Diatoms
 

I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a
coincidence that I opened a new bag of salt, same company.
No new anything in the tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on
top of the old, but that didn't stop anything. I change 6
gallons of water per week from the 55 gallon tank. Here's a
pic with a few details:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...l****erID.html
I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk

Diatoms
 

rtk wrote:
I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a coincidence
that I opened a new bag of salt, same company. No new anything in the
tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on top of the old, but that didn't
stop anything. I change 6 gallons of water per week from the 55 gallon
tank. Here's a pic with a few details:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...l****erID.html

I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk

What are your water parameters including Nitrates?

Do you have a refugium setup?

What about your lighting? How many hours a day?

--Kurt

Diatoms
 

KurtG wrote:

rtk wrote:

I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a
coincidence that I opened a new bag of salt, same company. No new
anything in the tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on top of the old,
but that didn't stop anything. I change 6 gallons of water per week
from the 55 gallon tank. Here's a pic with a few details:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...l****erID.html

I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk


What are your water parameters including Nitrates?

Do you have a refugium setup?

What about your lighting? How many hours a day?

--Kurt

Zero nitrates. No refugium, but not a full tank of reefs and
fish, either. Protein skimmer, 6 little pumps blowing every
which way. Minimal feeding. Blue lights 12 hours, white 10.
2 x 96 watts. All of this is the same as it was without the
diatoms.

rtk

Diatoms
 

rtk wrote:
I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a coincidence
that I opened a new bag of salt, same company. No new anything in the
tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on top of the old, but that didn't
stop anything. I change 6 gallons of water per week from the 55 gallon
tank. Here's a pic with a few details:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...l****erID.html

I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk

Just add a small conch or two and stop worrying as to the why.

The conch will make short work of diatoms on sand. Problem solved.

If I had to guess as to what is going on... there must be SOME new
source of nutrients that the diatoms are blooming from - you may want to
test your phospate levels, or just try some phosban or other iron
hydroxide based filter media as see if it helps. Could be organic
matter? Is your skimmer clean? What do you have for cleanup crew for the
sand? (I don't see ANYTHING in the way of sand cleaners on the link you
gave) I am thinking that you simply have to much organic matter trapped
in your sand bed. Which is not bad in and of itself...

Diatoms
 

Add Homonym wrote:

rtk wrote:

I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a
coincidence that I opened a new bag of salt, same company. No new
anything in the tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on top of the old,
but that didn't stop anything. I change 6 gallons of water per week
from the 55 gallon tank. Here's a pic with a few details:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...l****erID.html

I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk


Just add a small conch or two and stop worrying as to the why.

The conch will make short work of diatoms on sand. Problem solved.

If I had to guess as to what is going on... there must be SOME new
source of nutrients that the diatoms are blooming from - you may want to
test your phospate levels, or just try some phosban or other iron
hydroxide based filter media as see if it helps. Could be organic
matter? Is your skimmer clean? What do you have for cleanup crew for the
sand? (I don't see ANYTHING in the way of sand cleaners on the link you
gave) I am thinking that you simply have to much organic matter trapped
in your sand bed. Which is not bad in and of itself...


Thank you! I do have a variety of snails. I put a new green
chromis in and never saw him again, so I might have that
little source. I'll stick a brush down the narrow tube of
the skimmer and see if that's messed up. I reduced the
lights to 6 hours a day and will them back up when things
calm down. I'm also siphoning up the ugly ickies every other
day. Now I'll look for a conch.

rtk

Diatoms
 

Add Homonym wrote:
rtk wrote:
I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a
coincidence that I opened a new bag of salt, same company. No new
anything in the tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on top of the old,
but that didn't stop anything. I change 6 gallons of water per week
from the 55 gallon tank. Here's a pic with a few details:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...l****erID.html

I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk

Just add a small conch or two and stop worrying as to the why.

The conch will make short work of diatoms on sand. Problem solved.

If I had to guess as to what is going on... there must be SOME new
source of nutrients that the diatoms are blooming from - you may want to
test your phospate levels, or just try some phosban or other iron
hydroxide based filter media as see if it helps. Could be organic
matter? Is your skimmer clean? What do you have for cleanup crew for the
sand? (I don't see ANYTHING in the way of sand cleaners on the link you
gave) I am thinking that you simply have to much organic matter trapped
in your sand bed. Which is not bad in and of itself...


Normally Diatom blooms come from Silca. And your water source is
normally the main source of diatoms. Are you using RO/DI water? If not
I would be willing to bet that you have silca in your water source and
that is causing the diatom bloom.

Also adding that inch of fine sand could have released some silca into
the tank also, if it was added before the bloom I would say it was the
source, but with it being added after the bloom it could not have caused
the initial bloom.

Kim

Diatoms
 

kim gross wrote:
Normally Diatom blooms come from Silca.

Silica, right? Silicon dioxide which acidifies when dissolved in water.

And your water source is
normally the main source of diatoms.

You meant silica again, right?


Are you using RO/DI water? If not
I would be willing to bet that you have silca in your water source and
that is causing the diatom bloom.

Interesting. I heard that silica doesn't belong in a reef aquarium, but
I never knew why.

--Kurt

Diatoms
 

rtk wrote:

Thank you! I do have a variety of snails. I put a new green chromis in
and never saw him again, so I might have that little source. I'll stick
a brush down the narrow tube of the skimmer and see if that's messed up.
I reduced the lights to 6 hours a day and will them back up when things
calm down. I'm also siphoning up the ugly ickies every other day. Now
I'll look for a conch.

rtk

what type of snails? Turbo's and astreas don't do much for the sand.
Cerith and Nassariuses do a good job of eating stuff off (and slightly
under) the sand.

Problem with conchs is of course thay can get quite big. But they eat
the crap up faster than snails, in my experience. (which is somewhat
limited)

By the "narrow tube" of the skimmer... you mentioned you had an aqua c
remora I think? Do you mean the "spray injection" tube? You might check
that, but what I meant is is there crap growing on the inside of the
reaction chamber and or intake tube? Do you have the preskimmer/baffle
thingy that they sell as an option for the remora's? If not, and if
there is crap growing inside the reaction chamber, it COULD be that your
skimmer is putting out water with more dissolved organics in it than the
water that is going INTO it.

Diatoms
 

kim gross wrote:
Add Homonym wrote:

rtk wrote:

I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a
coincidence that I opened a new bag of salt, same company. No new
anything in the tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on top of the old,
but that didn't stop anything. I change 6 gallons of water per week
from the 55 gallon tank. Here's a pic with a few details:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...l****erID.html

I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk


Just add a small conch or two and stop worrying as to the why.

The conch will make short work of diatoms on sand. Problem solved.

If I had to guess as to what is going on... there must be SOME new
source of nutrients that the diatoms are blooming from - you may want
to test your phospate levels, or just try some phosban or other iron
hydroxide based filter media as see if it helps. Could be organic
matter? Is your skimmer clean? What do you have for cleanup crew for
the sand? (I don't see ANYTHING in the way of sand cleaners on the
link you gave) I am thinking that you simply have to much organic
matter trapped in your sand bed. Which is not bad in and of itself...


Normally Diatom blooms come from Silca. And your water source is
normally the main source of diatoms. Are you using RO/DI water? If not
I would be willing to bet that you have silca in your water source and
that is causing the diatom bloom.

Also adding that inch of fine sand could have released some silca into
the tank also, if it was added before the bloom I would say it was the
source, but with it being added after the bloom it could not have caused
the initial bloom.

Kim

Yes. Of course. Likely you hit it right on the head.

Diatoms
 

KurtG wrote:

Interesting. I heard that silica doesn't belong in a reef aquarium, but
I never knew why.

--Kurt

I don't understand what the big deal is. Diatoms are harmless.

Diatoms
 

Silica is not even close to silcates. Silicates make problems silcia
is inert and comprises 97% of all ocean bottom and beach sands.




On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:04:13 -0500, KurtG
wrote:

kim gross wrote:
Normally Diatom blooms come from Silca.

Silica, right? Silicon dioxide which acidifies when dissolved in water.

And your water source is
normally the main source of diatoms.

You meant silica again, right?


Are you using RO/DI water? If not
I would be willing to bet that you have silca in your water source and
that is causing the diatom bloom.

Interesting. I heard that silica doesn't belong in a reef aquarium, but
I never knew why.

--Kurt



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

Diatoms
 

kim gross wrote:



Normally Diatom blooms come from Silca. And your water source is
normally the main source of diatoms. Are you using RO/DI water? If not
I would be willing to bet that you have silca in your water source and
that is causing the diatom bloom.

Also adding that inch of fine sand could have released some silca into
the tank also, if it was added before the bloom I would say it was the
source, but with it being added after the bloom it could not have caused
the initial bloom.

Kim

I use RO/DI and the canisters are quite fresh. I added the
fine sand to solve the problem, but you're right that now
it's worse. I'm hoping lessening the light will help because
it doesn't accumulate overnight.

rtk

Diatoms
 

Add Homonym wrote:


By the "narrow tube" of the skimmer... you mentioned you had an aqua c
remora I think? Do you mean the "spray injection" tube? You might check
that, but what I meant is is there crap growing on the inside of the
reaction chamber and or intake tube? Do you have the preskimmer/baffle
thingy that they sell as an option for the remora's? If not, and if
there is crap growing inside the reaction chamber, it COULD be that your
skimmer is putting out water with more dissolved organics in it than the
water that is going INTO it.

I mean the very skinny tube that requires removal of a
plastic screw to put a 1/2 inch cleaner down. I clean the
skimmer twice a week. Tomorrow I'm going to take down the
whole skimmer and scrub all of it.

rtk

Diatoms
 

"Tristan" wrote in message
...
Silica is not even close to silcates. Silicates make problems silcia
is inert and comprises 97% of all ocean bottom and beach sands.

Beat up any old granmothers today yet tristan? punch them in the face eh?
Why yo udont attack the men?
remeber before you lose ISP tristan when you were Roy? Wich old granny this
one was, eh?

"Roy" Tristan wrote in message
...
I used to use a product called a Windsong, it was later changed to
the name of Roy Mckoi, and then later it became a Roy lo.......but
its genetically known as a Roy Wolf. It worked fine except yu had
to keep holdiing its head under while it sucked up the skum. Perhaps a
few bricks or weights around the neck of that device would make it
work better.......



On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:04:13 -0500, KurtG
wrote:

kim gross wrote:
Normally Diatom blooms come from Silca.

Silica, right? Silicon dioxide which acidifies when dissolved in
water.

And your water source is
normally the main source of diatoms.

You meant silica again, right?


Are you using RO/DI water? If not
I would be willing to bet that you have silca in your water source
and
that is causing the diatom bloom.

Interesting. I heard that silica doesn't belong in a reef aquarium,
but
I never knew why.

--Kurt



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

Diatoms
 

Yep, Since "silica" is shorter than "silicon" one would
tend to think that "silica" was the name for the element,
instead of "silicon" But "silicone" is the element. Now
why couldn't scientist have done a better job of naming? :-)


Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Tristan wrote on 1/10/2007 5:06 PM:
Silica is not even close to silcates. Silicates make problems silcia
is inert and comprises 97% of all ocean bottom and beach sands.




On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:04:13 -0500, KurtG
wrote:

kim gross wrote:
Normally Diatom blooms come from Silca.

Silica, right? Silicon dioxide which acidifies when dissolved in water.

And your water source is
normally the main source of diatoms.

You meant silica again, right?


Are you using RO/DI water? If not
I would be willing to bet that you have silca in your water source and
that is causing the diatom bloom.

Interesting. I heard that silica doesn't belong in a reef aquarium, but
I never knew why.

--Kurt



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

Diatoms
 

Can anyone explain to me in simple terms what Diatoms are. I tried to
google it, but the site are all checical this or chemcal that. Its beyond
what I know.
Thanks
"rtk" wrote in message
...
I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a
coincidence that I opened a new bag of salt, same company.
No new anything in the tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on
top of the old, but that didn't stop anything. I change 6
gallons of water per week from the 55 gallon tank. Here's a
pic with a few details:

http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...wSal****er/Sal
****erID.html
I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk

Diatoms
 

single cell algae.

http://www.indiana.edu/~diatom/diatom.html

Diatoms are unicellular algae generally placed in the family
Bacillariophyceae. The cell walls of these organisms are made of silica,
and the varied shapes and beautiful ornamentation of these walls made
the study of the diatoms and related siliceous organisms a favored
pursuit of the microscopical pioneers.


Peter Pan wrote:
Can anyone explain to me in simple terms what Diatoms are. I tried to
google it, but the site are all checical this or chemcal that. Its beyond
what I know.
Thanks
"rtk" wrote in message
...
I've developed a nasty case of brownies. I think it's just a
coincidence that I opened a new bag of salt, same company.
No new anything in the tank. I tried an inch of fine sand on
top of the old, but that didn't stop anything. I change 6
gallons of water per week from the 55 gallon tank. Here's a
pic with a few details:

http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...wSal****er/Sal
****erID.html
I'd appreciate any suggestions. It is seriously ugly.

rtk

Diatoms
 

I found this site when I looked it up, and it I didn't understand it. I
wanted to know more specifically what it looks like how do you know if you
have it and why is it bad.




http://www.indiana.edu/~diatom/diatom.html

Peter Pan wrote:
Can anyone explain to me in simple terms what Diatoms are. I tried to
google it, but the site are all checical this or chemcal that. Its
beyond
what I know.
Thanks

Diatoms
 

Don't you get Brown algae on your glass? I need to clean mine almost
daily. It's not really algae, but diatoms.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/alg...algaediato.htm

--Kurt



Peter Pan wrote:
I found this site when I looked it up, and it I didn't understand it. I
wanted to know more specifically what it looks like how do you know if you
have it and why is it bad.



http://www.indiana.edu/~diatom/diatom.html

Peter Pan wrote:
Can anyone explain to me in simple terms what Diatoms are. I tried to
google it, but the site are all checical this or chemcal that. Its
beyond
what I know.
Thanks

Diatoms
 

I have some but not a lot. I need to clean it about once a month or so. I
never knew what it was, I always thought is was a bi-product of over
feeding.
Other then an eye sore, is it harmful to the tank?
"KurtG" wrote in message
...

Don't you get Brown algae on your glass? I need to clean mine almost
daily. It's not really algae, but diatoms.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/alg...algaediato.htm

--Kurt



Peter Pan wrote:
I found this site when I looked it up, and it I didn't understand it. I
wanted to know more specifically what it looks like how do you know if
you
have it and why is it bad.



http://www.indiana.edu/~diatom/diatom.html

Peter Pan wrote:
Can anyone explain to me in simple terms what Diatoms are. I tried to
google it, but the site are all checical this or chemcal that. Its
beyond
what I know.
Thanks

Diatoms
 

Peter Pan wrote:
Other then an eye sore, is it harmful to the tank?

I don't think so, but then again I'm a newbie. :-)

Diatoms
 

Peter Pan wrote:
I have some but not a lot. I need to clean it about once a month or so. I
never knew what it was, I always thought is was a bi-product of over
feeding.
Other then an eye sore, is it harmful to the tank?


Actually diatoms are a good food source for your pods. Most algeas are
not harmful to the tank unless they are overgrowing your other creatures.

Kim

Diatoms
 

kim gross wrote:


Actually diatoms are a good food source for your pods. Most algeas are
not harmful to the tank unless they are overgrowing your other creatures.

Kim


Sometimes it can be problematic. I have had issues with the diatoms in
my tank lately sneaking out at night, signing up for a german news
provider, and then trolling rec.ponds pretending to be tristan. I never
knew diatoms knew how to forge headers.

If you have a lot of diatoms, make sure your tank is not too close to
your computer.