How I got rid of my dinoflagellate

yraveh · 02/19/2018, 05:21 PM

HI everyone.
I was battling dinoflagellate for months. it kills several corals, the sands and rocks were persistently covered with brown slimy layer.
The worst impact was on my green star polyps that were choked under this layer, and the birdnest corals. strings of dino would be attached to the latter.
sounds familiar?
well I searched everywhere for a solution with no avail.
I cut the feeding , up sized my skimmer, changed water(controversial) , changed lighting hours >> none worked. I didnt try the pH since I dont have a pH meter.

eventually I came with the following idea:
I noticed that dino likes to adhere itself to birdnests and other dense low flow surfaces.
I put into the aquarium, ontop of the sand a large 4" filter sock . and a piece of the left over white mesh I used for the DIY screen cover.
they get coated with immense amount of dino.
I would pull them out of the tank fast without letting much water drip back into the tank . I would put them in a clear container, and voila layers of dino would coat the walls and the ~300 ml water would be rown murky with dino.
interestingly to the sock wwould be attached strings of dino, while the mesh had a thick uniformal layer. after 3 days the density of dino on them started to decrease. in 10 days it was all gone. Thnk God its already days without any hint of dinoflagellate.

My 2 cents

Anemone · 02/19/2018, 06:37 PM

I'm not sure I understand what you did to get rid of the dinos. You put a filter sock and white mesh DIY screen cover into the tank, waited for them to get coated with dinos, then transferred that into another container and watched the dinos grow there? How did this impact the dinos in the main tank?

Kevin

yraveh · 02/19/2018, 07:23 PM

I would wash them and put a clean one immediately. (I put them in the clear container briefly , just to observe how much dino came out.)
I am not sure the mechanism. I guess getting rid of mass amount of dino did the trick

yraveh · 02/19/2018, 07:25 PM

it was a daily exchange of the filter sock and the mesh. I held them in place on the sand with a small piece of rock they just touched the sand but most of the sock and mesh were in the water to maximize surface contacting the flowing water

Anemone · 02/19/2018, 08:07 PM

Ah, I got it - manual removal!

Kevin

OldReefGuy · 02/19/2018, 10:20 PM

and check you pH at your LFS

whosurcaddie · 02/19/2018, 11:30 PM

Sounds like nutrient extraction to me.

I've never heard of anyone beating them this way but I know you have to happy now that it's gone! Good luck!

qoeletd · 02/20/2018, 06:23 AM

personally i win my war against Dino...
3 days of darkness, 50ml/day of peroxyde 10vol for a couple of week and daily insertion of Equo bacteria (4 days)
Vanished and never turn back...
I've 90 gallon tank.

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

02/19/2018, 05:21 PM	#1
yraveh Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: North Miami Beach Posts: 562	How I got rid of my dinoflagellate HI everyone. I was battling dinoflagellate for months. it kills several corals, the sands and rocks were persistently covered with brown slimy layer. The worst impact was on my green star polyps that were choked under this layer, and the birdnest corals. strings of dino would be attached to the latter. sounds familiar? well I searched everywhere for a solution with no avail. I cut the feeding , up sized my skimmer, changed water(controversial) , changed lighting hours >> none worked. I didnt try the pH since I dont have a pH meter. eventually I came with the following idea: I noticed that dino likes to adhere itself to birdnests and other dense low flow surfaces. I put into the aquarium, ontop of the sand a large 4" filter sock . and a piece of the left over white mesh I used for the DIY screen cover. they get coated with immense amount of dino. I would pull them out of the tank fast without letting much water drip back into the tank . I would put them in a clear container, and voila layers of dino would coat the walls and the ~300 ml water would be rown murky with dino. interestingly to the sock wwould be attached strings of dino, while the mesh had a thick uniformal layer. after 3 days the density of dino on them started to decrease. in 10 days it was all gone. Thnk God its already days without any hint of dinoflagellate. My 2 cents __________________ Thank You! Current Tank Info: 120g

02/19/2018, 06:37 PM	#2
Anemone Cloning Around Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Valencia, California Posts: 25,267	I'm not sure I understand what you did to get rid of the dinos. You put a filter sock and white mesh DIY screen cover into the tank, waited for them to get coated with dinos, then transferred that into another container and watched the dinos grow there? How did this impact the dinos in the main tank? Kevin __________________ Back in the pool, swimming with the sharks... Current Tank Info: Red Sea 425XL w/Kessil AP700, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 x Vortech MP40s

02/19/2018, 07:23 PM	#3
yraveh Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: North Miami Beach Posts: 562	I would wash them and put a clean one immediately. (I put them in the clear container briefly , just to observe how much dino came out.) I am not sure the mechanism. I guess getting rid of mass amount of dino did the trick __________________ Thank You! Current Tank Info: 120g

02/19/2018, 07:25 PM	#4
yraveh Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: North Miami Beach Posts: 562	it was a daily exchange of the filter sock and the mesh. I held them in place on the sand with a small piece of rock they just touched the sand but most of the sock and mesh were in the water to maximize surface contacting the flowing water __________________ Thank You! Current Tank Info: 120g

02/19/2018, 08:07 PM	#5
Anemone Cloning Around Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Valencia, California Posts: 25,267	Ah, I got it - manual removal! Kevin __________________ Back in the pool, swimming with the sharks... Current Tank Info: Red Sea 425XL w/Kessil AP700, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 x Vortech MP40s

02/19/2018, 10:20 PM	#6
OldReefGuy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 542	and check you pH at your LFS

02/19/2018, 11:30 PM	#7
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	Sounds like nutrient extraction to me. I've never heard of anyone beating them this way but I know you have to happy now that it's gone! Good luck!

02/20/2018, 06:23 AM	#8
qoeletd Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 38	personally i win my war against Dino... 3 days of darkness, 50ml/day of peroxyde 10vol for a couple of week and daily insertion of Equo bacteria (4 days) Vanished and never turn back... I've 90 gallon tank. Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk