoflagellates, Just do a few big water changes let's say about 50 percent and you will slowly but surely seem them go away. As to maintaining you tank without nitrates which I'm sure got you using the carbon dosing method, stick with water changes as it's the real and only way to lower nitrates safely with no adverse affect.

 

[180+55reef]

Thanks!

So as I am still actively carbon dosing, I am wondering if my "brown crud" is due to an in effective skimmer. I have a Reeflo Orca 200 Skimmer but I dont think it is/was set currectly

 

[BIGG D]

As to the snotty looking dinoflagellates, Just do a few big water changes let's say about 50 percent and you will slowly but surely seem them go away. .

I am battling this myself.
Lots of info out there that suggest that water changes actually feed the Dino an help it to thrive! Cutting WAAAAY back on water changes may starve it out.
This makes sense to me...but I am no expert.
Just food for thought.

 

[180+55reef]

so I have brown crud on rocks,,,,,,,, cyno?

 

[BIGG D]

so I have brown crud on rocks,,,,,,,, cyno?

Lets see some pics

 

[spollock818]

Yes, starving Dino is the way, along with elevated ph to 8.5. I'm dealing with it now and on the down hill battle. Been two weeks no water changes, and tons of Kalk, and it's almost gone.

When I thought it was HA, I dod a huge water change and it bloomed up almost consuming my tank

 

[polyppetey]

Though I am still a noob, I thought I would share a DIY "dino exporter" I made.
I took a plastic coat hanger and notched it with a razor every 1/4 inch around the whole thing. I wrapped it with fishing line until it made a pretty dense screen and super glues it to the hanger. I hung it in the tank on the center brace. In a few hours it has collected enough dinos that I was not able to see through it. I took it out and rinsed it off and rehung it in the tank, I would do this once or twice a day, every time I did this I would turkey baste the rock and corals to get the dinos in the water column and then onto the screen I made. While not a solution to the underlying problem it was quite effective in getting out alot of dinos. Originally I wanted to use my wifes dream catcher but that was a no-go. The hanger was a cheaper solution and pretty effeective IMO.

Hope this helps. Pete.

 

[dogstar74]

When carbon dosing, you can fuel several types of microbial organisms, cyano, dinos, and beneficial denitrifying bacteria are all things that benefit from the carbon dosing. Sometimes when you start with the C dosing, you are feeding the wrong organism. This is why many people have purchased and dose in combo with the Carbon MB7. This gives you a shot of the kinds of beneficial bacteria that you want. That way you are out-competing for nutrients the dinos and the cyanos. So in addition to dosing the vodka, I'd say pick up some of that MB7, and see if that helps.

A powerful skimmer is a must in carbon dosing.

Good luck,
Aaron

 

[sneeyatch]

Peroxide.

See this thread. Lots of information:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1962886

 

[JoeRonda]

Though I am still a noob, I thought I would share a DIY "dino exporter" I made.
I took a plastic coat hanger and notched it with a razor every 1/4 inch around the whole thing. I wrapped it with fishing line until it made a pretty dense screen and super glues it to the hanger. I hung it in the tank on the center brace. In a few hours it has collected enough dinos that I was not able to see through it. I took it out and rinsed it off and rehung it in the tank, I would do this once or twice a day, every time I did this I would turkey baste the rock and corals to get the dinos in the water column and then onto the screen I made. While not a solution to the underlying problem it was quite effective in getting out alot of dinos. Originally I wanted to use my wifes dream catcher but that was a no-go. The hanger was a cheaper solution and pretty effeective IMO.

Hope this helps. Pete.

That is an awesome idea Pete, I love it.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Blow EVERYTHING off with a turkey baster and run a diatom filter. After a few hours wash the diatom filter and repeat. Then add activated carbon to the water.

That should take care of it. Though diatom filters are not so cheap, they are probably the most useful thing you can get in this hobby IMO.

 

[haikufriday]

Though I am still a noob, I thought I would share a DIY "dino exporter" I made.
I took a plastic coat hanger and notched it with a razor every 1/4 inch around the whole thing. I wrapped it with fishing line until it made a pretty dense screen and super glues it to the hanger. I hung it in the tank on the center brace. In a few hours it has collected enough dinos that I was not able to see through it. I took it out and rinsed it off and rehung it in the tank, I would do this once or twice a day, every time I did this I would turkey baste the rock and corals to get the dinos in the water column and then onto the screen I made. While not a solution to the underlying problem it was quite effective in getting out alot of dinos. Originally I wanted to use my wifes dream catcher but that was a no-go. The hanger was a cheaper solution and pretty effeective IMO.

Hope this helps. Pete.

Very cool idea!! :beer:

 

[llewoh05]

i want to see pictures of this thing in action.

personally ive started my peroxide regiment last night along with a 3 day lights out period.

ive looked into the elevated ph but i have enough trouble getting it to 8.1 without the alk spiking thru the roof. i dose fully saturated kalk every night. around 1 gal or so. anyone got ideas on how to raise ph but not alk?

 

[dogstar74]

i want to see pictures of this thing in action.

personally ive started my peroxide regiment last night along with a 3 day lights out period.

ive looked into the elevated ph but i have enough trouble getting it to 8.1 without the alk spiking thru the roof. i dose fully saturated kalk every night. around 1 gal or so. anyone got ideas on how to raise ph but not alk?

If you're using a skimmer, then running an air intake line to the air from outside the dwelling often decreases the injected CO2 from the house and increases O2 from the outside, thus raising your pH without messing with the Ca or Alk.