The Guide to get rid of dinoflagellates

[Jerzey]

I'm currently battling "dino" right now going on 3 weeks now, gotta say its the most annoying frustrating things I've ever had in my system, not exactly sure where it came from but I've narrowed it down to a few possibilities...I recently starting dosing instant ocean reef accelerator right when the outbreak started also few Wc's back I used an old bag of reef crystals on a few changes(was opened for 3 weeks but had some moisture in it so had clumps of salt that I mixed up with anyway) finally i added a few frags to the tank I got off ebay that I could of introduced that way...i can't pin point 1 thing but from everything I've read in the past people had trouble with every one I mentioned....I def have the Dino on the retreat with the way I been attacking it so from my experience I would recommend first stop doing wc's for a while instead siphone your sand bed and rock everyday scrub you glass and get as much off and floating around and scoop as much as you can with a fish net out use a Turkey baster to blow it off your rock and corals also after you've sphioned what you can run your sphioned water through a filter sock and pour it back in your tank do this as much as you can...also go lights out for two days off two on for a week corals will be 100%OK... Stop feeding for a few days when you feed do it extremely light...ive been dosing hydrogen peroxide at 1 ml/10g... Keep a filter sock on your water inlet to your Sump I had to clean it twice a day it ts gunked up fast...keep you skimmer clean so its running 100%...i elevated my ph to 8.6... I found the trick is to remove as much as you can by hand constantly and don't think just methods gonna clear it up over night...most people run into trouble when they don't start to attack the Dino immediately a wait till its extreme think wcs will fix the it...I'm still fighting it but its at about 15%of what it was 3 weeks ago hopefully few more weeks it'll be all gone..also just read its seasonal and blooms during spring time ironically its peak spring here....good luck!

[totalbiz]

Hi everyone. I hope someone can help me. Here are the pictures of what I have in my 12 gallon nano-reef. They are long threads with bubbles on them. They can get to a foot or more in length. I have six to seven in my tank every morning. I suck them out with a turkey baster. But the next morning they are back. Are these dinoflagellates? Is there any updated news on what can be done about them? Thanks to everyone in advance for any help.

[ryan1985]

Originally Posted by totalbiz

Hi everyone. I hope someone can help me. Here are the pictures of what I have in my 12 gallon nano-reef. They are long threads with bubbles on them. They can get to a foot or more in length. I have six to seven in my tank every morning. I suck them out with a turkey baster. But the next morning they are back. Are these dinoflagellates? Is there any updated news on what can be done about them? Thanks to everyone in advance for any help.

sorry to say that it sounds like it fits the bill of dinos. this thread hasn't been active for a year, you may want to look at these:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...php?p=22606609

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...2307000&page=5

[claireputput]

I have a few dino's in my 120g but I also have a sea hare and I think that may be helping to control them.
Thoughts?

[dvmsn]

I have developed a novel method to eliminate dinos.

1. Inadvertently remove your temperature probe from your sump thereby convincing your controller the water is the same temp as the air.
2. Make sure your first cold day is at the end of a three-day weekend.
3. Let your tank temp hit 90.
4. Let about $ 600.00 worth of corals cook.

Viola, no more dino's. Surprisingly, some corals survived and so did all but one fish.

[karimwassef]

I just got this last week and it's covering my tank. I can't remove my sand bed (about 500lbs).

My sea hare just died - at the same time... ?

[karimwassef]

you realize his post is from 2009.

Photobucket worked fine until 2017 when they forced most members to pay a "hostage" fee or they remove their ability to post in third party forums. The fee was exorbitant and broke thousands of image links all over this site and many others.


This was actually a useful thread when I starting dealing with my dinos and found this author sharing his experience.

There are other dino threads and the general conclusion aligns. It is that overzealous reef keepers who drive nitrates or phosphates to zero kill off algae and create the perfect dino environment. The remedy is to foster algae again by increasing N or P to achieve the natural balance again.

[Lsufan]

Originally Posted by Techhnyne

This is what i call an idiot. Posts a lengthy guide and uses photobucket to upload pics rather then uploading pics directly to the forum post itself

If he is a idiot why do u care what he does in his posts. It’s not like u need to learn anything from him. 90 percent of this forum was using photobucket, with all of us idiots it may not be the forum for u. Do u not realize this op was from 8 years ago.

[Wxguy23]

How do you know when they are dying? I don’t see “more” but still stringy junk on my rocks. Do I just scrub it off??

[Wxguy23]

It’s been 2 months after I bought new lights, a protein skimmer and UV filter to upgrade my 75gal.
I’ve fought these things daily. From H202 to black outs and more.

For 2 years, no issues. After dumping $$ I have learned my lesson that this is not for me. I’m tired of them. Tank looks worse than ever.

[moondoggy4]

^^^ I hope your tank gets better, I am having the issue as well, what i usually do is blast with a turkey baster and suck out with a hose then blast the roots/hold downs off the rock. That seems to do the trick.

[Scej12]

Hey Folks - I just thought I would chime in (late) here.

I have had some terrible bouts with Dinoflagellates over the last 3 - 4 years in various systems. In one particular installation, I fought back and forth between Dinos and Green Hair Algae for over 2 years....! The GHA was a recurring result of aquascaping/surfaces not being grazed due to the presence of (unpalatable) Dinos.... My insanity (aka repetitious yet unsuccessful regime) can be summed up as multiple treatments of Fluconazole (for GHA) and 3-5 day Blackouts (for Dinos) .... Thank goodness for a patient Client.
So, here's what I've been able to learn from scanning this and other forums; finding a few online academic summaries; and of course, through my own frustrations...
1. Dinoflagellates are in every single reef tank. Dinos are the photosynthetic symbionts we have all been referring to as Zooxanthellae. If you have ever seen a stressed coral eject its zooxanthellae, it is the same rusty brown that coats our rocks and sand bed during a Dino outbreak.

2. In the nutrient poor (oligotrophic) waters where our corals naturally occur; they absolutely need the Dinos’ photosynthetic ability to meet their nutritional requirements, and in exchange the corals provide some of the fertilizers (various forms of Nitrogenous compounds, etc) Dinos need to fuel their own solar-powered production. However, the Dinos can find these same nutrients elsewhere in our aquariums…. In other words: the corals need the Dinos more than the Dinos need them.

3. Dinoflagellates settle on surfaces during photo hours; and swim/wander in the dark. This is exactly why a 3-5 day blackout disrupts them so successfully – however a blackout on its own is not a permanent fix for our Dino problems.

I’m sure there are many other subtleties to our complex ecosystems, however the points above are contextual for my own success in defeating dino outbreaks more than a few times. Though it has been mentioned throughout many Dino forums, I will state it here: A properly sized and tuned UV is the key to solving Dino outbreaks long-term. Many of us rely on UV Sterilizers that are either too small for our systems; have the wrong flowrate running through them; or any combination of these two points. Do a bit of research and find a good sizing reference. I like the Aqua-Ultraviolet sizing charts that can be found on their website.
Below is what I have done:
• System A – After fighting Dinos and GHA for almost a year on a 250 Gallon reef tank that I took over servicing; I installed a large 55W High Output UV Sterilizer being run by a 2200gph pump. I instructed the Client to do a 3 day black-out and he has never seen Dinos since. This was immediate and effective. This was almost two years ago, still no Dinos, and no GHA.

• System B – After fighting Dinos and GHA for over 2 years on a tank that I installed with dry rock; I legitimately thought the Client was going to ditch me and his tank when he had to relocate… Fortunately for me, he loves having a piece of the ocean in his office; and gave me free reign to improve on my original setup. This time, I was wise to the value of a correctly spec’d UV and was able to install a 55W HO Unit plumbed directly into his 3000 gph return pump. All of the water runs through this unit before returning to the tank. I can turn this unit off or run it on any schedule I think will work best. In the beginning I only ran the UV over night for 8 hours. To my horror (actually learning opportunity) I began to see another outbreak of Dinoflagellates, even before adding my first corals. This is when I sprang a similar, yet slightly different strategy into action. I implemented a 24-hour (fulltime) UV operation schedule and drastically reduced its flow-through from approx. 2500 gph to somewhere near 700 gph. I tuned it for ‘kill mode’. However, instead of using a blackout for disrupting the Dinos, I physically gravel-washed them into filter socks everyday for a week. This had the effect of throwing them in the sump where they had to pass through the UV before returning to the Display, while avoiding water-changes. After a week, the sand bed was clean, but the reef structure remained coated with Dinos. I was able to spend about three sessions blowing the Dinos from the rock structure (to further disrupt) and performed a few more gravel washes. In some cases, a total blackout is a little less practical. This strategy was a little more work intensive but eventually worked just as successfully. This tank has been Dino-free for about eight months now. If I see any sign of a possible relapse, I simply reduce the UV flowrate back down to ‘kill-mode’ and we’re good to go. Most inspiring about this system is that I was able to accomplish in two weeks, what I could not in two years because I learned how to properly install a UV Sterilizer.
In summary, I would say this. Dinoflagellates no longer must be the curse that drives so may hobbyists away from this beautiful and awe-inspiring pastime. They are totally beatable. Personally I will never install another reef system without a UV from the start. If installed correctly, UV’s are your best insurance policy for solving Dinoflagellate issues. Good Luck All!!
Regards,
Sheldon J