I have what I am sure are Diatoms (thinks that's what its called) in the tank right now. Should I be worried about this, anything I should be doing. I read that it will go away on its own, but figured I should ask. I have a Two Little Fishes 550 reactor running about 3/4 full of GFO, that's a lot of GFO. It been in the reactor about two weeks with good flow in it, should I change that out?
Diatoms
- Thread starter strout
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I think I would check your phosphates first. Diatoms are only going to happen if you have N and P (nitrates and phosphates) as this is what they feed on. I am not sure how fast the GFO wears out or how much it can keep up with. I am fairly certain with you new tank the N and P should not be much unless your rock had a lot of death occur when you took it out of the bins you had them in. Have you tested you N and P? Also, do you want a frag of the green toadstool?
I was always led to believe it was silicates that encouraged diatoms. It's really not something you can remove. They definitely go away on their own, and are really common during cycling. They often get worse before they get better. Once you add your snails/clean-up crew, they'll get to work on them, too.
Its what most type of sand are made of, also called silica, hence the name silica sand. Other sand is aragonite sand which is supposed to be better for aquarium use. I have used either and would be hard pressed to say I myself found any difference. What are you N and P right now? If the water parameters are Ok you should not need a WC, just as Lotus says it will pass on its own as long as the water parameters are Ok. Well, if you decide you need some attractions for your QT or display let me know I always have a couple to a few frags of something in the tanks.
The sand isn't where the silicates come from, because sand doesn't dissolve. I'm not entirely sure where the silicates come from, but most likely something in the rock. Cell walls of many organisms are made up of silicates, so perhaps the bacteria die-off in a cycling tank is the source of the silicates that lead to diatoms.
Whatever the chemical/biological process is, there's apparently no known way to stop it. Thankfully, it doesn't last much longer than a month or two, depending on how lucky you are.
Whatever the chemical/biological process is, there's apparently no known way to stop it. Thankfully, it doesn't last much longer than a month or two, depending on how lucky you are.