Diatom Algae After 1.5 Years?

[Patrick76]

I'm getting diatom algae all over my sand. No matter what i do helps. I'm using RO water from LFS and tried the stuff from Walmart's water ro fill station thinking it might be the water. Still no help. I am running a octopus skimmer on my tank and pulls some good stuff out every 3 days. I feed my fish about every other day. I have tried doing multiple water changes. I have even sucked the stuff out and keeps coming back.
I have a 29 Gallon
130 Watt Current USA light on for 10 hours a day.
Will post water prems in about 30 mins.
What can i do to get rid of this stuff once and for all?

 

[Bifferwine]

Nothing. :(

In the first year that your tank is set up, you will get diatoms consistently. Nothing you can do but wait it out. Making sure you have nassarius snails in your CUC will help the sand look nicer, though.

If you are using RO water, a protein skimmer, and you are not overfeeding or overstocked, then time will be your best friend.

 

[Patrick76]

But I'm after a year about 6 months over that mark.

 

[Patrick76]

Ammonia 0 ppm
NO3 10
NO2 0
PH 8.2

 

[Ulta]

maybe look in to one of those Algae scrubbers? o.0?

Pretty much it seems the solution is to use up the nutrients that they need to survive from... So if you don't want em growing in your tank maybe building one of those algae scrubbers will be a nice solution for you... It would grow the Algae on the screen instead of growing in your tank. Of course this would require another light to be on and cleaning the screen every week or so...

But, you would always have low Nitrates and Phosphates =D

 

[PRC]

maybe look in to one of those Algae scrubbers? o.0?

Pretty much it seems the solution is to use up the nutrients that they need to survive from... So if you don't want em growing in your tank maybe building one of those algae scrubbers will be a nice solution for you... It would grow the Algae on the screen instead of growing in your tank. Of course this would require another light to be on and cleaning the screen every week or so...

But, you would always have low Nitrates and Phosphates =D

I use an Algae scrubber...They work for green algae, i still get diatoms, my tank has only been up a few months.

 

[ccCapt]

What kind of sand did you use? Diatoms feed on silicates and most playsand is a silica sand which will leach silicates into the water.

 

[sen5241b]

What kind of sand did you use? Diatoms feed on silicates and most playsand is a silica sand which will leach silicates into the water.

1+

I think a big ball of cheato with strong light on it is just as good as an algae scrubber. Set up a fuge.

 

[Patrick76]

Not sure exactly on the right sand without going to my lfs. But I think its Aragamax Sand. Really don't want to make a algae scrubber. Really wanna find out what's causing it and attack that. Also it has to be diatom algae if it is just on the sand right? Brown looking if I leave it there it gets thicker.

 

[Melosu58]

Larry beat me to it. Silicates are a leading cause. I work for a large water municipality and I know that silicates are added to tap water. I know you said you use RO water but you really dont know how or if they change the filters or membranes. You might want to consider your own RO/DI unit. You can get them online for about a hundred dollars.

 

[Gigaah]

Funny all the LFS have diatoms right now too. I know lots of others having the same issue. I don't have an issue I used agronite and I have one sandsifting star and a sand sifting goby so my sand looks new still after 6 months.


Wonder if it has anything to do with something crazy like season change and nutrients being pulled from the lower levels of the sand due to X reason(shrug barometric pressure..hell if i know).


While an algae scrubber isn't for everyone..and a cheato fuge is a tried and true effective solution..no doubt.
I'd take the water parameter "pepsi challenge"with anyone to prove a big ball of cheato isn't nearly as effective a properly built algae scrubber.

 

[coffeebean]

Try cutting the hours your lights are on to 8.

 

[daugherty]

are you shure it is diatoms and not dinos they can look very close to the same

 

[Patrick76]

Not sure I will post a pic tonight and are what you guys think. I can also try 8 hours of light too.

 

[daugherty]

Dinoflagellates- mother of all battles! Help Please - Page 8 - Reef Central Online Community

 

[Patrick76]

Any idea what this is? Its just on the sand.

 

[Gigaah]

To me it looks like your standard diatom growth.

 

[Patrick76]

Well why would this be back again in my tank after 1.5 years? Should i just keep trying to wait it out? I have had this stuff for over a month now.

 

[daugherty]

this does not look like diatoms to me

 

[Patrick76]

Well any guesses?