What can cause diatoms?

[toadstool_paradise]

Brown dust like algae growth on glass and on toadstool corals. They shed every other day now to get the algae off and I scrape my glass 2x a day... not on the sand as far as I can tell. Change filter floss every morning and it’s brown. Does this sound like diatoms? Will attach pic.

I am so stumped on what is causing it. Has been going on over a month. RODI tested 0 tds. Reduced white light. 20% water changes once or 2x a week. Never used any media or chemicals in my tank until December.

started with activated carbon to help when my large toadstool shed and then suddenly had a diatom bloom? Removed it and it’s been a month without the carbon and STILL diatoms everywhere!

other ideas: have Hawaiian black caribsea sand? Also using “Real Reef” rock. Sand had been in for 2 years with no problems. Rock for half a year. Could either of these cause a diatom issue?

low stocking have 3 small fish, one hermit. 20 gallons. No skimmer or fuge.
Ammonia always 0
Nitrite always 0
Nitrate ranges normally from 10-20
Phosphate currently .15
Not sure on silicates do not have testing for that yet!
Temp 77
Salinity 1.025

have added a very small amount of phosguard but that doesn’t seem to make a difference..also trying some phytoplankton dosing.

have tried poly filter and it gets brown within a day if that matters.

basically I just need some help or advice on why these might be so persistent, and if phosphates/silicates are leeching from rock or sand if there’s a way to manage them.

Thank you, been dealing with this after 2 years of no algae and a beautiful aquarium. Had a minor tank crash last week too (6-8 hrs power outage)and even that didn’t make a difference on the algae lol..

pics on algae on glass and on the toadstool. NOT a new tank, 2 yr old tank now.

 

[Old Fritz]

Diatoms are just a weird algae that I feel no one really understands lol. I'm someone who hates having my tanks look like trash so it drives me mad if it ever flares up. I've used chemipure blue in the past before and diatoms went away after using that. However it could've also just been whatever silicates were in the water was used up.

 

[lelandmarine]

https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

 

[KellyCorals]

Thats so weird. Usually diatoms are kind of a new tank problem. Your “real reef” rock was that already cured and seeded live rock? Diatoms and Dino’s seem to follow a similar pattern to me - they are light driven and not always from a excess of nutrients, sometimes from a lack of them. I would dose additional beneficial bacteria for a week and turn the lights off in the tank for 3 days after that - corals will be fine with no lights for 3 days - I’ve done it multiple times. Also change filter floss or clean it everyday during the black out to catch as much of it that goes to the filter as possible. 77 is kinda low on temp to me but I know a lot of people run that temp - my tank fluctuates between 79-81 depending on the time of day and how much light I’m pushing at it (LED/T5 combo and my tank has a canopy) resume normal light schedule after 3 days. I also would add some snails to your CUC so they are working for you when your not. Maybe avoid scraping glass too for a while - that just helps them spread - scrape the glass first day of the blackout. This is all my opinion and how I would approach it and have had some success in the past. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Brown Diatom is not an algae, but rather a single-celled organism that appears in an aquarium when there is an abundance of Silicates. Diatoms are a natural part of your reef aquarium maturing and although unsightly can be controlled. Having a strong, random flow in your aquarium is not only going to be beneficial to the coral you may eventually purchase but it also helps to control Diatoms and other blooms like Cyano and Dino’s.
Good, strong, random flow prevents detritus and Diatom cells from settling on the sand and rock. Keeping the material suspended in the water column provides it a better chance of it passing through your filtration and being removed from the water altogether.
Simply reduce white light intensity and add a few snails:

Astrea
trochus
cerith
Nerite
nassarius

As a rule, the diatoms are crowded out by green algae a few weeks later in the life of your new tank, and they will not reappear.

 

[Dan_P]

Brown dust like algae growth on glass and on toadstool corals. They shed every other day now to get the algae off and I scrape my glass 2x a day... not on the sand as far as I can tell. Change filter floss every morning and it’s brown. Does this sound like diatoms? Will attach pic.

I am so stumped on what is causing it. Has been going on over a month. RODI tested 0 tds. Reduced white light. 20% water changes once or 2x a week. Never used any media or chemicals in my tank until December.

started with activated carbon to help when my large toadstool shed and then suddenly had a diatom bloom? Removed it and it’s been a month without the carbon and STILL diatoms everywhere!

other ideas: have Hawaiian black caribsea sand? Also using “Real Reef” rock. Sand had been in for 2 years with no problems. Rock for half a year. Could either of these cause a diatom issue?

low stocking have 3 small fish, one hermit. 20 gallons. No skimmer or fuge.
Ammonia always 0
Nitrite always 0
Nitrate ranges normally from 10-20
Phosphate currently .15
Not sure on silicates do not have testing for that yet!
Temp 77
Salinity 1.025

have added a very small amount of phosguard but that doesn’t seem to make a difference..also trying some phytoplankton dosing.

have tried poly filter and it gets brown within a day if that matters.

basically I just need some help or advice on why these might be so persistent, and if phosphates/silicates are leeching from rock or sand if there’s a way to manage them.

Thank you, been dealing with this after 2 years of no algae and a beautiful aquarium. Had a minor tank crash last week too (6-8 hrs power outage)and even that didn’t make a difference on the algae lol..

pics on algae on glass and on the toadstool. NOT a new tank, 2 yr old tank now.

How did you identify the organism as a diatom?

 

[Reef and Dive]

Brown dust like algae growth on glass and on toadstool corals. They shed every other day now to get the algae off and I scrape my glass 2x a day... not on the sand as far as I can tell. Change filter floss every morning and it’s brown. Does this sound like diatoms? Will attach pic.

I am so stumped on what is causing it. Has been going on over a month. RODI tested 0 tds. Reduced white light. 20% water changes once or 2x a week. Never used any media or chemicals in my tank until December.

started with activated carbon to help when my large toadstool shed and then suddenly had a diatom bloom? Removed it and it’s been a month without the carbon and STILL diatoms everywhere!

other ideas: have Hawaiian black caribsea sand? Also using “Real Reef” rock. Sand had been in for 2 years with no problems. Rock for half a year. Could either of these cause a diatom issue?

low stocking have 3 small fish, one hermit. 20 gallons. No skimmer or fuge.
Ammonia always 0
Nitrite always 0
Nitrate ranges normally from 10-20
Phosphate currently .15
Not sure on silicates do not have testing for that yet!
Temp 77
Salinity 1.025

have added a very small amount of phosguard but that doesn’t seem to make a difference..also trying some phytoplankton dosing.

have tried poly filter and it gets brown within a day if that matters.

basically I just need some help or advice on why these might be so persistent, and if phosphates/silicates are leeching from rock or sand if there’s a way to manage them.

Thank you, been dealing with this after 2 years of no algae and a beautiful aquarium. Had a minor tank crash last week too (6-8 hrs power outage)and even that didn’t make a difference on the algae lol..

pics on algae on glass and on the toadstool. NOT a new tank, 2 yr old tank now.

If it is really Diatoms, the simple answer is just: silica

 

[toadstool_paradise]

Diatoms are just a weird algae that I feel no one really understands lol. I'm someone who hates having my tanks look like trash so it drives me mad if it ever flares up. I've used chemipure blue in the past before and diatoms went away after using that. However it could've also just been whatever silicates were in the water was used up.

Ok thanks I may try that because they are very persistent!

Thats so weird. Usually diatoms are kind of a new tank problem. Your “real reef” rock was that already cured and seeded live rock? Diatoms and Dino’s seem to follow a similar pattern to me - they are light driven and not always from a excess of nutrients, sometimes from a lack of them. I would dose additional beneficial bacteria for a week and turn the lights off in the tank for 3 days after that - corals will be fine with no lights for 3 days - I’ve done it multiple times. Also change filter floss or clean it everyday during the black out to catch as much of it that goes to the filter as possible. 77 is kinda low on temp to me but I know a lot of people run that temp - my tank fluctuates between 79-81 depending on the time of day and how much light I’m pushing at it (LED/T5 combo and my tank has a canopy) resume normal light schedule after 3 days. I also would add some snails to your CUC so they are working for you when your not. Maybe avoid scraping glass too for a while - that just helps them spread - scrape the glass first day of the blackout. This is all my opinion and how I would approach it and have had some success in the past. Good luck and keep us updated!

Wow thanks yes it was cured and seeded! I can up my temp a bit in the summer it gets pretty hot (80-81) and corals never had issue. Been dosing bacteria as well but might try another brand!

Brown Diatom is not an algae, but rather a single-celled organism that appears in an aquarium when there is an abundance of Silicates. Diatoms are a natural part of your reef aquarium maturing and although unsightly can be controlled. Having a strong, random flow in your aquarium is not only going to be beneficial to the coral you may eventually purchase but it also helps to control Diatoms and other blooms like Cyano and Dino’s.
Good, strong, random flow prevents detritus and Diatom cells from settling on the sand and rock. Keeping the material suspended in the water column provides it a better chance of it passing through your filtration and being removed from the water altogether.
Simply reduce white light intensity and add a few snails:

Astrea
trochus
cerith
Nerite
nassarius

As a rule, the diatoms are crowded out by green algae a few weeks later in the life of your new tank, and they will not reappear.

It’s a 2 yr old tank, with strong flow and RFG nozzle. Had all those snails before my power outage in which they all died but I’ll go to the LFS and see if I can get some more! Thanks!

How did you identify the organism as a diatom?

Just the way it looks, took a slide to work and looked at it under the microscope! Fits the profile as well.

If it is really Diatoms, the simple answer is just: silica

Yes I am aware increased silicates causes this which is why I am trying hard to figure out where they are coming from frustrating!

 

[Reef and Dive]

Ok thanks I may try that because they are very persistent!

Wow thanks yes it was cured and seeded! I can up my temp a bit in the summer it gets pretty hot (80-81) and corals never had issue. Been dosing bacteria as well but might try another brand!

It’s a 2 yr old tank, with strong flow and RFG nozzle. Had all those snails before my power outage in which they all died but I’ll go to the LFS and see if I can get some more! Thanks!

Just the way it looks, took a slide to work and looked at it under the microscope! Fits the profile as well.

Yes I am aware increased silicates causes this which is why I am trying hard to figure out where they are coming from frustrating!

Most silicates come from RO water (TDS is not a good refference to exclude that, even when its 0).

But they can come from:

New sand
New rocks
New equipment
Our hands

It is required an iput for diatoms to keep growing.

Silica from diatom walls (frustules) that died or were consumed keep inert as “sand” and are not available again on the water.

 

[Dan_P]

Ok thanks I may try that because they are very persistent!

Wow thanks yes it was cured and seeded! I can up my temp a bit in the summer it gets pretty hot (80-81) and corals never had issue. Been dosing bacteria as well but might try another brand!

It’s a 2 yr old tank, with strong flow and RFG nozzle. Had all those snails before my power outage in which they all died but I’ll go to the LFS and see if I can get some more! Thanks!

Just the way it looks, took a slide to work and looked at it under the microscope! Fits the profile as well.

Yes I am aware increased silicates causes this which is why I am trying hard to figure out where they are coming from frustrating!

Don’t forget that diatoms also need nitrogen and phosphorous to grow. Silicate is not the only thing that can spur growth.

I had persistent diatom growth in a fish only tank and didn’t care until it started to spread and become very dark. My solution was to vacuum the diatoms and just the surface sand. The sand, about1/2 quart, was mixed with twice as much tap water and I stirred the bejeebers out of the mixture with a power drill and a paint stirred attachment. After two washings, the sand went back in to the aquarium. Repeated a week later. The diatoms were not totally eradicated but are only slight blushes of color on white sand here and there.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Don’t forget that diatoms also need nitrogen and phosphorous to grow. Silicate is not the only thing that can spur growth.

I had persistent diatom growth in a fish only tank and didn’t care until it started to spread and become very dark. My solution was to vacuum the diatoms and just the surface sand. The sand, about1/2 quart, was mixed with twice as much tap water and I stirred the bejeebers out of the mixture with a power drill and a paint stirred attachment. After two washings, the sand went back in to the aquarium. Repeated a week later. The diatoms were not totally eradicated but are only slight blushes of color on white sand here and there.

Silica is the major limiting factor. No silica, no diatom. As simple as that. IMHO no need to complicate this subject.

 

[toadstool_paradise]

Silica is the major limiting factor. No silica, no diatom. As simple as that. IMHO no need to complicate this subject.

Yeah just trying to figure out the best way to control it, only because it’s bothering my corals I don’t mind scraping it off every day.

edit: after this started I thought maybe it was my RODI water so tried using distilled water from the grocery store and hasn’t made a dent in it.

 

[Dan_P]

Silica is the major limiting factor. No silica, no diatom. As simple as that. IMHO no need to complicate this subject.

Believe or not, people that dose silicate don’t have diatom problems. Funny world, right?

 

[shred5]

Believe or not, people that dose silicate don’t have diatom problems. Funny world, right?

Actually people dose silicate for two reason that I know of.
One is some sponges use it and people want to increase sponge growth.
Other reason is to increase diatom growth to combat algae. Diatoms are the preferred food of some of fish and snails etc. and easier to deal with than like dinoflagellates.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Actually people dose silicate for two reason that I know of.
One is some sponges use it and people want to increase sponge growth.
Other reason is to increase diatom growth to combat algae. Diatoms are the preferred food of some of fish and snails etc. and easier to deal with than like dinoflagellates.

Totally agree!

And, @Dan_P, in those cases @shred5 commented:

1 - Sponges consume so much that no silica is left for diatoms

2 - Dino fight - diatoms actually grow a lot and is the reason for dosing

Nothing there to be surprised about.

 

[Dan_P]

Totally agree!

And, @Dan_P, in those cases @shred5 commented:

1 - Sponges consume so much that no silica is left for diatoms

2 - Dino fight - diatoms actually grow a lot and is the reason for dosing

Nothing there to be surprised about.

“1)” is conjecture. “2)” is anecdotal.

 

[toadstool_paradise]

Just tested water again...0 ammonia and nitrite. 40 whopping nitrates and .24 phosphates. This is with phosguard AND poly filter running... thinking of just giving up I’m so lost! Just scrubbed clean my heater and pump and back chambers in desperation too lol. Thinking of going bare bottom until I can get the problem under control...I just don’t know.