So as the title says I have a case of Dino's in my tank.... I'm looking for any help or advice to help beat this. It's a mixed reef lps, sps and softies. I have already cut feedings and light periods down. I don't want to have to break the tank down.....
Dinos need some advice
- Thread starter Odysi
- Start date
- Location
- Staten Island
Dinos is a nightmare! I had to break down a previous tank and startup all over with new sand and rock, also even if you don't throughly clean the tank before starting up again it can reappear from one missed micro organism. If you try a blackout it has to be 100% meaning no natural light or any other light in the room, some cover the tank with black trash bags. Funia Marin makes a product I believe called Dinos algae X (someone correct me if I spelled or called it by the wrong name) I herd success stories as well as others saying it didn't work. Unfortunately most hobbyist got out rather then continuing to try to beat it. I wish I had better advice but Dinos really is that bad. Good luck
Odysi, I had this problem a few weeks ago and I was able to beat it. Click the link below and read the article from Advanced Aquarist.
I did the 72-hour blackout by covering my tank in brown paper lawn bags. At the end of the 3rd day I uncovered the tank and not only were the Dinos gone, but my rocks and sand have never looked better.
The only thing I did not follow in the article was the water changes. In the book "Algae A Problem Solver Guide" Julian Sprung says to discontinue water changes during the bloom.
I also turned my UV back on and have been swapping my GAC every two weeks.
I have a few SPS frags that made it through the blackout without a problem.
I also only fed the tank once per day for a while afterwards.
Good luck!
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/how-i-beat-dinoflagellates-and-the-lessons-i-learned
- Location
- Staten Island
+1 do not do any water changes while having Dinos, fresh SW only fuels the Dinos and makes it spread and grow more rapidly.
Thx guys I went a risky route and have been dosing 4ml of peroxide the last few days and it seems to be helping. My corals are have mixed reactions some have better polyp extension and other the opposite. I was gonna do a lights out with the dosing but I had just done one last week. I cut my photo period to online 6hrs a day. I dunno how long I should dose for.
- Location
- Queens, NY
Dinoflagellates? isn't that just green algae water or just phytoplankton? Didn't realize people can have a problem with this, since corals and shellfish feed off of this stuff. If so, this is what I add to water to control my cyanobacterial outbreaks. A pinch of Marc Weiss's Reef Bugs, into the water and all the cyano dies out for a few days, because the green water shades them and out competes them. Anyway, not to get off track, but if that's what you've got, then just throw in a live clam or mussel from the seafood market and it'll filter feed your water till its crystal clear.
Last edited:
- Location
- Staten Island
It's not phyto or green water, totally different and would probably need a couple thousand clams for that method to work.
sealtea116
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Valley Stream
Got any pics of the Dino to maybe help someone better understand
- Location
- Riverhead - Long Island NY
I used Dino-X . You dose 5 ml for 20 gal every two days for max period of 21 days.
Dino's in my case disappear after third dose , I continued dosing for another week - so far
I don't see any Dino's coming back
Dino's in my case disappear after third dose , I continued dosing for another week - so far
I don't see any Dino's coming back
- Location
- Staten Island
I used Dino-X . You dose 5 ml for 20 gal every two days for max period of 21 days.
Dino's in my case disappear after third dose , I continued dosing for another week - so far
I don't see any Dino's coming back
This is the product I was talking about. Just make sure you have a good skimmer cause it can cause oxygen levels in the tank to drop, other then that I've herd very good things about it.
- Location
- Riverhead - Long Island NY
Yes it works
I went thru 3-4 day blackouts and they still were coming back , after Dino-X so far so good
I went thru 3-4 day blackouts and they still were coming back , after Dino-X so far so good
- Location
- Queens, NY
Still don't know that this problem of yours is, if its not phytoplankton, Are we using the correct terminology? I looked up dinoflagellates and it is defined as phytoplankton.
According to what I searched,
"The dinoflagellates (Greek ????? dinos "whirling" and Latin flagellum "whip, scourge") are a large group of flagellate protists that constitute the phylum Dinoflagellata. Most are marine plankton..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinoflagellate
Does it form a film on your glass? that's them swimming towards the light and resting on the glass.
According to what I searched,
"The dinoflagellates (Greek ????? dinos "whirling" and Latin flagellum "whip, scourge") are a large group of flagellate protists that constitute the phylum Dinoflagellata. Most are marine plankton..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinoflagellate
Does it form a film on your glass? that's them swimming towards the light and resting on the glass.
- Location
- Staten Island
:banghead: there is literally thousands of strains of Dinos. Try doing a search on MR or reef central, it is not green water or a "film" . Not to be a dick but why even comment on this thread if you have no idea what we are talking about?
- Location
- Riverhead - Long Island NY
- Location
- Staten Island
Yep that's Dinos. The snot like film with the air bubbles is a dead giveaway.
- Location
- New Jersey
Looks NASTY!!!
- Location
- Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen, 10036
Def Dinos. I've tried the darkening out method and various additives but eventually they came back.
Definitely agree with everyone else- don't increase the water changes! It makes it worse. I had found a great article that explained why this is. I'll post it if I can find it.
My problem seemed to be too much dissolved organics in the water column. I ran some micron filters for a few days and that did the trick.
In my experience, this kind of thing indicates something is out of whack and will probably come back at some later time if the root cause isn't addressed.
Looks like Aquadan, Lenny and Marek had a different experience tho.
Definitely agree with everyone else- don't increase the water changes! It makes it worse. I had found a great article that explained why this is. I'll post it if I can find it.
My problem seemed to be too much dissolved organics in the water column. I ran some micron filters for a few days and that did the trick.
In my experience, this kind of thing indicates something is out of whack and will probably come back at some later time if the root cause isn't addressed.
Looks like Aquadan, Lenny and Marek had a different experience tho.
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