Miami Reef
10K Club Member
Today I learned that diatoms are free swimming and the brown/gold dusting on the sand/rocks are the shells of the dead diatoms.
Whenever I don’t change my RODI, I get the diatom brown dusting on my sandbed. I noticed these diatom “shells” attach to the glass etc. When I change out the filter the dusting goes away within a week.
Here’s my questions:
How does diatom shells attach to objects like sand and glass?
How do the shells disappear within a short time period after removing their food source?
^ I don’t vacuum my sandbed and I hardly have any CUC. I don’t think anything is eating diatom shells.
Whenever I don’t change my RODI, I get the diatom brown dusting on my sandbed. I noticed these diatom “shells” attach to the glass etc. When I change out the filter the dusting goes away within a week.
Here’s my questions:
How does diatom shells attach to objects like sand and glass?
How do the shells disappear within a short time period after removing their food source?
^ I don’t vacuum my sandbed and I hardly have any CUC. I don’t think anything is eating diatom shells.
