diatom problem in cichlid tank...
- Thread starter fish_chic
- Start date
okay i am getting ready to do a wc on my 55 gal and didn't know what i should do about the diatoms. i know that if you wipe it off it just spreads more so what should i do. should i wipe if off and do about a 50% wc and see what happens or just leave it and let it go away on its own. and like i said before about what causes it (the overfeeding) should i maybe cut back to feeding every other day. i am only feeding once a day.
I'd just go ahead and scrape it off anyway.
I've had this problem in my 38 gal. tank as of late, and I think it could be partly an overfeeding issue, but also the fact that it is a new setup.
I use an algae scrubber to scrape it off and vacuum up any that might happen to be on the substrate. Rinsing out filter sponges in the discarded tankwater is critical too, as these end up collecting a lot of the brown crud that you wipe off the walls and other surfaces.
Just scrape it off with the scrubber. Anything else that it is covering can be cleaned by using your fingers to wipe it and/or remove it from the tank and run it under some tap water. A 50% water change would be fine, but I don't know that taking out this much is really necessary.
Hope this helps.
BV
I've had this problem in my 38 gal. tank as of late, and I think it could be partly an overfeeding issue, but also the fact that it is a new setup.
I use an algae scrubber to scrape it off and vacuum up any that might happen to be on the substrate. Rinsing out filter sponges in the discarded tankwater is critical too, as these end up collecting a lot of the brown crud that you wipe off the walls and other surfaces.
Just scrape it off with the scrubber. Anything else that it is covering can be cleaned by using your fingers to wipe it and/or remove it from the tank and run it under some tap water. A 50% water change would be fine, but I don't know that taking out this much is really necessary.
Hope this helps.
BV
thanks BV i ended up just wiping everything off which ended up me taking all the rocks out (which is alot) and rearranging them. so i will see what happens with the diatoms i am going to cut back to every other day with the feedings. i always tend to overfeed them a bit, i really haven't gotten the hang of that. i do try to put a little bit of food in at a time to make sure they eat all of it before i add more.