Brown Algae - Pics Added

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by Jaws

No calcium reactor. I'm planning on moving the contents of this tank into my 180G within the next month or so though. Would this be a bad idea with the condition it's in?

I actually had to move houses during my second infestation. I mean, it's not like you have the option to wait to move the tank ... Anyhow, I don't know if it was the disruption that the tank move caused, or the fact that it took me about a week to get my halides up and running again (what with all the other things I was focusing on); but after the move the dinos were gone.

So ... tough call. Move the stuff and chance it that it spreads to the new tank, or, hope that the new environment doesn't have whatever-it-is that causes favourable conditions for their rampant plaque-ness...

[Jaws]

Right now I have a 4or 5" sandbed in my 90G and I only plan on having a 1" sandbed in the 180G and that's only in areas where there isn't any live rock. The equipment that i'm using in the new tank is top of the line too. Hopefully that will make a difference. I don't know what to do about my refugium though. Almost every refugium that i've seen has a sandbed but then like Brad says, it's just another nutrient sponge. There's got to be a way to battle dinos. It's not like it's a new problem and there seems to be a number of people with the same problem.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Wasn't there a thread about this a year or so ago, didn't the Sprung book recommend a reduced photoperiod. IE no light for 48 hrs and then minimal light for the next week gradually increasing?
I know they recommend dropping a snail on it to find out if it's Dino's, the dino's sting the snail and it dies pretty much instantly but I don't see how that's thought of being reef friendly.

http://www.algone.com/dinoflagellates.htm
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showqu...q=2&fldAuto=14
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/t_crail.html

Doug

[Jaws]

I'm pretty sure it's dinos. Since it's showed up, I can only see one surviving snail and he hasn't moved in a few days. He's just staying on the same spot on the glass. When you say no light, do you mean no light at all or just turn off the MH's?

[BCOrchidGuy]

I did an edit after a quick google search and added 3 links the last one says no light for 24 Hrs etc etc.. hope it helps.

Doug

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by BCOrchidGuy

I did an edit after a quick google search and added 3 links the last one says no light for 24 Hrs etc etc.. hope it helps.

Doug

Those links are pretty good. I'll reduce the photoperiod, but i'll need to get some kalkwasser and maybe a phosphate reactor.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Jaws

Those links are pretty good. I'll reduce the photoperiod, but i'll need to get some kalkwasser and maybe a phosphate reactor.

Certainly worth a shot, but it didn't help with mine. I did get rid of it for about a month, but it came back stronger than before. I'm now setting up my new tank with all new rock, bleached equipment, etc.
And fwiw, top end equipment won't give you any advantage. Less light, less food, more circ, more alk, and lots of luck.

Remember my first response you said you didn't like?

[christyf5]

Hehe, BCOG, yep there was a thread about it a year ago. That was ME

Jaws,

I can sympathize with you. I've been sporadically fighting this @#^%! since April of last year. It only ever disappears for about a month at a time. Just enough time for a new crop of yellowy algae to grow and a new batch of snails to be introduced before they're all wiped out by the next wave of dinos.

Here are the things I've tried that didn't really work:

water changes/no waterchanges - it didn't seem to matter

decreased photoperiod (down to about 6 hours)/actinics only(12hrs/6hrs/2 hrs)/no photoperiod (including blankets over the tank) - 7 days seems to do the trick in some cases (also cures that nasty SPS problem as well ) but they are only gone for a week or so)

increased alkalinity via Calcium reactor/kalkwasser

increased pH (to about 8.6) - at this point I had no corals to worry about

increased skimming - well as much as my skimmer could handle (time for a new skimmer )

turkey basting/carbon/filter floss to catch particulates - not so good, not only is it labor intensive but a complete waste of time as they're back in a couple of hours

increasing flow - swapped out 2 MJ1200s for 2 802s and bought a 3/4"seaswirl which runs off my mag 9 return pump

replaced sandbed - I currently have a 1" sandbed instead of 2-3". Of course this involved me tearing the tank down and scrubbing all the rocks etc. etc. (as Tony mentioned, a serious upset to the tank can sometimes drive the little buggers off) however the dinos were back in about 3 weeks.

adding ROWAPHOS - I like to think its helping out but I'm not holding my breath, either it helped out really slowly or it just helped me relieve my pocketbook of alot of money

chemipure - see above

replaced Ca reactor media

Eventually I just gave up and let them do their thing. Magically they disappeared (just enough to tick me off after all that work). Of course they have come back since then. Currently I am in a dinoflagellate free period (since jan 18th) and am just about done with the yellow goo that is tasty to snails. I have absolutely no idea what I've done right this time. I just finished up my expected caulerpa bloom which always follows the snail pigout and am pretty sure my tank is gearing up for another round. I'll place my bets on sometime within the next 2 weeks.

I did talk to Eric Borneman about this. He speculated that it could be some sort of toxin from caulerpa (caulerpines or something??) that could be contributing to the bloom since I prune caulerpa usually right before the dinos return. But I've talked to a few people that have dinos and no caulerpa so who knows??

Good luck!

Christy

[clownchick22]

Oh how confusing this topic is! lol
So many algeas so little info on how to determine what is what...

I think I have Diatoms (tank is cycling now), and wiped it all off the glass, seems to be growing back very slow on the glass, but all over my sand..

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by Jaws

When you say no light, do you mean no light at all or just turn off the MH's?

No light at all is better.

Originally Posted by BCOrchidGuy

the last one says no light for 24 Hrs etc etc.. hope it helps.

FWIW ... I was chicken to try the lights-out thing at first. So I first only tried 24 hours. Nope, only dented them, they were back full-force within a day or two. 48 hours was better, but still didn't cure it. Go without light for as long as you can possibly stomach it. It's hard, it's really hard, your impulse is to let the lights go back on.