The Diatoms Won't Go AWAY!?!?!

[ExtraSalty]

I'm about to lose my mind over these dang diatoms guys!

I'm a little over 2 months in now to my new saltwater aquarium and everything has been doing great, finished my cycle about a month ago, put a pair of clowns in a week after that and over the last few weeks have now gotten all the fish I want into the tank. I added my first pieces of coral to the tank yesterday, I've got some mushrooms, zoas, some euphyllia, some green grass like coral, and some green chalice and it's all looking great! Now I'm just going to sit back and let things grow. Calcium, KH, pH, salinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, all of it, perfect levels for weeks now.

Yet, despite all of this, seemingly no matter WHAT I DO, I can not get rid of the dang ugly brown diatoms from the tank! I've left the lights off for 4 or 5 days multiple times now and it helps significantly, within 24-48 hours things look much much better, but even after 5 days of no light and things looking pretty clean, once the lights have been turned on, 48 hours later they are returning with vengeance!

I've used RODI water from the beginning so I know it can't be silicates that this stuff is getting its food from can it? From what I've read it sounds like diatoms can convert light into what they need to survive so figure that's why when I've tried cutting the lights out it appears to work.

Am I just not leaving the lights off long enough? Is this just something I'm going to have to live with for a while and they will eventually take care of themselves? They are just so unsightly when my white sand starts turning brown and it gets all over my glass. And now with all the coral and beautiful fish I never want to turn the lights off!!

Any advice?

 

[andrewey]

I wouldn't touch the lights- it won't fix anything long term. This can be a normal part of a new tank. Often you'll get your first diatoms right after cycling, but it's not uncommon to have diatoms off and on during the first year for many tanks. First, do you have a TDS meter? Second, the diatoms could still be processing newly exposed live rock as the top layer breaks down, any plastic that's been introduced to the tank recently, etc. During the first year your tank is still in flux and the diatoms are just responding to what's available. Assuming your RODI is 0 tds and you're not dosing anything of unknown purity, it should go away in time on it's own.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

just chill.. the biology of your tank will mature and the diatoms will process the silicates that are likely coming from your rock and they will fade away.

 

[ExtraSalty]

I wouldn't touch the lights- it won't fix anything long term. This can be a normal part of a new tank. Often you'll get your first diatoms right after cycling, but it's not uncommon to have diatoms off and on during the first year for many tanks. First, do you have a TDS meter? Second, the diatoms could still be processing newly exposed live rock as the top layer breaks down, any plastic that's been introduced to the tank recently, etc. During the first year your tank is still in flux and the diatoms are just responding to what's available. Assuming your RODI is 0 tds and you're not dosing anything of unknown purity, it should go away in time on it's own.

Okay so I should just let them do their thing? I did use Life Rock when starting the tank and from what I've read they paint on the beneficial bacteria so that would make sense that much of it is becoming newly exposed now that the tank is a few months in. I am testing at 0 TDS which played a bit to my confusion as to why they were such a problem.

Sounds like I'll just deal with it for a while and hope the tank gets over them sooner than later. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Jason mack]

I'm about to lose my mind over these dang diatoms guys!

I'm a little over 2 months in now to my new saltwater aquarium and everything has been doing great, finished my cycle about a month ago, put a pair of clowns in a week after that and over the last few weeks have now gotten all the fish I want into the tank. I added my first pieces of coral to the tank yesterday, I've got some mushrooms, zoas, some euphyllia, some green grass like coral, and some green chalice and it's all looking great! Now I'm just going to sit back and let things grow. Calcium, KH, pH, salinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, all of it, perfect levels for weeks now.

Yet, despite all of this, seemingly no matter WHAT I DO, I can not get rid of the dang ugly brown diatoms from the tank! I've left the lights off for 4 or 5 days multiple times now and it helps significantly, within 24-48 hours things look much much better, but even after 5 days of no light and things looking pretty clean, once the lights have been turned on, 48 hours later they are returning with vengeance!

I've used RODI water from the beginning so I know it can't be silicates that this stuff is getting its food from can it? From what I've read it sounds like diatoms can convert light into what they need to survive so figure that's why when I've tried cutting the lights out it appears to work.

Am I just not leaving the lights off long enough? Is this just something I'm going to have to live with for a while and they will eventually take care of themselves? They are just so unsightly when my white sand starts turning brown and it gets all over my glass. And now with all the coral and beautiful fish I never want to turn the lights off!!

Any advice?

I'm sorry too say but it sounds like dinos ....what are your no3 and po4 at ...do you have a full tank shot ...
Diatoms thrive on silicate .. but silicate is taken up fast in a reef tank .. so you would have too be adding it too keep getting a diatom bloom ....

 

[ExtraSalty]

I'm sorry too say but it sounds like dinos ....what are your no3 and po4 at ...do you have a full tank shot ...
Diatoms thrive on silicate .. but silicate is taken up fast in a reef tank .. so you would have too be adding it too keep getting a diatom bloom ....

I tested my no3 yesterday and it was around 20ppm. I haven't tested po4 in a while but I'm going to do so right now.

Just finished the po4 test and it's definitely at 0.

 

[MTBake]

Can you post a pic? Might not be diatoms.

 

[Jason mack]

Ok it would be helpful if you could get a sample under microscope for a positive ID ...
In the meantime ....raise your po4 ...between 0.05 - 0.1 ...
Run some activated carbon as dinos are toxic ....
Add live phytoplankton and copepods too help support your microbiology....
And get a sample under microscope for a positive Id ....there are a few sorts of dinos ...need too know which you have ...if you have them ..

 

[Jason mack]

In a reef tank no3 tends too be more stable than say po4 ..you will need too test po4 at least every other day ...if not everyday ... at least until your tank becomes more stable and mature ....and I'd recommend a hanna checker ulr .. as they tend too be more accurate....you can dose po4 ...I use phosphate plus from colombo ...
And if you can provide a full tank shot that would be helpful

 

[ExtraSalty]

Can you post a pic? Might not be diatoms.

So it's tough to see them right now cause I just ended having the lights off for about 4 days this morning. But here is a whole tank picture and a close up on the internal filter (which is where they start to show back up first). Which would make sense since that's the closest spot in the tank to the reef lighting.

 

[Jason mack]

So it's tough to see them right now cause I just ended having the lights off for about 4 days this morning. But here is a whole tank picture and a close up on the internal filter (which is where they start to show back up first). Which would make sense since that's the closest spot in the tank to the reef lighting.

Ok I would just add phytoplankton and copepods...and raise your po4 for now ...you have an unbalance in nutrients...this will always lead too problems ....more often testing of po4 and dosing when needed will keep things in check.....at least till they come back and we can get a positive ID
Also reduce your lighting schedule too max 5-6 hrs ...and reduce white lights ..run more blues ...
At least that would be my advice ...for now

 

[AZMSGT]

frequent 25% Water changes can help get the silicates in the water out.

 

[NormanB]

Following

 

[vetteguy53081]

Simple wipe surfaces with an algae sponge. Adding liquid bacteria such as Bacter 7 may help as will blackout.
As some indicated, this is Not abnormal although unsightly.

 

[tehmadreefer]

Your tank is only 2 months old, very normal....

just wait to you get the real nasty stuff.

 

[tehmadreefer]

I'm sorry too say but it sounds like dinos ....what are your no3 and po4 at ...do you have a full tank shot ...
Diatoms thrive on silicate .. but silicate is taken up fast in a reef tank .. so you would have too be adding it too keep getting a diatom bloom ....

Absolutely not Dino’s.

 

[Doglips56]

Ok it would be helpful if you could get a sample under microscope for a positive ID ...
In the meantime ....raise your po4 ...between 0.05 - 0.1 ...
Run some activated carbon as dinos are toxic ....
Add live phytoplankton and copepods too help support your microbiology....
And get a sample under microscope for a positive Id ....there are a few sorts of dinos ...need too know which you have ...if you have them ..

Agreed! My experience with what I thought was diatoms. Dinos? I thought diatoms too, but no, it was a horrible Dinoflagellate outbreak. I didn’t just cut the lights I covered the tank with cardboard for 84 hours, ran carbon through a reactor, added some additional live rock (started with only dry rock) and added a couple of bottles of bacteria. They are finally gone only to be replaced by red cyano and green hair algae. I only have a hippo tang and my 2 clowns left. Too many corals to list but a mix of LPS, SPS and a few montis. I just added a couple of pincushion urchins tonight to try to control the hair algae, we’ll see. Good luck!

 

[longtimereefer]

frequent 25% Water changes can help get the silicates in the water out.

If your running a water softener I believe certain softener pellets contain silicate, if you run an RO/DI setup it may not be pulling out silicates? Not sure on that but heard its a thing... But yes, good quality water changes, raising p04 (A little), adding amphipods etc. It takes time to mature, just make sure your staying honest on consistency. Let a small tank lag and next thing you know that Anthias etc will be dead.