Fauna Marin Dino X Review: Does It Kill Dinoflagellate?
If you are reading this article, chances are that you are experiencing an outbreak of Dinoflagellates in your saltwater tank and you are hoping that Fauna Marin Dino X will eliminate them.
Does Fauna Marin Dino X kill dinoflagellate?
The honest answer is yes it can, but in my experience only as part of a treatment. Not as the only treatment. For a full treatment plan read this article.
How does Dino X work?
Fauna Marin Dino X is sold as a very strong and effective solution which removes any hairy or plague type algae growth and dinoflagellates in a reef tank. It is available at Amazon here.
On both occasions I’ve used it I have seen a marked improvement from the third dose, not only on dino, but also green hair algae, film algae and general cleanliness in the tank.
Zooxanthellae Are Part Of The Dinoflagellates Family
It might surprise you to find out that zooxanthellae, the symbiotic organism that accompanies and sustains corals, is also a type of dinoflagellate.
As you may know, zooxanthellae utilise minor trace elements for colour, vibrancy and general well-being. They also depend on light to convert inorganic substances into food.
Minor Trace Elements:
Keeping the above in mind the directions of usage given by Fauna Marin state that you should not carry out any water changes, or dose minor trace elements during the treatment.
By holding off on water changes and dosing minor trace elements you are directly impacting the health and well-being of the dinoflagellates – according to Fauna Marin.
However in all likelihood, once you have stopped doing water changes or dosing minor trace elements it may take some time for them to diminish to a level that they can no longer sustain dinoflagellate growth.
To put it into perspective, I did not do a water change for 8 months.
Lighting:
Fauna Marin also explain that the maximum lighting period should be 6 hours daily in total, and that Dino X should be dosed at least 1 hour after the aquarium lights go off.
As dinoflagellates are photosynthetic, they have the ability to turn light into energy, as we know zooxanthellae also do. The lack of light with the inclusion of Dino X at the same time will have a greater negative impact on dinoflagellate.
Logic follows that if they are photosynthetic, then a complete black out would be very beneficial too.
Mechanical Media:
Further instructions advise you to turn off your UV Sterilizer and ozone generator during the treatment. You also need to remove any carbon and phosphate absorbing product.
To put it simply, all you should have running is a good quality skimmer.
- Fauna Marin Dino X is a liquid that works against dinoflagellates frequently found in marine aquaria. It successfully treats dinoflagellate outbreaks in reef aquariums without harming corals and other invertebrates.
- DINO X is intended for use in saltwater aquariums only.
- Recommended Dosing: Use5 ml Dino X per 100 L (26 gals) of aquarium water To prevent overdose, it is essential to calculate the exact volume of aquarium water.
My Experience With Fauna Marin Dino X
The first occasion I used Dino X following only Fauna Marin’s instructions, it seemed to work, but then they came back.
The second time I used it all dino was eradicated from my system, but I did not use Dino X as a sole method of treatment.
Is Fauna Marin Dino X Safe To Use?
If you follow the instructions given, Fauna Marin state no harm should come to your corals, invertebrates and fish.
I ended up with dino in a new setup and decided against adding corals until I could rid the system of it.
My only addition had been fish and inverts which I had transferred over from a smaller tank. My corals had gone into my frag tank.
Neither my fish nor my inverts were affected by the treatment.
Conclusion
During the 8 months I experienced a dino outbreak and trying multiple treatments, I had rock work almost completely covered with the stuff. My gyres needed regular cleaning, and my sandbed was terrible too.
I lost my 4 year old Yellow Tang because it would poke around the affected rock work, and actually had a brown mouth. My Gold Rim Tang and my Regal Tang were unaffected, only eating the nori I provided.
I lost my Sand Sifting Starfish because of the dinoflagellates in the sand bed.
If I had had corals in the tank I am under no illusion that I would have lost many of them too. Dinoflagellates are devastating. If I had been a beginner to marine, I would have packed it all up.
Dino X is a very good product capable of delivering the results that Fauna Marin promise, but with a little help.
Read how I eventually got rid of my dinoflagellates here.
Hi, my name is Craig.
I am the owner of The Salty Side.
Firstly, thank you for visiting us. If you have found this article to be informative, and you now have a better understanding of the topic, then my job is done.
If you are feeling charitable, and feel I deserve a little thank you, I thank you in advance for any support given.
