DIATOMS or DINOS??

[Ocean’s Piece]

I know I should have rinsed my sand, and I intended to, I just forgot (terrible mistake), what should I do to remove some of these silicates from the sand?

 

[Gtinnel]

I'm far from an expert but I will say it doesn't look like the dinos that I have had in the past. I 100% agree with the suggestion to get your nitrates up from zero and get a better test kit for phosphate.

I've never personally done it but I've read about a test you can do by running some agitated tank water/algea through a paper towel filter and then see if it forms again in room light after about an hour. I guess the theory is that the dinoflaggelates are small enough to pass through the paper towel and other algeas aren't.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

@thedon986, @Gtinnel I don’t have any fish or a nitrate source. My nitrates also are probably being absorbed by the GHA. Is it still fine if I don’t have a nitrate source during the ugly phase? I plan to get better test kits soon.
@Saltyreef what should I do to remove some of the silicates from the sands since I didn’t rinse it?

 

[Saltyreef]

@thedon986, @Gtinnel I don’t have any fish or a nitrate source. My nitrates also are probably being absorbed by the GHA. Is it still fine if I don’t have a nitrate source during the ugly phase? I plan to get better test kits soon.
@Saltyreef what should I do to remove some of the silicates from the sands since I didn’t rinse it?

Let the diatoms feed lol.
You can always remove and rinse.
Remove the GHA with your fingers as much as possible.

 

[thedon986]

@thedon986, @Gtinnel I don’t have any fish or a nitrate source. My nitrates also are probably being absorbed by the GHA. Is it still fine if I don’t have a nitrate source during the ugly phase? I plan to get better test kits soon.
@Saltyreef what should I do to remove some of the silicates from the sands since I didn’t rinse it?

There are readily available nitrate additives you can use. Some people use stump remover but I don’t have any experience with that. I use NeoNitro and NeoPhos from Brightwell. I am still dosing both of those to keep them from bottoming out 6 months later. Dinos are just a light shade on the sand now but still hanging in there.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

There are readily available nitrate additives you can use. Some people use stump remover but I don’t have any experience with that. I use NeoNitro and NeoPhos from Brightwell. I am still dosing both of those to keep them from bottoming out 6 months later. Dinos are just a light shade on the sand now but still hanging in there.

Is it required to add nitrates if I have them too low to prevent Dinos etc?

 

[thedon986]

Is it required to add nitrates if I have them too low to prevent Dinos etc?

Yes, they thrive in low nutrient environments because they can outcompete everything else. They will keep stripping the already low nutrients before anything else can use it. That is why they are so common in new tanks or low nutrient systems.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Cyano - no doubt
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Cyano - no doubt
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

My protein skimmer bubbles and falls over the rim and turns into water overtime. I don’t know if this is what you’re talking about or not
I haven’t added any fish and all I have is snails. I plan to get a pair of clownfish soon.
I got fully cured live rock at the beginning.
I change my water weekly in my Biocube 32 (5 gallons)
I use tap water but my city has some of the most filtered tap water in the US. I plan to get an RODI if ever needed but my water is filtered enough.
I don’t have a powerhead and im just using the return pump nozzle for water flow. I plan to get a powerhead soon as well. For now I’ll point it more down
I feel that if I turn off my lights I’ll just prolong the ugly phase.
From the following items for solutions, I have chemi pure blue.
I have 5 trochus and 8 Astrea which I plan to exchange the astraea for margaritas or more trochus

 

[vetteguy53081]

My protein skimmer bubbles and falls over the rim and turns into water overtime. I don’t know if this is what you’re talking about or not
I haven’t added any fish and all I have is snails. I plan to get a pair of clownfish soon.
I got fully cured live rock at the beginning.
I change my water weekly in my Biocube 32 (5 gallons)
I use tap water but my city has some of the most filtered tap water in the US. I plan to get an RODI if ever needed but my water is filtered enough.
I don’t have a powerhead and im just using the return pump nozzle for water flow. I plan to get a powerhead soon as well. For now I’ll point it more down
I feel that if I turn off my lights I’ll just prolong the ugly phase.
From the following items for solutions, I have chemi pure blue.
I have 5 trochus and 8 Astrea which I plan to exchange the astraea for margaritas or more trochus

Turning lights off will decrease the ugly phase. The skimmer foam may add bubble but should cause cloudiness unless the foam is already dark

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Turning lights off will decrease the ugly phase. The skimmer foam may add bubble but should cause cloudiness unless the foam is already dark

I may try turning the lights off. The foam is already dark. Brown

 

[vetteguy53081]

I may try turning the lights off. The foam is already dark. Brown

Great- that is likely your bloom. Turn the air control down just a little- should help

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

I know this isn’t really a great quality picture but I see what I think are some air bubbles. Is this Diatoms?

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Bump

 

[thedon986]

Sorry I can’t tell what I’m looking at. Are these strands of something under a microscope?

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

I couldn’t get it any more zoomed than 10x and get a decent picture. These are them clumped together and not on the microscopic level. Should I try to get a better picture at microscopic level?

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

I couldn’t get it any more zoomed than 10x and get a decent picture. These are them clumped together and not on the microscopic level. Should I try to get a better picture at microscopic level?

Forgot to hit the reply button @thedon986

 

[thedon986]

I couldn’t get it any more zoomed than 10x and get a decent picture. These are them clumped together and not on the microscopic level. Should I try to get a better picture at microscopic level?

Yeah I think to see something as small as diatoms or dinos you need 100x minimum probably more like 300-400x to get clear pics.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Yeah I think to see something as small as diatoms or dinos you need 100x minimum probably more like 300-400x to get clear pics.

Highest zoom is 40x so I’m assuming it’s diatoms. They’re starting to go away now because I added phosguard. Started adding fish food to the water to raise nitrates.