Originally published 04/29/2009
Dino’s can be pretty hard to get rid of but if you are diligent you can wipe them out within a weeks time. There is a great article HERE that will greatly aid in the fight to eradicate the problem.
My approach to fighting Dino’s:
-Period of darkness for 72 hours.
-Raise the Ph with kalk to 8.4-8.5
-Add good bacteria to out compete the bad
-Run a Po4 remover such as GFO along with Carbon.
-DO NOT conduct any water changes!!! Water changes and any other vitamins and elements other than CA/ALK will feed the Dino’s and only compound the issue.
-Siphon out all visible Dino’s.
-Use a filter sock. Running a 100 micron filter will aid in capturing any free floating Dino’s. I use filter socks and replace them daily when fighting Dino’s.
-3% Hydrogen Peroxide(1ML per 10GL)
-Zeo Coral Snow/MB7
On the first night of treatment I would blow off and siphon out as much of the Dino’s as possible. Care should be taken not to allow the Dino’s to contact your skin. You should also ventilate the area around the tank, keeping small children away. I and others have experienced respiratory and allergic responses from Dino’s.
After blowing off the rock the Dino’s should now be in suspension. You will want to run your skimmer as wet as possible and install the filter sock. I then dose Zeo Coral Snow with MB7. The Coral Snow binds to the free floating Dino’s so that they can be easily removed via mechanical filtration. I dose the Hydrogen Peroxide in the sump, after the lights have gone out.
Over the next couple days the Dino’s will appear to be gone, but they are not. They are simply floating around in the water column. I dose Coral Snow each night to help bind and remove the free floating Dino’s.
After the 72 hour period you can turn the lights back on for a shortened photoperiod, two hours a day. I would then increase the photoperiod by 30 minutes every three days.
Over the next 30 days you should continue to dose the Peroxide and Zeo Coral Snow in order stave off another Dino bloom. After a month you should be in the clear.
Please don’t take Dino’s lightly. As I have said they can and will wipe out a system if left untreated. They also pose a serious hazard to your health(Based on the strain).
Good luck!
-Sonny
Hello —
I’m currently experiencing Dino’s. I’m looking forward to trying the different procedures in which to try and remove them. Now is probably the best time because I will be converting from LED’s to ATI T5’s. So during the time while I’m making the transition, I will create a period of darkness for the recommended 48-72 hours. I’ve tried Microbacter 7 on two different occasions only to have the Dino’s return. My biggest problem is trying to raise the PH in my system. My PH normally runs between 7.8 & 7.9 at night and no more than 8.1 during the day. Kalk helps, but only momentarily. I’ve tried product like “Balance”, but only to get similar results. I think if I can keep my PH between 8.4 & 8.5 I can probably remove the Dino’s permanently. Any suggestions on how I can raise my PH to 8.4 – 8.5 on a constant basis?
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Hello,
Have you tried using mixing Kalk with the water used to top off your system? This should help keep a consistent buffer on the Ph. If you’re interested you could employ the use of a refugium on a reverse light cycle. The lights for the refugium would come on after the main system lights had gone off. Now this will not raise your Ph but it will help keep it at a stable level throughout the day.
One thing I did do in order to raise my Ph was run an air line from outdoors and connect it to my skimmers air intake. During the winter months C02 can build up in a home, depressing an aquariums Ph. The fresh air drawn in help to alleviate the issue.
One thing I would stress is please do no water changes or anything else that would add nutrients/elements into the system. Dino’s can be a pain to deal with but they can be reined in.
Good luck.
Sonny Harajly