[Quiet_Ivy]

First off, new people in the thread-my experience isn't typical. I seem to have an especially bad infestation.

I have an all in one, so I don't have a true sump, just a couple of chambers behind the tank. I don't usually light it; I rigged a lamp for the tests. I would try UV but I can't for the life of me figure a way to rig a big enough unit in my aio. There's really no room back there.

Re lights out: Dinos can switch from photosynthesis to predatory behaviour. I either pushed them towards mixotrophy or killed off the non photosynthetic strains, due to extreme selection pressure of multiple lights out periods. I had 2 genera of dinos, the 2nd, some kind of Prorocentrum? hasn't shown up lately.

I agree about severe cases of dinos making the environment so hostile extreme measures are necessary. I did do one 90% water change with 'good' water. It caused a massive dino bloom. I added skimmate 3 times a week for a month.

The new rock was close to 50% of the total rock in the tank. Chaeto from various sources invariably dies off too, but that may be due to not being able to maintain phosphate. I was trying to inoculate microcritters.

I'm currently keeping nitrate at 15 (due to missing a decimal point, never try to calculate anything at 2am), phosphate still undetectable. Green algae is NOT coming back, pods are still absent despite adding multiple batches/species and I'm losing/lost all my Euphyllia. My montis are bleaching out and I didn't see my rock anemone today. I think I may be at a point where I'm going to have to nuke everything with Dino X and start over. I'd really rather not, but my corals are starting to be affected.

blarg!
ivy