Dinos ate my baby

[Havok_9]

I'm throwing the towel in, I'm giving up on my current 30 gallon. It's been completely ravaged by not only cyano but dinos as well. I've been fighting for about four months, and until recently I've been able to keep it at bay to where its mostly just a cosmetic issue.... up until last week. I lost 4 out of my 5 fish (including a mated/trained pair of dragonets FML) when overnight my tank turned brown with globs of brown snot. I've done the lights out method for 7 days, not feeding for 4-5, water changes, no water changes, taken all the rockwork out and scrubbed every inch with a toothbrush, turned skimmer on heavy for wet skim. Im 'sustaining' right now. I've got a couple corals left, a clam, a clown fish, and a barely hanging on anemone that I'm working to keep alive until I've got my new tank setup.

 

My question is... how do I get my old stock in my new tank without contaminating it? I figure the corals should be pretty straight forward, I'll just dip them in either coral Rx or peroxide (or both), the fish I'll just make sure not to transfer any water with it, but I'm unsure mostly about the clam..

 

I see little strings of what I think are dinos already growing on his shell (I use a turkey baster to blow it off about 2 or three times a day, or give it a light toothbrushing). Am I dooming my new setup if I try and transfer old stock into it?

[Jellyingabout]

Sad to hear the tank is doomed. At least you get to start the adventure over again

 

What type of clam? maxima and crocea are frequently found in the intertidal in the wild and so can tolerate freshwater dips well, not so sure about the others.

[Havok_9]

It breaks my heart looking at my current tank knowing I'll be decommissioning it within a week, its been my first reef, but am looking forward to a fresh start and the excitement of a new build.

 

I believe its a maxima, its got the large scalloped ridges. When I bought it, it wasn't labeled.

[Jellyingabout]

I would dip him in RODI brought up to tank temp and give his shell a scrub. I know the clam doesn't have pinch but google pinched mantle dip methods to see how its down.

[CJJon]

Start over as long as you learn from the first tank. I mean, what is the issue with this particular tank that a new tank won't repeat? I'm not trying to be crass, I am genuinely interested.

 

Starting over a tank is not all that hard really. Figuring out what to do differently is the rub.

[paulrw]

i'd have to agree with cjjon, i would try to figure out what is the cause of the problem, other wise you might just wind up with the same mess and a lot of wasted time. i would start with your water maybe have your ro/di tested find out what the tds is you might need new filters. if your not using ro/di water or distilled water that could be your problem. good luck.

[Tamberav]

Freshwater dip but there is no guarantee. Nem's/corals can carry dino inside them.

[Pinner Reef]

I'd be worried you transfer them as well regardless of how careful you are. It only takes one living organism and the proper environment for the whole cycle to begin anew.

[Havok_9]

I buy my water from a very reliable local reef shop, never got around to doing my own ro/di, so I don't think the source of my problem is there.

 

The only mistake I can think that I made was becoming sloppy over time when introducing new stock. I got complacent and stopped dipping new corals when I got them, didnt quarantine fish, so could the dinos have been introduced to my tank that way?

 

I've had a pretty regular maintenance schedule other wise. 25% weekly water changes, feeding every other day, running a skimmer.

A couple days ago I put in a baggie of chemi pure blue to help, not sure if thats a step in the right direction.

[CronicReefer]

This is just a theory but high CO2 levels in your tank can cause cyano/algae blooms and if you weren't having any other nutrient issues this is something to consider.

[jedimasterben]

My question is... how do I get my old stock in my new tank without contaminating it?

Unfortunately, if you've confirmed dinoflagellates, you don't.

[jmsalt1]

I'd be worried you transfer them as well regardless of how careful you are. It only takes one living organism and the proper environment for the whole cycle to begin anew.

 

X2. No guarantees you can keep them out. Think about how resilient they are! If you are serious about the whole restart approach, I wouldn't put anything from the old system into the new one. All fish and corals going forward would need to go thru QT, 6-8 weeks minimum. So using that approach anything coming from your existing tanks should / could go thru the QT before any thought of moving them to your new DT. Think about the Wholesalers, retailers, and all the volume that runs thru their interconnected tanks!

[Steve973]

I had the same problem with my IM Fusion 20. I ended up rebuilding my tank and starting from scratch. I did actually transfer some zoanthid frags, and I periodically treat with a couple days of darkness plus some 50/50 peroxide/tank water dips. I'm at about four weeks and there's no sign of dinoflagellate plague. I've heard that dinos are in our tanks no matter what, it is just a matter of the right (or wrong) conditions that cause them to increase to plague-like proportions. But I am not really sure. I will do my best to maintain the best conditions and see what happens.

[DefStatic]

My first thought was massive QT effort. And really need to figure out what the problem/cause was so it doesn't happen again.

[CJJon]

I buy my water from a very reliable local reef shop, never got around to doing my own ro/di, so I don't think the source of my problem is there.

 

 

Bah, don't trust anyone with your water--ever. Do you test what they give you? IMO, you really do need to make 100% sure to test all water going into your tank regardless of the source. I make all my own water and I test everything.

 

Trusting that your water is fine is unwise at best. Especially so if you are having problems.

[dillct]

I read a thread on RC where folks were using Cuprisorb with positive results. They didn't have any real scientific explanation for why it worked, but might be a low cost attempt at helping your problem.

 

Personally, I've used peroxide and lights out to get rid of mine and what was left slowly died off over the course of several months. The bubbly brown snot is evil stuff.