Anyone ever beat dinoflagellates?

[sonnus]

use filter sock to catch all the crap, then change out 1-2 days

Unfortunately you cannot filter out dinos because they're individual plankton. Dinoflagellates in our tanks are a photosynthetic plankton and they most likely become photosynthetic from ingesting (eating) algae kind of like our corals so they aren't really a typical algae and they need to be treated differently than most other algae. There are also species of dinos that are not photosynthetic at all and they are simply parasites. If you try to filter the dinos through a filter sock they will actually separate, flow through the sock and then recongeal when the water goes back into the display. I actually tell customers to siphon the dinos through a filter sock and into a glass cup or bowl as this is the 100% definitive way to know if it's dinos. Initially the water will just be brownish but after a few minutes the dinos will congeal back into colonies of dinos.

Dinoflagellates are actually one of the easiest nuisance algae to treat. You will need to raise the pH up to 8.6 - 8.7. This will absolutely kill the dinos and is not harmful to the fish or coral. Of course this could kill fish and coral too if you don't do it slowly. I usually recommend increasing the pH 0.1 every day or two with kalkwasser.

I have treated dozens of tanks this way and it has always been 100% effective. The only problem is the elevated pH usually needs to be maintained for at least 3-6 months. Even after that long the dinos could come back as soon as the pH drops back to normal levels.

If you have a Neptune Apex is is very easy to have the Apex dose the kalk.

Sorry I missed you today, Jesse told me you stopped by and were having this problem. I'll be in the store Sunday off and on if you want to discuss this more, or you can email me.

 

[JOSE CASAS]

Unfortunately you cannot filter out dinos because they're individual plankton. Dinoflagellates in our tanks are a photosynthetic plankton and they most likely become photosynthetic from ingesting (eating) algae kind of like our corals so they aren't really a typical algae and they need to be treated differently than most other algae. There are also species of dinos that are not photosynthetic at all and they are simply parasites. If you try to filter the dinos through a filter sock they will actually separate, flow through the sock and then recongeal when the water goes back into the display. I actually tell customers to siphon the dinos through a filter sock and into a glass cup or bowl as this is the 100% definitive way to know if it's dinos. Initially the water will just be brownish but after a few minutes the dinos will congeal back into colonies of dinos.

Dinoflagellates are actually one of the easiest nuisance algae to treat. You will need to raise the pH up to 8.6 - 8.7. This will absolutely kill the dinos and is not harmful to the fish or coral. Of course this could kill fish and coral too if you don't do it slowly. I usually recommend increasing the pH 0.1 every day or two with kalkwasser.

I have treated dozens of tanks this way and it has always been 100% effective. The only problem is the elevated pH usually needs to be maintained for at least 3-6 months. Even after that long the dinos could come back as soon as the pH drops back to normal levels.

If you have a Neptune Apex is is very easy to have the Apex dose the kalk.

Sorry I missed you today, Jesse told me you stopped by and were having this problem. I'll be in the store Sunday off and on if you want to discuss this more, or you can email me.

very interesting ....I use the filter sock to catch the most dinos I can and then take it out. The ph sounds interesting will try next time.

 

[Smite]

Yeah I did the blackout a few months back. It'll be a quick fix to save your coral, just be sure to skim really wet and block out all light. Dinos have been tricky for me. You think you got them beat, something changes slightly in the tank and bam, they come back full force. Are you dealing with the brown, snotty, and stringy bubbles? Or the white snot?

Just remember they are in your water column and can even attach to your fishes slim coat, so moving frags and colonies to a friends tank wont be doing any favors that's for sure. If you do decide to go that route check out ph matched freshwater dips. The drastic change in salinity burst the cell walls of the dinoflagellets.

There is a chemical treatment called Ultra Algae X. I bought it last time I was battling the stuff but didn't use it after the blackout appeared to work. I may give it a go this time around. It claims to completely kill it off for good.

Wish you the best bud!

 

[Smite]

Also if your dosing anything with vitamin C they seem to thrive on the stuff.

 

[ivan]

Jess I have some rowa if you need some now till you find some

 

[ElEcTrIc-Dan]

I used dr tim's it works.this is how I beat them first I bought refresh and waste away and also coral snow from warner marine I did a 4 day black out I started dosing the refresh in the morning and coral snow at night so it would bind with the dying dinos and they would be skimmed out after the black out I continued the dosing of refresh for 2 weeks every 3 day then after the refresh regimen I did the waste away per the directions and. Boom they have not come back and my rocks are very clean try it it works

 

[Tangwich]

Unfortunately you cannot filter out dinos because they're individual plankton. Dinoflagellates in our tanks are a photosynthetic plankton and they most likely become photosynthetic from ingesting (eating) algae kind of like our corals so they aren't really a typical algae and they need to be treated differently than most other algae. There are also species of dinos that are not photosynthetic at all and they are simply parasites. If you try to filter the dinos through a filter sock they will actually separate, flow through the sock and then recongeal when the water goes back into the display. I actually tell customers to siphon the dinos through a filter sock and into a glass cup or bowl as this is the 100% definitive way to know if it's dinos. Initially the water will just be brownish but after a few minutes the dinos will congeal back into colonies of dinos.

Dinoflagellates are actually one of the easiest nuisance algae to treat. You will need to raise the pH up to 8.6 - 8.7. This will absolutely kill the dinos and is not harmful to the fish or coral. Of course this could kill fish and coral too if you don't do it slowly. I usually recommend increasing the pH 0.1 every day or two with kalkwasser.

I have treated dozens of tanks this way and it has always been 100% effective. The only problem is the elevated pH usually needs to be maintained for at least 3-6 months. Even after that long the dinos could come back as soon as the pH drops back to normal levels.

If you have a Neptune Apex is is very easy to have the Apex dose the kalk.

Sorry I missed you today, Jesse told me you stopped by and were having this problem. I'll be in the store Sunday off and on if you want to discuss this more, or you can email me.

Thanks Aaron for the good insight. During the hours and of research, I did come across that as a possible fix but glad to hear you have actually used raising the ph and it has worked. As with anything else on the net, there is a lot of misinformation on how to deal with this nuisance algae.

 

[Tangwich]

Yeah I did the blackout a few months back. It'll be a quick fix to save your coral, just be sure to skim really wet and block out all light. Dinos have been tricky for me. You think you got them beat, something changes slightly in the tank and bam, they come back full force. Are you dealing with the brown, snotty, and stringy bubbles? Or the white snot?

Just remember they are in your water column and can even attach to your fishes slim coat, so moving frags and colonies to a friends tank wont be doing any favors that's for sure. If you do decide to go that route check out ph matched freshwater dips. The drastic change in salinity burst the cell walls of the dinoflagellets.

There is a chemical treatment called Ultra Algae X. I bought it last time I was battling the stuff but didn't use it after the blackout appeared to work. I may give it a go this time around. It claims to completely kill it off for good.

Wish you the best bud!

You hit the nail right on the head, brown mucous, stringy and white bubbles. Cuc is dead after consuming it so I know it's the potent toxic type. Fish were also affected and are now back in qt with minimal losses. Going to try a combo of things but like you said, lights out to save my sps as a quick fix. Already lost a couple nice pieces including a Pro Corals Superman table and a sweet efflo and all my other sps hit the pause button on growing due to the algae growth on the frag plugs or rocks they are mounted on.

 

[Tangwich]

Jess I have some rowa if you need some now till you find some

Thanks Ivan, that's very generous of you. Am gonna go shopping tomorrow for supplies so hopefully I will pick that up but if I cant find it, I will hit you up for rowaphos and some caldo de peacock. Lol

 

[Tangwich]

I used dr tim's it works.this is how I beat them first I bought refresh and waste away and also coral snow from warner marine I did a 4 day black out I started dosing the refresh in the morning and coral snow at night so it would bind with the dying dinos and they would be skimmed out after the black out I continued the dosing of refresh for 2 weeks every 3 day then after the refresh regimen I did the waste away per the directions and. Boom they have not come back and my rocks are very clean try it it works

Thanks Dan for the post. Waste away is on my list of things to buy. Will do a bit more research on refresh and see how they work in conjunction. I will document everything step by step as I go along my journey (hopefully a successful one) towards beating this invasive algae.

 

[Tangwich]

Also if your dosing anything with vitamin C they seem to thrive on the stuff.

Oh, and another good call Matt...I was adding vitamin C to the food I was feeding my fish in that tank when I noticed they werent doing too well and that's also when the dino put itself into overdrive. You sir, know your dino. Lol

 

[Smite]

Ha! Yeah, unfortunately I've had to battle it in 3 different tanks so I've done some research and trial and error. I still can't figure out where it originates from. I've read certain dirt entering the tank can cause it and that got my attention. I always scrub down before working with the tank, but all have been rimless and my homes a/c vent system seems super dusty. Not sure if that's the culprit, who knows. Stuff a pain though for sure.

 

[JOSE CASAS]

Update playa!

 

[Tangwich]

Update playa!

I will find out tonight after work how the system did with lights out...will update then...cross your fingers for me profe. I said cross them, not stick one out at me,.....jerk. lmao

 

[JOSE CASAS]

The lights out diff helps but the test is when u turn on the lights for a day if they come back. Do u see any? If suck them up? No I wouldn't do that, I would put cuernos in u lol.

 

[s2k]

that sucks - maybe you can upgrade to a bigger tank

 

[Tangwich]

that sucks - maybe you can upgrade to a bigger tank

lol...that was the purpose of getting rid of the 100 but now that i found out that the floor won't sustain a large tank, i am relegated to this smaller system. that is until i either buy or rent a bigger place.

 

[lowbudget]

you are rich like toan but buy a bigger house

 

[JOSE CASAS]

you are rich like toan but buy a bigger house

look who is talking Mr. Money bags here!

 

[Tangwich]

you are rich like toan but buy a bigger house

look who is talking Mr. Money bags here!

exactly! sanwichito is the only person i know that has a different car for everyday of the week. every time i go visit him, there's a new car in the driveway.