Lights out and worried...

[Jova]

Hello... I have a nasty problem with what I believe are Dinoflagelates in my tank, and I'm on the 2nd day of a recommended 3-day "lights out" period. What has me worried is that my corals and long tent anemone were not doing well before I went lights out, and I peeked under the blankets that I have covering the tank today, and all of my corals look terrible and my 2 percula clowns that normally NEVER leave their anemone were swimming around on the other side of the tank. Since my corals and anemone weren't doing well before, is there a chance that shutting the lights off for 3 days to deal with the dino's could be so harmful to my corals that it's not worth it? Or am I worrying too much and the corals should rebound after the lights come back on? I certainly have to do something about the dino/algea problem, but I'm just kinda freaking out right now... Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

[asonitez]

Hiya,
I am an advocate of the 3 day timeout but I would have waited until your nem and stuff was doing better. In the wild it is normal during storm and some season for corals not to get light for extended periods of time. It is even normal for a coral to be exposed to the elements out of the water for hours at a time during low tide. Since your tank is covered make sure

Temperature is in check
You are Aerating your tank and making sure that The tank gets enough Oxygen Exchange. Make sure that your tank is also not overheating or because of the constant lights out your PH is all over the place. If this is the case try correcting it until the final day using commercial products. If not you should end the lights out immediately and reduce your photo period instead. Skim wet and blow off your rocks and stuff with a powerhead. The goal is to maintain normal tank params eliminating the photosynthesis phase to kill the dino's

[Jova]

I uncovered the tank tonight and turned the lights back on after 72 hours. The nasty brown dino crap that was all over everything is no longer, but there are the stringy looking pieces drifting in the water everywhere. Anemone looks the same, and the clowns immediately went back to it, and it's starting to open slightly after just a few minutes. All corals seem fine, just closed, except for one little xenia frag that was near dead before I went lights out. So now do I reduce the lights on period and repeat the lights out period again after a week? or just reduce the daily photo period? I'm new to this

[SABOB]

I usually perform a water change (10%) after a 3 day lghts out period.I think it helps export the waste that the lights out clears up.Not sure if this is true,but seems to help.

[mtisc323]

And siphon out any of the stringy stuff thats left ... also if your nem isnt waking up, try target feeding him a little, and he should bounce right back