Ahhh.. the diatoms will not go away

M

mcybyk

AC Members
Jan 9, 2008
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Cuyahoga Falls, OH
My tank has been set up now for about 6 months. I am running a Rena XP2 filter and a Emperor 400 HOB. Water parameters are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrates, 8.0 ph, water temp of 78 degrees with 2 40-50%water changes each week (every Wed. and Sun.). I am feeding the fish New Life Cichlid pellets and HBH vegi flakes once per day.

I have been dealing with diatoms for approx. the last 3-4 months and they will not go away. I did add a Phos-Zorb pack to my Rena a little over a week ago, but it does not appear to have made a difference. Do I need to maintain more patience to allow the diatoms to go away on their own, or is their anything else that I can try, short of medicating the tank (something I do not want to do)?
 
I have used ROWA phos with some success.I use it in a fluidized bed reactor that I built myself.If this is something you are interested in,PM and I can send you some pics and info on how to build one.Or you can always just buy one too.
 
Sorry Kay-bee, I meant to include that info - about 6 hours per day. The light is from a 17W bulb. Is this too much time on or too much wattage?
 
Hey mcybyk - sorry to hear about your troubles.

I apologize if you have posted this information somewhere else but someone may be able to help you better if they knew a few more details about your situation. For example:

  1. How long has your tank been set up?
    • Has this been a problem since you started?
  2. What type of substrate are you using?
  3. Is your tank near any source of natural light?
  4. Do you test for phosphates and if so, what are the results?
  5. Does it seem as though the diatoms thrive in specific areas?
  6. Are you sure this is a diatom problem and not a cyanobacteria? (Sorry if I am insulting your intelligence but I know a few people who have made this mistake)
While I realize that most of us can simply 'wait it out' and diatom problems tend to work themselves out but there is no guarantee that the problem cannot or will not persist. A lot of times, adjusting filters or creating more water movement is enough but you may also want or need to pick up a silicate test kit so you can see if that is a problem and if so, find the source.
 
Tommy Gun -

1. Tank has been setup for about 6 months and the problem started 3-4 months ago.
2. Gravel substrate
3. The tank does not get any sunlight, only light from the tank light
4. Have not tested for phosphates
5. The growth is on pretty much on all the rocks, fake plants and decor
6. I have assumed it is a diatom problem since it does wipe clean and takes a few days to come back gradually in what is a new tank.

I will try and pick up a silicate kit and post the results. Thanks.
 
4. Have not tested for phosphates
Click to expand...

Generally, phosphates are often overlooked but usually the 'missing link' with a lot of persistent algae (including diatoms) problems. Like excuzzeme, I've also used some products to help with phosphate control, especially at my last house, and think they work well...but they are somewhat like carbon filter media in that they need to be changed quite often, depending on the amount of phosphate that is available to absorb. Overfeeding is also a big source of phosphates because most, if not all food contains at least a little bit. If you are in a position where you have to make a choice between the phosphate test kit or the silicates test kit, I would go phosphate first. In the meantime, directing some water flow over problematic areas is often discouraging for many types of algae, including diatoms. Sometimes it doesn't even take very much movement...even doing something as simple as placing the filter intake closer to those areas can be enough.

6. I have assumed it is a diatom problem since it does wipe clean and takes a few days to come back gradually in what is a new tank.
Click to expand...

Hopefully someone can correct me if I am wrong but I would say that cyanobacteria can also be wiped clean and will come back in days, if not sooner. It is my understanding that the diatoms would be more rusty, maybe golden brown in color while cyanobacteria can also be brown despite its other common name of blue/green algae and IME, is more slime-like and might make the water smell a bit. Like I said, I don't mean to insult your intelligence and I'm sure you are right about it being diatoms but I've seen a few people mistake the ID and in at least two cases, they were also dealing with a tank that had been up and running for six months to a year so I just thought I would bring it up, just in case.

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P.S. I hope you have a great Veteran's Day excuzzeme and thanks for your service!
 
My local Petsmart did not have either test kit, so I will swing by the lfs tomorrow on my way home. Also, don't worry about insulting my intelligence - I don't take to many things personally. Besides, I was unaware of cyanobacteria. After looking at photos of both, I think that it is diatoms. The growth is rusty in color and based on other posts, I have assumed it is diatoms. However, I will adjust the spray bar from the Rena filter to try something different and once I can find a test kit, will post the results. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Well, I picked up a phosphate test kit. My tank is at zero to .25 - it was hard to tell the difference between the two colors. I then tested my tap water after letting some sit for about 5-10 minutes in a bowl. The level was 1.0.

Based on the above, I can only assume that the Phos-Zorb that I added to my Rena (as mentioned also by excuzzeme) is working. I did also redirect some of the water flow. Is there anything else that I am missing that I should do or try? Or do I simply need to have a little more patience and let things run their course?
 
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