Ultra algae x
- Thread starter Fishdad1
- Start date
Thanks for updating.
Fishdad1
Member
Morning after 2nd dose. I'd estimate that dino growth in hindered by about 95% right now. If you weren't looking for them you wouldn't see them at this point. They probably colonize a bit more throughout the day as the light intensifies but hopefully that will be negligible too.
All livestock still appears to behaving normally. In fact despite dosing, my purple gorgonian and pink tree corals seem to be improving. For what ever reason they attract a lot of dino growth on their flesh and have looked fairly dreary as the outbreak intensified.
One thing I am going to watch out for is my snails and urchin. I'm worried they could run out of food and turn on my corals since this stuff obliterates algae.
All livestock still appears to behaving normally. In fact despite dosing, my purple gorgonian and pink tree corals seem to be improving. For what ever reason they attract a lot of dino growth on their flesh and have looked fairly dreary as the outbreak intensified.
One thing I am going to watch out for is my snails and urchin. I'm worried they could run out of food and turn on my corals since this stuff obliterates algae.
Fishdad1
Member
Thanks. I would but I never took any pictures of the tank before cleaning up all the dinos. I was fairly obsessive about not letting them growing to much so I would remove them at least 3 or 4 times a day.
Update: 100% zero dino growth since this morning. The dislodged dinos are everywhere though, and collecting detritus. Nothing a turkey baster can't take care off.
Update: 100% zero dino growth since this morning. The dislodged dinos are everywhere though, and collecting detritus. Nothing a turkey baster can't take care off.
Fishdad1
Member
Update: Dinos appeared gone at night but again began to slowly grow as lights ramped up. I decided to add a second prong to the attack. A 3 day total blackout. Not even ambient light. I left enough room for oxidation.
Based on other accounts this treatment has been successful by it self about 50% of the time and no one reported coral loss. So in conjunction with the Algae X, I have high hopes. We'll see on Wednesday at 3pm.
Based on other accounts this treatment has been successful by it self about 50% of the time and no one reported coral loss. So in conjunction with the Algae X, I have high hopes. We'll see on Wednesday at 3pm.
slfcaptain
Active Member
Good luck!
steve
steve
I had an issue with dinoflagellates in my 16g nano and I used Dr. Tim's Waste Away once a week which either worked for me or coincidentally it went away in the 2-3 weeks of using it. I know a lot of folks don't believe in the bacteria in a bottle but in theory and practice it worked for me. Just one person's experience that I thought I'd throw your way if interested.
Fishdad1
Member
Thanks Whippitguy, I looked into the bacteria theory and I liked it. Its success rate was about 50/50 but that could be due to "applicator error". I guess its basically why people with algae scrubbers usually don't get dinos - they are out competed. However I have been in communication with one of the scientist at German based Fauna Marin who experiments whit Ultra Algae X (not Mischko), he claimed that raising the nutrient level would help to eliminate dinos. To me that sounds counter intuitive to the idea of an algae scrubber but could fall in line with what Mischko said about needing trates and phates within a certain ratio, not zero as most people strive for.
BTW I am told that the active ingredient in Ultra Algae X is all natural and works to block the metabolism in all algae present in the aquarium but does not affect Zooxanthellae Dinoflagellates b/c they are protected by the coral and coralline is not affected until after the 21 day mark. It is not toxic to fish and coral, however the danger comes from overdosing due to the redox potential of the active ingredient. - I thought that was interesting.
BTW I am told that the active ingredient in Ultra Algae X is all natural and works to block the metabolism in all algae present in the aquarium but does not affect Zooxanthellae Dinoflagellates b/c they are protected by the coral and coralline is not affected until after the 21 day mark. It is not toxic to fish and coral, however the danger comes from overdosing due to the redox potential of the active ingredient. - I thought that was interesting.
Mischko
Member
LOL I am 10 minutes away from Fauna Marin by car, but I don't work there ;-) .... yet.
I am sure they told you to raise the nutrition levels abit to get them into balance again. As I said several times before, you have to keep in mind, nutritions are needed not only for your corals, but also for the bacteria to grow. If you cut off one nutrition source almost completely you give one species coping with such an environment a huge advantage over all others and that species will take this advantage thankfully by spreading uncontrallable.
I am sure they told you to raise the nutrition levels abit to get them into balance again. As I said several times before, you have to keep in mind, nutritions are needed not only for your corals, but also for the bacteria to grow. If you cut off one nutrition source almost completely you give one species coping with such an environment a huge advantage over all others and that species will take this advantage thankfully by spreading uncontrallable.
Fishdad1
Member
Say Hi to Claude for me, he was very helpful.
After reading more on nutrients in the aquarium I agree with you. However the more I read about dinos, the more I think they can be avoided with proper QT techniques. Once you get them they can be very prolific in low nutrient systems, like you said Mischko, no competition. Claude from FM seemed to agree, he told me that once you eliminate dinos they usually do not return.
On that same note, I have confirmed that three separate saltwater stores in my area are currently battling a dino outbreak of their own. To me that has "contagious" written all over it.
slfcaptain
Active Member
Fishdad, are there any specific websites that you are getting info from? Any good reading you can share?
steve
steve
Mischko
Member
He should know one or two things after 25 years ;-) Hope he won't read this hehe! Pretty sure I get a comment this Saturday when I go there.
On the contagious part, I am not too sure if that is really possible. I can imagine that you can get 'infected' with a dino species feeling really comfy in your specific tank environment and then outbreak, but I am pretty sure, that very moment you add something like life rock, a coral frag, a fish to your new tank, you will have dinos, cyanos, diatoms and some stuff more.
On the contagious part, I am not too sure if that is really possible. I can imagine that you can get 'infected' with a dino species feeling really comfy in your specific tank environment and then outbreak, but I am pretty sure, that very moment you add something like life rock, a coral frag, a fish to your new tank, you will have dinos, cyanos, diatoms and some stuff more.
Fishdad1
Member
That's true, however I think dinos would be an exception, at least with the photosynthetic strains.
Sorry slfcaptain, almost all of my "dino theories" are based on anecdotal evidence. Over the past 2 months I have scoured the internet for anything scientific and their really isn't much. I really think I have read just about every forum post in existence from people who have battled these things... the successes and the failures. Randy Holmes has a few good articles that covers dinos in some detail but fails to identify their "limiting factor", which is the key to fighting any algae.
The problem is there are 5000 different strains in the wild and they vary greatly in their limiting factors. Causes of Red Tides (dino blooms) are a total mystery to marine biologist.
I feel confident to make the claim that they will show their ugly face if introduced. I can't prove it, but look at the situation here... I had no dinos for months and neither did any fish store I had visited. Then I start buying coral from a newly opened fish store and with out any water parameter change I get a dino outbreak. That same fish store I had used also gets a dino outbreak that began and progressed at the same rate as my outbreak. Three months goes by and two more fish stores with in 50 miles of each other who never before had dinos now have them.
That to me suggest that water parameters and quality have very little to do with dino outbreaks. After trade ins and swaps and donations its more than plausible that an algae, that fish keepers are relatively unfamiliar with, would spread in this manner. How many of them do you think actually QT live rock and coral?
Sorry I know that's a bit long winded but its what I have observed. I'm not an MB and have very little experience in marine fish keeping compared to many of you. But, like I said, these are just my theories based on observations since there is very little scientific research to pull from.