Diatoms or What?!

[NanaReefer]

12wk old 40B/20L sump. Wp10/MP10/Sicce 2.0 return/SCA-301 skimmer/180w LED 30/50% max.
Bi-weekly 10g WC. 2 fish, assorted snails, LPS/SPS.
Ca=440
Alk=8.4
Mag=1600
NO2/NO3=0
Ammonia=0
PO4=0.01
Temp=79.9

No dosing of any kind. Lights ramp up/down 8hrs. Feed lightly 1-2x daily.

I cannot figure out what the heck this stuff is. Looks like diatoms but thicker. Actually seems to glue the sand particles together, making it impossible to siphon out, without taking the sand with it. In several places it is actually green with little tufts of what looks like hair algae.
Several times I've gently raked the sand bed surface, only to have it come right back the following day. I ran PhosGaurd for several weeks with not results.
I do not nor can I run a reactor atm. I don't know what elae to do.

 

[fishroomlady]

it sure looks like diatoms to me

 

[kschweer]

it sure looks like diatoms to me

+1. Try gently stirring the sand bed to break it up some before vacuuming. It's easier vacuuming out the smaller pieces.

 

[kschweer]

Double post...sorry

 

[NanaReefer]

Double post...sorry

Thanks for the help both of you It looks like diatoms but sure doesn't act like em. It's only on my SB & glass.
Any recommendations for a good silicate remover?

 

[asandbox]

Is this also diatoms?

Do you have this in your tank as we'll?

 

[NanaReefer]

Is this also diatoms?

Do you have this in your tank as we'll?

Could be diatoms. What I have doesn't look like that though.

 

[Frostyfish]

Is this also diatoms?

Do you have this in your tank as we'll?

I have the exact same stuff growing on my glass. I had clumps in my sand as well. I removed the clumps, have been scraping the glass often, increased water changes, and turned my lights off for 3 days. All of this combined has helped immensely. The lights off for 3 days helped the most. One of my clownfish decided to stir up my sandbed and make a hole, after that the diatoms started and the hairy glass began, little s**th**d!!

 

[fisharefriends]

That stuff on glass is looking like the beginning of some hair algae

 

[asandbox]

Thanks guys I'll have to try the three days of darkness see what happens

 

[NanaReefer]

BUMP!! Someone has to know something!! For the life of me I cannot get rid of this crap on my SB! No it's not hurting anything in the tank but it sure is hurting my eyes
I've changed nothing since the original post! Except my filter sock every 3-4 days now. 10g WC 1x Bi-weekly. 2 fish fed 2x daily lightly on the flakes and 1x weekly lightly Reef Frenzy.
It is no where else in the tank. Just the SB. I've tried stirring the SB surface gently 2-3x a week. My filter sock gets nasty as does my skimmer. So something is bound up in the sand. But how do I get rid of it completely? Ugh! This is so frustrating!!

 

[thedasher]

I had the exact same problem. The tank seemed like it cycled again. Just as previous people posted, shut off lights for few days, mix up the top layer sand bed, clean all that brown algae off the glass, and stick to the water changes. You might want to do a few bigger water changes. Maybe 30% a week for a few months. When I did this, my problem went away in about a few weeks to a month.

 

[Frostyfish]

BUMP!! Someone has to know something!! For the life of me I cannot get rid of this crap on my SB! No it's not hurting anything in the tank but it sure is hurting my eyes
I've changed nothing since the original post! Except my filter sock every 3-4 days now. 10g WC 1x Bi-weekly. 2 fish fed 2x daily lightly on the flakes and 1x weekly lightly Reef Frenzy.
It is no where else in the tank. Just the SB. I've tried stirring the SB surface gently 2-3x a week. My filter sock gets nasty as does my skimmer. So something is bound up in the sand. But how do I get rid of it completely? Ugh! This is so frustrating!!

Turning your lights off for 3 days really helps. After I did that I had the lights turn off for 30 minutes to an hour 3 times a day, do this for two weeks or longer to help get rid of them. Water changes of 20-30% weekly helps a lot as well. When you do a water change vacuum the sand bed, you don't have to stir it up, just get as close to the sand as possible without disturbing it. If you find clumps of sand take those out by hand. I hope this helps!

 

[Frostyfish]

Also, if you can switch from flakes to pellet food that will help control excess food in your aquarium. I fed my two ocellaris pellets very slow to make sure they ate them all

 

[NanaReefer]

Turning your lights off for 3 days really helps. After I did that I had the lights turn off for 30 minutes to an hour 3 times a day, do this for two weeks or longer to help get rid of them. Water changes of 20-30% weekly helps a lot as well. When you do a water change vacuum the sand bed, you don't have to stir it up, just get as close to the sand as possible without disturbing it. If you find clumps of sand take those out by hand. I hope this helps!

I'm concerned about my Birds Nest if I go that long without lights. I'm not willing to risk it. 5yrs reefing and it's the first SPS I've managed to keep alive

 

[Frostyfish]

I'm concerned about my Birds Nest if I go that long without lights. I'm not willing to risk it. 5yrs reefing and it's the first SPS I've managed to keep alive

Read this article Terrible Advice Tuesdays (T.A.Tues): Nuisance Algae Control Method Kills Corals?

 

[Frostyfish]

I'm concerned about my Birds Nest if I go that long without lights. I'm not willing to risk it. 5yrs reefing and it's the first SPS I've managed to keep alive

Did you read that [emoji651]️ article?