Dinoflagellates - What a Pest & How I beat it Back

[Salt]

Years and years in the hobby and I finally came face to face with dinoflagellates (Dino).  What a (insert expletive) mess this algae is. 

How I tackled the problem 

I first noticed micro bubbles on the sand bed and some brown algae, so immediate reaction...panic.  My parameters are spot on and I over test my systems weekly even though I can usually detect swings in chemistry by just looking.

After some research I self diagnosed the problem as dinoflagellates -thanks internet images-

First reaction race to marinescape and buy DinoX, second action kills the light source in my tank, turn off reactor and blackout aquarium for 3 days.

In the end, I didn't dose  DinoX I just blacked out the aquarium.  Lost 3 snails :-( , everyone else was fine including the corals.

I'll be using UV, blues and white varieties for a week and then will introduce reds and greens back into my spectrum to ensure the pest stays away.


DON'T GIVE UP WHEN FACED WITH DINO!