I don't have any sponges that I'm aware of, unless they are hitchhikers/not visible to the eye?sponges
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I don't have any sponges that I'm aware of, unless they are hitchhikers/not visible to the eye?sponges
often they're in the rocksI don't have any sponges that I'm aware of, unless they are hitchhikers/not visible to the eye?
I guess if I keep dosing they will eventually grow until they pop out of the rocks huh? loloften they're in the rocks
Dosing that much to a 65G system should be loading it up pretty good. @taricha reports that Hanna is the only way to get a good measure on Silica. Odd that the scope isn't picking up any diatoms yet. Diatoms are usually the first things to appear even without dosing.Silicate levels are still just now at .30ppm. I've been dosing 150mL of spongeexcel.. I have no idea how my silica levels have not got up to the target ~2.0ppm. It doesn't seem right to keep increasing my dosing to 200ML a day. I'm a little confused and discouraged by the silica/diatom cultivating effort.
I'm going to do a 20g waterchange (30%), because some of my coral just seem like they need it and I'm tired of watching coral die (mostly sps). From there I may try the sucking out dinos every few days, blackouts, etc...
Any ideas on why my silica just wouldn't rise after 3 weeks of dosing heavily? I didn't use live rock that could have had sponges.. maybe a couple small pieces that's it.
Also, when I microscoped a sample yesterday, I couldn't spot any diatoms. Perhaps with no water changes, they don't have trace elements needed to grow?
@ScottB kindly asking if you know of any other R2R experts on this topic
Thoughts:Silicate levels are still just now at .30ppm. I've been dosing 150mL of spongeexcel.. I have no idea how my silica levels have not got up to the target ~2.0ppm. It doesn't seem right to keep increasing my dosing to 200ML a day. I'm a little confused and discouraged by the silica/diatom cultivating effort.
I'm going to do a 20g waterchange (30%), because some of my coral just seem like they need it and I'm tired of watching coral die (mostly sps). From there I may try the sucking out dinos every few days, blackouts, etc...
Any ideas on why my silica just wouldn't rise after 3 weeks of dosing heavily? I didn't use live rock that could have had sponges.. maybe a couple small pieces that's it.
Also, when I microscoped a sample yesterday, I couldn't spot any diatoms. Perhaps with no water changes, they don't have trace elements needed to grow?
ok thank you taricha and ScottB. Yesterday I did a 20g WC. I'm now leaning towards scrapping the effort to fight dinos now. The idea of getting the tank back on normal routine with ideal parameters and stability sounds better. I'd rather have happy fish and thriving coral than a semi-crippled system for weeks on end.Thoughts:
Test kits other than hanna / hach have a really bad track record at detecting any Si at all.
Si depletes quickly, but your dose level sounds high.
Diatoms can grow with lower levels of pigmentation if nutrients are scarce, so they may not always appear as brown dust. Microscope is needed. (understand you say you don't see them under the scope.)
indeed, if N &P and Si are available and little diatom growth appears, then that means trace elements are depleted and a water change may help corals and get things moving on the diatom front as well.
I promise you have sponges somewhere in your system, dry rock or not.
Post pic of microscope shots of the dino patch next time you check.
The color in the camera is off. It is more brown than that. It's not red/purple tint at all. Sorry, forgot to mention in op.this last pic almost looks more cyanoish?? Not the microscopic pics though.
Good to hear you are seeing some light.@ScottB after choosing the 'ignore it' method, it seems I am now gaining some ground on the dinos, as well as the green hair algae. I'm no longer dosing anything, just feeding mysis/reef roids/phyto pretty heavily. I only have a maroon clown and a small barber goby.
I've also been doing 20% water changes the past couple weeks.
I've had two royal grammas not make it past 1-2 days. Had 4-5 SPS frags die since September (that was a dumb move to buy).
Also my ricordeas which were huge and thriving, mysteriously died around the same time I was heavy silica dosing (Very heavy).
Torch coral and frogspawn are thriving, but my ruby red goniopora willl not extend past half an inch. It's likely due to unstable alk/ca/mg I have stopped monitoring but am focusing on now.
I also got my first ATI test results back, basically said my tin and nickel were increased, and silicon elevated (1061 µg/l out of a reference value of 89.58 µg/l). I also had tin at 10.09 µg/l in my RO DI water.
Hoping this is the light at the end of the dinos tunnel.. stay tuned
One of the pickiest and most challenging coral you will encounterGood to hear you are seeing some light.
As to goniopora, I just do not understand those things. Mine will double in size in 6 months time, and the next morning they are dead. No clue. I've killed 4 over the years.
Sadly so. Each time I get to the 6 month mark, I think maybe this time will be different.One of the pickiest and most challenging coral you will encounter