Brown Diatoms with no Phosphates?

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 23, 2019

I recently got a tiny bit of brown diatoms on the top of my rocks and powerhead, and only a couple inches on my sandbed. Can they grow without phosphates? My salifert kit is showing 0 phosphates. Also it started to grow the day after I broadcast fed reef roids so I'm assuming there has to be some phosphates.

HCl+NaHO= · Jun 23, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
I recently got a tiny bit of brown diatoms on the top of my rocks and powerhead, and only a couple inches on my sandbed. Can they grow without phosphates? My salifert kit is showing 0 phosphates. Also it started to grow the day after I broadcast fed reef roids so I'm assuming there has to be some phosphates.

I don’t know of life that can exist without phosphorus

It makes up ATP and cell membranes

You are getting “0” on your Salifert because the diatoms, dinos, or cyano are using it up

Your eye test kit is telling you that you have excess phosphates. It’s not lying.

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 23, 2019

HCl+NaHO= said:
I don’t know of life that can exist without phosphorus

It makes up ATP and cell membranes

You are getting “0” on your Salifert because the diatoms, dinos, or cyano are using it up

Your eye test kit is telling you that you have excess phosphates. It’s not lying.

Once it is all used up they should die then right?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 23, 2019

No. Phosphate is never zero. It may be undetectable with a kit, but it is not zero. In fact, it may only be low due to the problem algae taking up so much

ChiSox Rabbitfish · Jun 23, 2019

Diatoms feed on silicates I don’t think phosphate matters at that point

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 23, 2019

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
No. Phosphate is never zero. It may be undetectable with a kit, but it is not zero. In fact, it may only be low due to the problem algae taking up so much

Do you think I should dose phosphates then?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 23, 2019

ChiSox Rabbitfish said:
Diatoms feed on silicates I don’t think phosphate matters at that point

Unlike most algae, they do need silicate, but their need for N and P is similar to other algae.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 23, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
Do you think I should dose phosphates then?

Not if you have any sort of problem algae except Dino’s.

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 27, 2019

When I look closely at this algae there a few strands sticking up with bubbles trapped in them. Makes me think dino's?

Hemmdog · Jun 27, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
When I look closely at this algae there a few strands sticking up with bubbles trapped in them. Makes me think dino's?

Pics?

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 27, 2019

Best I could get.

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 27, 2019

They look like pieces of hair with a bubble in it.

BeejReef · Jun 27, 2019

I had those too first month or two. slimy buggery things ;Vomit

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 27, 2019

William DeCoursey said:
I had those too first month or two. slimy buggery things ;Vomit

Hopefully it's just because my rock in not completely cycled.

BeejReef · Jun 27, 2019

Kasey Grohowski said:
Hopefully it's just because my rock in not completely cycled.

I dunno. they're gross, whatever they are. Snails wouldn't touch it. don't know if it was good luck or totally unrelated, but they went away about the same time I put in my hermits.

reeftivo · Jun 27, 2019

diatoms can generate bubbles like Dinos but the bubbles are usually closer to the mat and not long and stringy like the pic.

good chance those are Dinos but i would confirm with a cheap microscope before you start any treatments

i had a bad outbreak while on vacation. i stopped water changes, dosed phosphate and some nitrate with some success. I didn't start seeing progress until i started adding pods and Phyto (oceanmagik) to the system.

if it persists and you confirm you have Dinos then a good read is here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/d...-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/page-380

Hemmdog · Jun 27, 2019

Add a fish, no more dinos.

Kasey Grohowski · Jun 27, 2019

reeftivo said:
diatoms can generate bubbles like Dinos but the bubbles are usually closer to the mat and not long and stringy like the pic.

good chance those are Dinos but i would confirm with a cheap microscope before you start any treatments

i had a bad outbreak while on vacation. i stopped water changes, dosed phosphate and some nitrate with some success. I didn't start seeing progress until i started adding pods and Phyto (oceanmagik) to the system.

if it persists and you confirm you have Dinos then a good read is here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/page-380

Hmm yeah unfortunately I always had 0 phosphates. Must be dino's. I don't have any invert's or algae eaters so I'm not too worried.