Kinda's Large Tank Adventure (LTA)

[Kindanewtothis]

1 hour ago, mcarroll said:

A dirty skimmer neck reduces skimming performance

Ok, clean-up is more than needed then. My tonze 9001 worked better when dirty.

[Kindanewtothis]

On 1/6/2023 at 7:15 PM, mcarroll said:

If necessary...Eheim's auto feeder is a very reliable choice, and flexible in scheduling up to 8 feedings per day....also uber simple to set up.

 

 

went with an Amazon model. Uses Wi-Fi.

[Kindanewtothis]

[Kindanewtothis]

Ostreopsis...

 

I need a UV...

[ml86743]

9 hours ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Ostreopsis...

 

I need a UV...

Dealing with these now myself...

[mcarroll]

20 hours ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Ostreopsis...

 

I need a UV...

UV is one part.  Micron filtration can help as well (eg Marineland's Polishing Filter) and has no bulbs or filters to replace.  (UV and micron together make an excellent combination.)

 

Are they blooming?  How significant?  (Pic?)

 

If so, PO4 scraping bottom over so much time is the likely "cause".

 

So yes add UV for cleanup if it seems necessary.  But it just become twice as important to keep PO4 nailed at your target level.  Test and dose every day if it's needed....just like we do with alkalinity maintenance.

[ml86743]

Agree w @mcarroll.  Before starting my UV treatment I had to dial in my nutrient levels.  This was preceded by bottomed out PO4 numbers.  Testing multiple times a day was important to understand how the tank utilized what I was putting in, and I currently have found a dosing schedule that works for me.  Providing nutrients helped even before the addition of the UV.  Dosing H202 also had an impact when used properly. (I was pretty hesitant to start this)  Make sure you run some carbon to account for the toxins released by Ostreopsis.   

 

The addition of Microbacter7 seemed to help build the micro-faunal community to out-compete the dinos too.  If you look up a page on FB called "Macks Reef", they have an awesome community as well as guides to beat your specific dino scenario.  I've basically just followed their outlined protocol and it has defiantly been effective. 

[Kindanewtothis]

2 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Are they blooming?  How significant?  (Pic?)

Not blooming, just been suspecting stringy brown things, really few of them, that seems to particulary like the dollar store empty conch shells a got. I have a big brown patch on the sand in the back but my guess in on the remaining diatoms since I mostly eliminated the silica in my ro/di water adding a second Di cartridge. I could not find anything to take in picture. I wouldn't call it a problem yet.

 

2 hours ago, mcarroll said:

If so, PO4 scraping bottom over so much time is the likely "cause".

I think so too. PO4 is between 0.03 and 0.07 when I test it (once or twice a week). Now I have 6 more fishs to feed so I suppose these levels will rise a little with the increased feeding. When the tests results are below 0.05, I dose back up with NeoPhost.

 

1 hour ago, ml86743 said:

The addition of Microbacter7 seemed to help build the micro-faunal community to out-compete the dinos too.  If you look up a page on FB called "Macks Reef", they have an awesome community as well as guides to beat your specific dino scenario.  I've basically just followed their outlined protocol and it has defiantly been effective. 

Yup, Mack and his dino FB page is really helpful. It's there I got the identification.

 

I have deal with dinos before. I had an heavy small cell amphidiniums problem in my previous tank so I was suspecting SCA this time too but the strings are less thick it seems. Anyway the microscope confirms it is not SCA. 

 

I have MB7 and will be dosing some.

 

Also still have dino-x on hand if it becomes out of hands.

 

[ml86743]

Sounds like you're on the right path.  Last ingredient is time!

 

[Kindanewtothis]

1 hour ago, ml86743 said:

Sounds like you're on the right path.  Last ingredient is time!

 

It's a "good" thing that I have dealt with dinos before, I would have not been able to spot it this soon.

[ml86743]

2 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

It's a "good" thing that I have dealt with dinos before, I would have not been able to spot it this soon.

I hear that, my current battle is my first time really dealing with a heavy infestation and at first, I was pretty PO'ed and ready to tear down the tank 😅  After seeing some progress I now know its completely doable and ultimately preventable. 

[mcarroll]

For anyone currently experiencing a dino bloom, the only dino conversation I can really recommend for reference purposes is...

 

Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether? 
 

...over on R2R.   (You might see some familiar faces there!)

 

Same stuff I preach here, obviously....but written down, in public, all in one place so it's easy to refer to.  (And with lots more support than just me!!!) 😉 

 

In that thread, we are 100% science-based, with journal references.  No BS.  No miracle cures.

 

What we recommended (last edit 7/2019) has been proven over the course of thousands of reefers.  You don't have to take someone's word for it – the comments are all in public.  😉 

 

We have had >12K posts in that thread since 3/2017 – around 400 posts per day on average for over 5 years!!! 

 

All of that is dino cures, along with a scant few examples of incurable tanks....almost always made that way by attempted "magic bullet" cures.  😬

 

As such, it addresses ideas like use of peroxide (no), bleach (NO!!), bacterial additives (no) and just about everything else dumb or smart that's been proposed to cure dino's, including most commercial preparations.  

 

There are some situations that call for a little different handling, so you won't find a one-size-fits-all formula or "cure" there.  

 

You will find the answers you need for your tank though.

 

There's so much misinformation, BS and mythology around dino's... 😮‍💨😑🤷‍♂️  That's the whole reason I created my thread.

 

If your tank has a dino bloom happening...

Read the main page on the thread linked above.

 

It's a couple of screen's worth of reading (mostly bullet points) and links, not really that much.  

 

All the other relevant info is about you and your tank.

[Kindanewtothis]

19 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

As such, it addresses ideas like use of peroxide (no), bleach (NO!!), bacterial additives (no) and just about everything else dumb or smart that's been proposed to cure dino's, including most commercial preparations.

I wish to go the natural way, however Dino-X did work for me. It doesn't work alone. You still have to correct the source but it worked as they say and I did not lose any livestock.

 

BUT, like I said, my NO3 and PO4 were high when I used the product, I dosed tons of phyto and added pods (ended up culturing pods because I was adding so much, thinking about starting the culture back) before and after the Dino-X treatment.

 

I also added a big rock from @Melfy77 tank that really seeded my tank after the use of Dino-x.

 

Dinos were eradicated by the product and did not come back due to all the rest. Without Dino-X, I'm not sure I would still have a tank.

[Kindanewtothis]

PO4 must have started to rise from the increased feeding because it's now 0.13.

 

I was wrong, there is a dinos bloom starting because I found this on my tank wall

 

GKM is now in the display tank (I wasn't using it at all). It is not a proper dino fighting UV.

 

I will need to shop for one that could be use in the sump when dinos are gone.

[Kindanewtothis]

Some dinos on my new zoa...

[Kindanewtothis]

Some on the kenya trees too...

[Kindanewtothis]

Any ID on these two?

 

Both come from the Gulf of Mexico.

[Kindanewtothis]

@seabass and idea on what these are (previous post) ?

 

I'm considering adding the rocks and livestock from the Gulf to my tank to boost biodiversity. 

[seabass]

To me, the top one looks like a common bristle worm.  I'm not really sure what the lower one is; but I wouldn't be concerned about it.

[Kindanewtothis]

2 hours ago, seabass said:

not really sure what the lower one is;

 

 

Some sort of macroalgae maybe?

[mcarroll]

I'm guessing sponge?  Looks similar to some I have.

[Kindanewtothis]

39 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

I'm guessing sponge?  Looks similar to some I have.

It does really look like sponge but the way it grows like a plant makes me doubt.

[mcarroll]

I have white sponge that grows the same way.   It's funny how many land critters share form with sea critters.  There are forrest mushrooms that look dead-on like corals, for example.  Sponges that look like plants – definitely.  Non-reefers often ask if corals are plants or flowers when they come into a LFS just to look.

[Kindanewtothis]

Have you ever seen dinos on a fish? 😪

 

My YWG got some in the face.

[Kindanewtothis]

There are still some dinos in the tank. I did now get a proper UV yet. The ones I see are expensive plus you need a pump.

 

Po4 is 0.13, I have some GHA but really not much.

 

I'm planning on adding the rocks, snails and hermits from the sea to the display today. Any advices before I do?

 

I also have vermetid snails and I did not know they were a problem but my candy cane have some on it and it doesn't seems to like it. I cut them but they are everywhere in the tank...