Fighting Pesky Dinoflagellates & cyanobacteria!

[hma]

Pesky Dinos!

The following measures should be applied at least 7, better 14 days, very strictly to succeed.

-Measures for the reduction of the nutrients in an area near 0 mg (PO4/NO3)

-Admit no new nutrients like trace elements / amino acids and vitamins (NO B12).

-No water changes, on this occasion, also nutrients are introduced.

-The Silicate concentration in the tank must be absolutely 0 mg / l, check your osmosis.

-Raise the pH factor to 8.4, better 8.5; and hold by addition of Kalkwasser. Besides, the alkalinity should raise, or on relatively high level are held (≤ 12 dkH).

-Reduction of the lighting duration (HQI, MH, T5, T8) to maximum 6h / day (lighting duration of blue light can be longer).

-Everyday suck of the layers for the reduction of the population density and reduction of the toxicity.

-The treatment should be finished in no case too early there; otherwise, a high risk rules the infection once more spreads out. Treatment after the entire removal of all visible layers at minimum 7 more days continue.

Other steps:

Phosphat-Adsorber for the whole period, better consecutively, use (Rowaphos, Contraphos, Elimi-Phos, Timo PhosStop), less feed, Temperature lower.


If the treatment is concluded successfully I recommend a change of the sea salt.

... best of luck.

 

[hma]

Pesky Dinos!

In this case some explicatory words why one should raise the pH factor and the carbonate hardness with Kalkwasser:


Kalkwasser is a very old, originally in the sewage technology developed method. To produce Kalkwasser Calciumhydroxid is dissolved possibly in pure osmosis water (UO). Calciumhydroxid I can shop in very pure form in whole Europe in all chemist's shops, unfortunately, I do not know whether in the USA is also possible.

If Kalkwasser reaches fast in the aquarium water, the pH value of the aquarium water is raised also fast. To prevent this, the Kalkwasser should reach only drop by drop in the aquarium or sump (about 1 drop per second and 100 litres aquarum volume). Where the Kalwasser reaches in the aquarium, is at times a very high pH factor which allow the so-called phosphate precipitation. There originate from the calcium particles of the Kalkwasser and the phosphate particles available in the aquarium water a firm indissoluble connection - the calcium phosphate. Thus the excessive phosphate from the aquarium is slowly removed.

If the Kalkwasser method is applied, the pH factor rises with sufficient carbonate hardness about from on an average 0.1 to 0.2 pH steps. This light pH value rise shifts the carbon dioxide-carbonic acid-Hydrogencarbonat-Carbonat-buffer system easily in the direction of Carbonat. Less free carbon dioxide and carbonic acid is given therefore in the other side. These both forms of the carbon cause in aquariums with too high nitrate, phosphate and iron a raised green alga growth (as well dinos). If Kalkwasser is used, the danger of green algae or dino's plague is substantially lower.

 

[Woodstock]

Thanks Heinz for the info above

 

[framerguy]

Thanks Heinz! And thanks Doni Marie for hooking me up, this is great info.

 

[Woodstock]

Thank YOU for the idea

 

[ScubaDrew]

Thanks very much Heinz!

 

[DML08]

nice info... thanks.

 

[CMG]

Is there some kind of table that shows how much kalkwasser to add to your tank in order to get a ph of 8.5 based on the gallons of the tank? I mean I have no idea how many drops to use when I do this. I have a bad red algae problem right now.

 

[hma]

Is there some kind of table that shows how much kalkwasser to add to your tank in order to get a ph of 8.5 based on the gallons of the tank? I mean I have no idea how many drops to use when I do this. I have a bad red algae problem right now.

NO , not as I know .... use the drop method and measure all 15 - 20 minutes the PH. The addition should be in the morning, then the PH is the lowest.

 

[CMG]

Ok, thank you.

 

[CMG]

Ok, so I bought some seachem kalkwasser. Its says to mix 2 teaspoons into 1 gallon of water. So I did that. Then I started a drip line into the tank. So far about 1 cup has been added to the tank and the ph is still the same. So I am assuming it is going to take a lot of this mixture to raise the ph, my concern is that I am going to lower the salinity too much in my tank. Any thoughts?

 

[hma]

In which manner should kalkwasser influence the density or the salinity? No, of course the kalkwasser has NO influence on the salinity or the density in the long term. Your ATO will simply complement a little less osmosis water, any more it does not happen.

 

[CMG]

Ok. Thank you. I think I just get nervous about these things easily. I never really add anything to my tank except when I do a water change and thats just salt water.

 

[wlninja]

Hi Heinz I have a question about the light duration.

You stated that the lights should be on no more than 6 hours but blues can be on longer. I am using 56watt T-5s and right now I run my actinics from 12:00-13:00 then daylight bulbs come on at 13:00 until 21:00. At 21:00 daylights turn off and actinics stay on until 22:00. For your suggestion would it be safe to just cut the length of the daylight bulbs to 6 hours and leave the actinics alone? Or do i need to cut the actinics time down too?

Also will cutting the light down to 6 hours affect corals? I have a Ricordea Florida (2 polyps) and a small Zoa frag (about 40 polyps) will these be ok on reduced lighting?

Thanks!

 

[hma]

Hi Heinz I have a question about the light duration.

You stated that the lights should be on no more than 6 hours but blues can be on longer. I am using 56watt T-5s and right now I run my actinics from 12:00-13:00 then daylight bulbs come on at 13:00 until 21:00. At 21:00 daylights turn off and actinics stay on until 22:00. For your suggestion would it be safe to just cut the length of the daylight bulbs to 6 hours and leave the actinics alone? Or do i need to cut the actinics time down too?

Also will cutting the light down to 6 hours affect corals? I have a Ricordea Florida (2 polyps) and a small Zoa frag (about 40 polyps) will these be ok on reduced lighting?

Thanks!

There you have misunderstood or misread something wininja. The stated lighting duration is valid as a maximum time for Reefer which have problems with DINOFLAGELLATES . The times stated by you are perfect.

As already said, the lighting duration stated in this Thread are valid ONLY for the case of DINOS in the aquarium. OK?

 

[chriswho]

Thanks for the info. I was having a problem with dino's and here are the steps I took.

Day1: Added ph buffer to bring ph to 8.0-8.2, cut lighting cycle and moved to earlier in the day to reduce tank temp.
Day2: Spent approx. 3 hours sucking off the layers of dino's
Day3: Problem already looks alot better. I'd say I decreased the surface area by at least 75%

 

[wlninja]

There you have misunderstood or misread something wininja. The stated lighting duration is valid as a maximum time for Reefer which have problems with DINOFLAGELLATES . The times stated by you are perfect.

As already said, the lighting duration stated in this Thread are valid ONLY for the case of DINOS in the aquarium. OK?

Heinz, I was asking because I have some Cyano and was not sure about cutting the lights back since I have corals in the tank. I am concerned that cutting the lights back to fight the cyano will be detrimental to my corals.

Thanks!

 

[hma]

Heinz, I was asking because I have some Cyano and was not sure about cutting the lights back since I have corals in the tank. I am concerned that cutting the lights back to fight the cyano will be detrimental to my corals.

Thanks!

Ah, there I have misunderstood something, sorry.

Have no doubts to shorten the lighting duration, it damages the corals in no manner. They will look not really good for some time but it does not damage them.

You have Cyanos? Which values have you measured last (ca, mg, dKh, PH, Salinity)? Maybe I can help.

 

[wlninja]

Last night I tested Ca, Mg, Alk, (using Seachem kits) and Po4.

Ca = 410
Mg = 1350
Alk = 4.0 mg/l
Po4 = 0.01 (barely detected by my Salifert kit).

This past weekend when I tested (used Salifert test kits):
Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = 0
Nitrates = 5
SG = 1.026 (Refractometer)

Now I could be mistaken in thinking I have Cyano. I know at one point I had a really bad outbreak and it was on the sand, my rocks, and everywhere. Now its not longer on the sand but most of my live rock is covered in red. If I scrub it with a brush it seems to come off but it doesn't blow off easily.

This is the left side of my tank:
Left Side Algae on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

And an up close shot of my Ric you can see the red spots on the same rock.
Ricordea Florida on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

What are you thoughts?

 

[hma]

OK, thanks wininja. Still it looks after a smaller problem. Even lighter one can act against it. Because the values all in the norm area are the only reasonable way is the density either is to be raised or much better to lower. I would lower the density upon 1,020. Takes every day some litres of the aquarium water and complements it with osmosis water. You make this as long as to the value is reached. I would recommend as a time frame for the lowering 2-3 days.Cyanos react very sensitively to a change of the density.