Diatom bloom?

[HarryHarambe]

When I left for work this AM The sand was white. Just got home and it looks like I had a HUGE diatom bloom!? I have had some diatoms in the past but nothing like this.

My Ammonia and Nitrite are at 0ppm and my nitrate is around 10ppm.

Could this be Cyano? How do you tell them apart? What can I do?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What have you done in the last 3 days or last night that was different ?

Food ?
Furnace ?

 

[HarryHarambe]

What have you done in the last 3 days or last night that was different ?

Food ?
Furnace ?

Nothing. I did a water 5 gallon water change on Tuesday and they were fed right before that. I have a 20 gallon Red Sea max nano.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Nothing. I did a water 5 gallon water change on Tuesday and they were fed right before that. I have a 20 gallon Red Sea max nano.

What salt is it?

 

[HarryHarambe]

What salt is it?

Red Sea Coral Salt Pro. It’s what I have used in the tank since starting and it’s been running for about 5 months.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If you feel the stuff with your fingers , does it feel slimy ? Dusty with slight texture , n slippery ?

Zero tds water ?

 

[HarryHarambe]

If you feel the stuff with your fingers , does it feel slimy ? Dusty with slight texture , n slippery ?

Zero tds water ?

Hmm, I just tried to feel it and it’s hard to tell but what’s on the frag plugs is slimy

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

K, let's talk water.

Are you running gfo or Chem media ?

 

[HarryHarambe]

K, let's talk water.

Are you running gfo or Chem media ?

I have puregin and chemi pro elite running.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have puregin and chemi pro elite running.

What's you're water?

Do you know your Po4? And no3?

 

[HarryHarambe]

What's you're water?

Do you know your Po4? And no3?

My Nitrate is 15ppm, my Ammonia and Nitrite are 0ppm. Unfortunately I do not know my phosphate.

I used RODI water that always tests 0 TDS with a TDS monitor. My SG is 1.025

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

My Nitrate is 15ppm, my Ammonia and Nitrite are 0ppm. Unfortunately I do not know my phosphate.

I used RODI water that always tests 0 TDS with a TDS monitor. My SG is 1.025

One concern on Po4 , if the system becomes limited , there could be problems. Your running a gfo , So it's kinda blindly stripping Po4.
I'm not convced it's diatoms , the gfo should also help pull the silicate out too.

The limitation prob shouldn't have spurred a bloom I think , so I'm trying to figure out what the water problem could be.

With the water change as the last thing , that's where I'd look first. Was the bucket clean? Does it feel a bit slimy? Was the water stored ?

Honestly , I'd give it a week before taking any action save maybe blowing the stuff off the rocks and changing out filter pads. Not Chems but floss etc.
If you have a lfs , have them test the po4 if you can.

No other additions , bottled bacteria , vibrant ?

 

[HarryHarambe]

One concern on Po4 , if the system becomes limited , there could be problems. Your running a gfo , So it's kinda blindly stripping Po4.
I'm not convced it's diatoms , the gfo should also help pull the silicate out too.

The limitation prob shouldn't have spurred a bloom I think , so I'm trying to figure out what the water problem could be.

With the water change as the last thing , that's where I'd look first. Was the bucket clean? Does it feel a bit slimy? Was the water stored ?

Honestly , I'd give it a week before taking any action save maybe blowing the stuff off the rocks and changing out filter pads. Not Chems but floss etc.
If you have a lfs , have them test the po4 if you can.

No other additions , bottled bacteria , vibrant ?

Bucket was clean and I made the water the same day.

No other additions at all. I changed my filter floss as soon as I got home. I will let it sit and see what happens. Should I turn my lights off?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Bucket was clean and I made the water the same day.

No other additions at all. I changed my filter floss as soon as I got home. I will let it sit and see what happens. Should I turn my lights off?

I wouldn't.
Some folks are pretty paranoid though.
Myself , I think it could burn itself out of what ever is feeding it. Like a pod bloom does.
I personally would observe, try to test Po4.
Test the ph, in the am. And at the end of the day.

If it hasn't lightend up in a couple days , or gets crazy crazy bad , do a lights out for a couple days , change the Chem media , just use carbon only and see what happens.
Then also look to see if they have boxed natural seawater near you at petco or a lfs and do a water change and see if there is a difference.

I wouldn't do anything drastic of fast.