DIATOMS or DINOS??

[Ocean’s Piece]

Can someone ID this? My tank has been running for 2 1/2 months. I think it’s diatoms but it looks like Dinos after looking briefly at some pictures. This is 3 days after a water change with clean substrate except for smaller clumps of it that the siphon couldn’t pick up.
Parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate: in between 0 and 0.25 (stupid API test. Not at .25 but not at 0)
Temp: 77-78
Salinity: 1.024

 

[ScottR]

Looks like diatoms and most likely is. Best way to know for sure is by looking at it under a cheap microscope. Dinos typically have bubbles and usually look stringy. Diatoms usually look more like a dusting and sometimes can be stringy.

 

[Saltyreef]

Looks like diatoms and cyano

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Looks like diatoms and most likely is. Best way to know for sure is by looking at it under a cheap microscope. Dinos typically have bubbles and usually look stringy. Diatoms usually look more like a dusting and sometimes can be stringy.

Ok yeah this is diatoms then… phew. At least it’s normal. Does this ugly phase look bad?

 

[fishhead1973]

Can someone ID this? My tank has been running for 2 1/2 months. I think it’s diatoms but it looks like Dinos after looking briefly at some pictures. This is 3 days after a water change with clean substrate except for smaller clumps of it that the siphon couldn’t pick up.
Parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate: in between 0 and 0.25 (stupid API test. Not at .25 but not at 0)
Temp: 77-78
Salinity: 1.024

Diatoms new tank right it will go away in time next up will the green get

 

[ReefRusty]

Part if the journey, just been through this, let it sit and you can siphon the sandbed when you do a WC. Mine lasted about 3 or 4 weeks. I normally clean my sand bed every week. Its a sign of s health tank going through the stages. Yes unfortunately its not a good look but it will in time.

 

[fishhead1973]

Diatoms new tank right it will go away in time next up will the green get

Some turbo snails they really like that stuff

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Part if the journey, just been through this, let it sit and you can siphon the sandbed when you do a WC. Mine lasted about 3 or 4 weeks. I normally clean my sand bed every week. Its a sign of s health tank going through the stages. Yes unfortunately its not a good look but it will in time.

Ok good to know I have been siphoning every weekly water change.

Some turbo snails they really like that stuff

I have 5 trochus 8 astraea

 

[Saltyreef]

Id save yourself some trouble and let the diatoms die off to manageable numbers by themselves. Youre just prolonging their stay.

No need for a CUC or more siphoning to be honest.
Your tank needs biodiversity and diatoms are much better than dinos or another nussiance algae taking hold.

 

[thedon986]

How long has it looked like this? As someone who had amphidinium dinos in a new setup for 6 months this looks like dinos to me. You need to get your nitrates up and a better phosphate test kit. If a water change makes them come back stronger I would definitely lean towards dinos. A $25 microscope would really help too.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Do these

How long has it looked like this? As someone who had amphidinium dinos in a new setup for 6 months this looks like dinos to me. You need to get your nitrates up and a better phosphate test kit. If a water change makes them come back stronger I would definitely lean towards dinos. A $25 microscope would really help too.

it’s been 2 weeks almost 3

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

*do these diatoms/Dinos look bad?

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

How long has it looked like this? As someone who had amphidinium dinos in a new setup for 6 months this looks like dinos to me. You need to get your nitrates up and a better phosphate test kit. If a water change makes them come back stronger I would definitely lean towards dinos. A $25 microscope would really help too.

I wouldn’t say they come back stronger. I think since I have been vacuuming they come back slower each time. I have a microscope so I’ll have to look into testing with one

 

[thedon986]

Possibly diatoms if the water changes don’t supercharge them. Suspicious though with low nutrients.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Possibly diatoms if the water changes don’t supercharge them. Suspicious though with low nutrients.

There are little bits of hair algae starting to grow and it was here before the diatoms/Dinos

 

[Saltyreef]

2.5 month old tank.


Diatoms.

Walk alway and forget about "how bad the ugly stage looks."

Its really inevitable.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

2.5 month old tank.


Diatoms.

Walk alway and forget about "how bad the ugly stage looks."

Its really inevitable.

I don’t mind how bad it looks and I know it passes in time. And I get it’s inevitable. I’ll keep doing my maintenance. Definetly going to look into that microscope thing

 

[thedon986]

There are little bits of hair algae starting to grow and it was here before the diatoms/Dinos

If the sand still looks like that after another week (4 weeks), you don’t have diatoms. If that is a heavy diatom bloom it’s shouldn’t last more than a month. Definitely whip that microscope out and take a peek at a good sand sample.

Also, diatoms don’t clump together. That is more of a Dino/cyano thing. The absence of bubbles/strings doesn’t not mean no dinos. I had neither with mine and I was staring at them zooming around in the microscope.

 

[Saltyreef]

I don’t mind how bad it looks and I know it passes in time. And I get it’s inevitable. I’ll keep doing my maintenance. Definetly going to look into that microscope thing

When you remove the diatoms, you are prologing their stay because the food source is still available for them to rapidly reproduce.
Thats why you see them come back quickly.
The longer you leave them alone, the faster theyll depleate the silicate you didnt rinse from the sand and self regulate their numbers.
Diatoms are always great biodiversity to have in your tank.
Better than snotty dinos that are toxic and kill everything they touch....

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

If the sand still looks like that after another week (4 weeks), you don’t have diatoms. If that is a heavy diatom bloom it’s shouldn’t last more than a month. Definitely whip that microscope out and take a peek at a good sand sample.

Also, diatoms don’t clump together. That is more of a Dino/cyano thing. The absence of bubbles/strings doesn’t not mean no dinos. I had neither with mine and I was staring at them zooming around in the microscope.

I have had stringy bubbles on my rocks.

When you remove the diatoms, you are prologing their stay because the food source is still available for them to rapidly reproduce.
Thats why you see them come back quickly.
The longer you leave them alone, the faster theyll depleate the silicate you didnt rinse from the sand and self regulate their numbers.
Diatoms are always great biodiversity to have in your tank.
Better than snotty dinos that are toxic and kill everything they touch....

I think that's why I have them so bad. Now that I look back at it, I'm an idiot. I never rinsed my sandbed before I put it in. smh