[karimwassef]

No answers?

Ok. Let me expand on my case to see if other victims see similar trends.

I have a very very brightly lit tank with few corals relatively speaking. I have 3x400W MH with 200W UV + 200W RB LEDs and 50W "viewing white"
LEDs just intended to see, not really photo impacting.

I had a long photoperiod (8am to 1am) to maximize growth.

I have nearly no coralline.

I also have a pretty healthy pod population in my macroalgae scrubber/DSB fuge.

I have the scrubber on all night/day with a dark period from 2pm to 6pm.

I used to turn off my skimmer at night to allow my plankton population to grow. I also have no mechanical filtration anywhere.

Now... Based on my readings, here's what I think I understand correctly:

1. Dinos are basically zooxanthellae outside a coral host. (Most are). They use corals for protection.
2. In nature, they are consumed by planktonic predators (like pods)

In our tanks, we don't have the mass of naturally occurring plankton needed to keep them in check.

So... Why me?

Here is my theory:

I had a tank in a state of imbalance (being new). My few corals had been spewing out their zooxanthellae in response to my intense lighting. There were lots of pitchers, but no catchers. In my hair algae, they found competition for nutrients and a base for predators that was always within reach of them.

I set upon a hyper aggressive path to eliminate my GHA and in the process removed competition and predation.

The predators only hunt at night. My super long photo periods were forcing them into hiding and giving the dinos free reign. Even a little light keeps the pods hiding (which explains the extreme darkness some have had to create). I was using my viewing lights frequently to see what's going on in the dark. Even a little light sends my pods scurrying to hide from my fish army.

The toxicity to snails is clear, but my urchins, fish, and small crabs keep munching away on them daily. The first victim was my 5" seahare. Why? Another theory- the more and faster you eat, the more toxins are released. Maybe fast moving predators like fish can eat fast, but also get away fast... Millions of small fast predators can decimate them, but one massive slow predator triggers the toxin death.

The answer?: they exist because my conditions were favorable for corals, but there weren't enough corals- now the inmates have the run of the place. Either I create conditions where the predators have the upper hand or I create more places to lock them up. Changing conditions to be less favorable will hurt my corals to the same degree. For the same reason, water changes don't do much unless you physically scrub them off and remove them.

Very short photoperiod for an extended time (weeks?). Maybe even using cutouts to keep the light only on my corals (seems nuts, I know). Increase the pod population substantially (10,000)? Cut down nighttime skimming again to allow the population of predatory plankton to catch up. Add filter socks only when scrubbing? What else can we think of??

I realize both theories and solution seem out of left field, but after reading for weeks, I think we've been looking at this all wrong and need a different strategy here. This is not GHA.

If you have this problem, see if any of my pattern applies to your case. Help prove or refute my theories? And maybe help with a strategy that attacks them with this new basis in mind?