Diatoms? Or worse?

[SifuMemphis]

Hey all

My tank has been up for about 5-6 months, and I've always had issues raising my nutrients. Tank is 150g with 5ppm nitrate and 0 ppm p04, Even when dosing nitrate/phosphate. I run my lights for 8-10 hours a day, at 60% Radion G5 Blue.

I am wondering if this is just simple diatoms blooming, or potential dyno / Cyano (early stages)



I know if nitrates and p04 goes zero, it can be an issue, so I've been trying to feed more and dose to get it up..... doesnt seem to move. Any thoughts?

 

[Anchor]

I dont want to be the bearer of any bad news.. But it might be .. the big D

Get some liquid Nitrate and Phosphate if you want to be sure.. If it gets bubbly.. then worry.. umm .. more..

 

[SifuMemphis]

I dont want to be the bearer of any bad news.. But it might be .. the big D

Get some liquid Nitrate and Phosphate if you want to be sure.. If it gets bubbly.. then worry.. umm .. more..

So i have liquid nitrate and phosphate.... and I've been dosing ... the nitrate and p04 just doesnt go up..

 

[TriggerFinger]

It could take a while for levels to raise if the nutrients are being used right away. How long have you been dosing?

 

[SifuMemphis]

It could take a while for levels to raise if the nutrients are being used right away. How long have you been dosing?

Roughly a week. I've been dosing 20ML nitrate and 20ML of p04 each day for about 5-6 days so far + feeding heavier

I also turned off my skimmer, and turned off the fuge light

 

[TriggerFinger]

Keep dosing and checking. Once the tank has “soaked up” all it can, you will notice the levels creep up on your test kits. At that point you need to figure out a maintenance dose to keep the level you’re aiming for.

 

[SifuMemphis]

Keep dosing and checking. Once the tank has “soaked up” all it can, you will notice the levels creep up on your test kits. At that point you need to figure out a maintenance dose to keep the level you’re aiming for.

Sounds good. I also recently added a couple new fishes as well, so hopefully that pushes the bioload a bit to help with the extra nutrients.

 

[TriggerFinger]

I’m working on the same thing except I do have phosphates, no nitrates. Dosing hasn’t caught up yet so I added more fish too!

 

[SifuMemphis]

I’m working on the same thing except I do have phosphates, no nitrates. Dosing hasn’t caught up yet so I added more fish too!

Lucky for me, I don't have much corals and such in this tank, since it's only 5ish months old.

That being said, from day 1, it's always had a UV steralizer, so hopefully that helps slightly.