Diatoms? New tank issues? Whats this?

g0mgx

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Hi All,

Looking for advice please.

My tank has been running for just over 3 months. All RODI based water and no live rock.

My parameters are: Am:0 Nitrite:0 Nitrate:10 Alk:8.6 Mg:1240 Ca:450 Salinity:1.025

I also have measured silicates at 0.

The tank is being dosed with 2 part Zelements.

I have a roller filter and skimmer plus UV.

If I manually turn over the sand in a morning, then within an hour or two the brown dusty stuff returns. I have some turbo snails which seem to be removing it from the rocks.

My lighting is 2 x Maxspect jump which are on the fish only setting for a total of 6 hours a day.

Stock has been added gradually and I now have 2x black and white clowns, yellow tank bred tang, blue tang, royal gramma, goby. I also have some turbo snails, 3 x cleaner shrimps and some hermit crabs.

Can anyone suggest what (if anything) I need to do to get rid of the brown stuff?

IMG_20220118_175038308.jpg
 

vetteguy53081

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Hi All,

Looking for advice please.

My tank has been running for just over 3 months. All RODI based water and no live rock.

My parameters are: Am:0 Nitrite:0 Nitrate:10 Alk:8.6 Mg:1240 Ca:450 Salinity:1.025

I also have measured silicates at 0.

The tank is being dosed with 2 part Zelements.

I have a roller filter and skimmer plus UV.

If I manually turn over the sand in a morning, then within an hour or two the brown dusty stuff returns. I have some turbo snails which seem to be removing it from the rocks.

My lighting is 2 x Maxspect jump which are on the fish only setting for a total of 6 hours a day.

Stock has been added gradually and I now have 2x black and white clowns, yellow tank bred tang, blue tang, royal gramma, goby. I also have some turbo snails, 3 x cleaner shrimps and some hermit crabs.

Can anyone suggest what (if anything) I need to do to get rid of the brown stuff?

IMG_20220118_175038308.jpg
Pic is too blue to identify color of substance
Please retake under white lights.
May be cyano which is a bacterial algae but need to confirm
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
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In my experience at 3 months my ugly phase was just getting started.
 

vetteguy53081

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Is this better?

IMG_20220118_182529101.jpg
Thank you- yes diatoms and likely associated with the silicates in the sand. These last in presence up to 10 weeks and can even return later
But you say, do I have to deal with this?
No- you can lightly siphon as needed, reduce white light intensity and assure your RODI resin is not expired
Additionally, you can add snails to help keep it clean such as:
Nassarius
Cerith
Nerite
astrea
 

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