Diatoms

[Bob Lauson]

I am into my third aquarium set up and now have a 180 gallon aquarium that is having a battle with what I believe to be diatoms - brown algae everywhere. The fish are fine and the few coral I have added are relatively healthy. The tank has been up and running for almost a year. For the first time I did not use live rock but rather the dry rock that I saved from previous set ups. (Of course it was once live rock but moving from state to state did not allow me the ability to get everything transferred to new aquarium so I keep starting over. ) I am thinking that using dry rock and adding Dr. Tim's bacteria was a bad choice and I should have stuck to live rock. This is also the first time I am on a well water supply. I use RO water and just recently added a DI unit to the output. I have also started GFO even though my phosphate measure zero. Nitrates are also around zero ppm. Ammonia is zero and Alk, Ca, Mg are all in range. I use kalwasser for keep the pH at 8.2 and the Alk around 8.5 dkH. My patience is wearing thin as I am tired of siphoning out the diatom infested sand and brushing the diatoms from the rock and aquarium glass. Anything I am missing besides patience?

 

[Brew12]

I am into my third aquarium set up and now have a 180 gallon aquarium that is having a battle with what I believe to be diatoms - brown algae everywhere. The fish are fine and the few coral I have added are relatively healthy. The tank has been up and running for almost a year. For the first time I did not use live rock but rather the dry rock that I saved from previous set ups. (Of course it was once live rock but moving from state to state did not allow me the ability to get everything transferred to new aquarium so I keep starting over. ) I am thinking that using dry rock and adding Dr. Tim's bacteria was a bad choice and I should have stuck to live rock. This is also the first time I am on a well water supply. I use RO water and just recently added a DI unit to the output. I have also started GFO even though my phosphate measure zero. Nitrates are also around zero ppm. Ammonia is zero and Alk, Ca, Mg are all in range. I use kalwasser for keep the pH at 8.2 and the Alk around 8.5 dkH. My patience is wearing thin as I am tired of siphoning out the diatom infested sand and brushing the diatoms from the rock and aquarium glass. Anything I am missing besides patience?

If they truly are diatoms the best thing to do is let them do their work. Once they are done consuming the silicates they will go away on their own as long as your RODI is in good shape.

 

[Bob Lauson]

After confirming Dino's I have initiated phase 1 on their eradication. The Black Out.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Right After the black out , do a large sipon. You Amy also want to try to boost the ph over a week with kalk wasser. A small amount in the ato and a small amount dosed directly.

Ph Meters and tests are cheap. Try to hit 8.3 8.4 at the end of the day test.

 

[Bob Lauson]

I have always dosed kalkwasser and increased the pH to 8.3 to 8.4 this past week. I control the pH using two pH probes input to my Apex so it doesn't drive the pH too high.

I have some apprehension about the black out phase and what my fish, coral, and anemone will look like 3 days from now.

Hoping for the best.

 

[Bob Lauson]

I raised the pH to 8.3 - 8.4 about a week ago with my kalkwasser dose ( I have always dosed kalk). I control the pH with my Apex and two pH probes.

First time ever on the blackout and a little apprehensive about what the coral, fish, and anenome will be looking like 3 days from now.

Hoping for the best

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have always dosed kalkwasser and increased the pH to 8.3 to 8.4 this past week. I control the pH using two pH probes input to my Apex so it doesn't drive the pH too high.

I have some apprehension about the black out phase and what my fish, coral, and anemone will look like 3 days from now.

Hoping for the best.

It'll be fine.
Make sure there enough room for gas exchange. you want the co2 out and the 02 in.

My self , I think it's better just turn the lights off for a few days. Not clue where the total black out thing comes from. Makes no sense to me.
A lighting guy.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Oh we should mention , it's not good to nutrient limit your system.

We're talking about it here.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/theory-on-nutrient-ratios-and-algae-bacteria.337339/

 

[Bob Lauson]

Opinions abound on the WWW. I am not sure there is ever an right solution. These little ecosystems we called aquariums are as unique as snowflakes.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Lol. That's why I like facts. I've seen no facts that support a total black out.
Unless your tank is in a window.

 

[Dr.Xipoles]

I would recomend reducing your lighting schedule to the bare minimum for your corals and adding a refugium if you have the space or an algae turf scrubber with long light schedules to keep the algae out of the DT. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Bob Lauson]

I have a Refugium with some live rock and chaetomoropha algae. I had a reduced light schedule for about 2 weeks and the Dino's kept thriving. ... hence the blackout.

I appreciate all the 2 cents I can get. Just hard to apply personal experience to unique situations. It's like raising kids...all the advice is relative to the experience.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have a Refugium with some live rock and chaetomoropha algae. I had a reduced light schedule for about 2 weeks and the Dino's kept thriving. ... hence the blackout.

I appreciate all the 2 cents I can get. Just hard to apply personal experience to unique situations. It's like raising kids...all the advice is relative to the experience.

Amen.

 

[sfin52]

I would remove all phosphate reducers or removers.

 

[sfin52]

I don't know what percentage of folks are having luck battling dinos with any of the methods in the main Dino thread.

Just to refresh folks on the natural alternative...

• Dino's generally gain a competitive edge against their competitors AND their predators in a nutrient-starved environment.
• Phosphate Control
  • DO NOT let your phosphates hit or stay at zero.
  • See: Bacterivory in algae: A survival strategy during nutrient limitation
• Nitrate Control
  • Do not let your nitrates hit or stay at zero.
  • See: Putting the N in dinoflagellates
  • See: A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)
• Starvation should be avoided. Remember that a wide variety of micoorganisms depend on dissolved N and P...and so do corals and healthy algae.
• Confirming the ID of your dinoflagellate is important if possible.
  • To begin with, make sure you have Dinos
  • Use @taricha's dino confirmation guide on posts #986-987.
• Once you know it's dino's you should ideally figure out what type(s) your tank is hosting.
  • Specifically for Ostreopsis, consider skipping ahead to post #86 and #905 as the information is still developing.
  • Compare your dino's with photos where @taricha's has already made ID's:
    (Click the link. Then click the SEARCH button at the bottom of the search page.)
    • ostreopsis
    • prorocentrum
    • amphidinium
    • coolia
    • (other searches coming)
• After you get started, What is the End Game?

• Disturbances we cause in our tanks are what allow microbial/algal populations to shift and ugly/harmful blooms to happen.
  • See: Evidence for the Existence of Three Primary Strategies in Plants and Its Relevance to Ecological and Evolutionary Theory

• Take measures to assure that your feeding system is very consistent. An auto-feeder is an overlooked tool on most tanks. Look at Eheim's feeders...set them on low with high quality flake food. Just don't let them run your whole feeding program as flake isn't great food.

• Find out what inconsistencies you can eliminate with your husbandry to prevent more unneeded disturbances and the resulting microbial/algal changes. This could be changes to lighting or water chemistry – make them as consistent as you can.

• E.g. If you're adding new livestock all the time, stop it. If you have a color-tunable light fixture, stop re-tuning the colors. If you don't have an ATO keeping your salinity stable, get one. If you're still managing your dosing by hand, get an $80 4-head doser. Etc.

If you provide the stability, then your dino's competitors will start competing with them and their predators will start eating them!!

One thing that seems to help things progress is to stop scraping down the algae off your glass....once the dino's start giving up space that is. Mechanical removal is a legit short-term strategy and might help give competitors a leg up too.


2¢

Other interesting more-or-less related links on my blog:

• Response of heterotrophic bacteria, autotrophic picoplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates to re-oligotrophication
• Viruses manipulate the marine environment
• Extracoelenteric zooplankton feeding is a key mechanism of nutrient acquisition for the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis
• Fish foraging behavior changes plankton-nutrient relations in laboratory microcosms

(Also cross-posted in the main Dino thread!)

This is a good forum for Dino. It as backs up @saltyfilmfolks info about limited nutrient tanks.

 

[XNavyDiver]

I would remove all phosphate reducers or removers.

I second this.

 

[Jlentz]

I’d also run a lot of carbon just in case they are the really nasty ones that release poison when they die off.

Fwiw, I used the “dirty method” to kill mine. No blackout at all.

 

[Bob Lauson]

I did start running GAC when I went into black out mode.

 

[sfin52]

I would keep it going just in case these guys release toxins

 

[Jaxon]

Fwiw, I used the “dirty method” to kill mine. No blackout at all.

“dirty method” ...?