Diatom bloom

[Shawn_epicurious]

Things like this are tricky because algae issues in sand are very common and there is a drastic difference between the significance of diatoms vs dino. Here is a thread with a great method for identifying dinoflagellates

Helpful Method for Identifying Dinoflagellates

There have been dozens (probably hundreds) of posts from people trying to identify dinoflagellates in their aquarium. I have posted this in other threads but figured it might be helpful to start a thread explaining this method. Dinoflagellates are single-celled organisms that aggregate to form...

www.reef2reef.com

You could try running carbon less frequently, but depending on the softies you keep that may not be much of an option. My first reaction to algae is always to reduce lighting. You could have the lighting ramp up and down through the day and keep the same lighting period.

Click the link... I can do that : )

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

Without a microscope... how do I prove this? Send a water sample somewhere? A direct Algea sample?

I’m five months in... this should be gone... I am getting worried

 

[SPR1968]

It might be worth posting a clear picture of the sand so we can have a look at them Shawn?

And what’s your phosphate level reading?

On you light schedule this is what I use on my Red Sea S650 for over 4 years. These are the Red Sea ‘reef spec’ settings. I do go blue in the evenings.

There’s no red/green as Red Sea are concerned it can cause unwanted algae issues so I have always had those at zero

 

[Suohhen]

For sure a lighting change can be causing this. What the link I provided describes is a method to test whether the algae is dinoflagellates or not. I personally don't believe a small amount of white light is much to worry about but I have no experience with the lights your using and SPR does so I would recommend at least trying what they are saying.

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

It might be worth posting a clear picture of the sand so we can have a look at them Shawn?

And what’s your phosphate level reading?

On you light schedule this is what I use on my Red Sea S650 for over 4 years. These are the Red Sea ‘reef spec’ settings. I do go blue in the evenings.

There’s no red/green as Red Sea are concerned it can cause unwanted algae issues so I have always had those at zero

As soon as it comes back I will take a pic. I just did a heavy vacuuming with a water change yesterday. It will be back by tomorrow

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

For sure a lighting change can be causing this. What the link I provided describes is a method to test whether the algae is dinoflagellates or not. I personally don't believe a small amount of white light is much to worry about but I have no experience with the lights your using and SPR does so I would recommend at least trying what they are saying.

I have to wait for it to come back before I can do this. I did a water change with heavy vaccuMing yesterday. ....sorry, just started stressing out when people started saying it might Dino

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

I just took these two pics... these are very low light pictures. I was not trying to score photography points with these lol

All this is really showing is how much movement my sand gets from my CUC. Those pics are one night of “trails” I vacuumed heavily yesterday... there were no critter trails left when I was finished. My CUC seems to be stirring up my sand bed quite nicely. At the moment, there is no evidence of the brown Algea we have been discussing. It will be back tomorrow night... maybe even tonight. I’ll take some pics when it does.

 

[SPR1968]

I just took these two pics... these are very low light pictures. I was not trying to score photography points with these lol

All this is really showing is how much movement my sand gets from my CUC. Those pics are one night of “trails” I vacuumed heavily yesterday... there were no critter trails left when I was finished. My CUC seems to be stirring up my sand bed quite nicely. At the moment, there is no evidence of the brown Algea we have been discussing. It will be back tomorrow night... maybe even tonight. I’ll take some pics when it does.

Well it’s looks like diatoms to me from that picture. You could always get something like an orange spot goby to keep it clean as a quick option but you need to find the cause.

Are you using 0 TDS water made by yourself because if there are any silicates in the water it will feed blooms.

What’s your phosphate level, and is that green hair algae on the rock works ? It’s a bit dark to see for sure.

PS get that fancy camera and flash of yours working! Lol

 

[wet65]

Well it’s looks like diatoms to me from that picture. You could always get something like an orange spot goby to keep it clean as a quick option but you need to find the cause.

Are you using 0 TDS water made by yourself because if there are any silicates in the water it will feed blooms.

What’s your phosphate level, and is that green hair algae on the rock works ? It’s a bit dark to see for sure.

PS get that fancy camera and flash of yours working! Lol

following...I have the same issue with a new 70g tank about 6 weeks old. Im thinking my cycle has completed and I am in the next phase. I have brown/green colored dusting on the sand that the snails and crabs make easy work of , along with the same on the rocks. I also have a green/brown slime growing on the glass that is easily removed. The tank is pretty clean and clear in the morning and as the day goes on the water gets cloudier and the covering on the glass, sand and rocks starts to show. It is clearly less now than it was about 10 days ago, but just want to make sure this is a normal phase and should I be doing anything else...
My parameters include..RODI water with 0 TDS ,PH 8.2, SG 10.26, CALc 430, Nitrate 10, Phos .03, Dkh 8.8, mag 1360...I am using Reefbreeder V2 32" over my tank on about 8 hrs a day with 4 hr max and 2 hrs ramp up/down on each side, blues are at 70% and white is at 7%, red and green are off

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

Well it’s looks like diatoms to me from that picture. You could always get something like an orange spot goby to keep it clean as a quick option but you need to find the cause.

Are you using 0 TDS water made by yourself because if there are any silicates in the water it will feed blooms.

What’s your phosphate level, and is that green hair algae on the rock works ? It’s a bit dark to see for sure.

PS get that fancy camera and flash of yours working! Lol

You have several questions up there....

I am using a RODI system for my water. I have not had the water coming out of it tested. I did maintenance on it 200 gallons ago... I’ll have to get a TDS tester...

phosphate is very close to 0ppm... nowhere close to the 0.25ppm color (sorry all I have at the moment is API for phosphate) I have not turned my trident on yet...

I have NOT seen any hair Algea at all.

my lights come on in another hour... I’ll take some better pics : )

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

following...I have the same issue with a new 70g tank about 6 weeks old. Im thinking my cycle has completed and I am in the next phase. I have brown/green colored dusting on the sand that the snails and crabs make easy work of , along with the same on the rocks. I also have a green/brown slime growing on the glass that is easily removed. The tank is pretty clean and clear in the morning and as the day goes on the water gets cloudier and the covering on the glass, sand and rocks starts to show. It is clearly less now than it was about 10 days ago, but just want to make sure this is a normal phase and should I be doing anything else...
My parameters include..RODI water with 0 TDS ,PH 8.2, SG 10.26, CALc 430, Nitrate 10, Phos .03, Dkh 8.8, mag 1360...I am using Reefbreeder V2 32" over my tank on about 8 hrs a day with 4 hr max and 2 hrs ramp up/down on each side, blues are at 70% and white is at 7%, red and green are off

Okay... better pics... increasingly zoomed in...

 

[Suohhen]

Okay... better pics... increasingly zoomed in...

Looks good. We don't mean to cause alarm by bringing up other algae. This is just the nature of algae ID especially when working from a description. Even if it happens to be dino, or cyano, there is not necessarily reason to be alarmed. There are hundreds of variants to these algae, some are far worse than others. The point of narrowing the options down is that the cause of each of these is vastly different. Diatoms are linked to silicate, so the most common reason for them to show up out of the blue on a cycled system is from an exhausted rodi filter or food source. Cyano is generally a sign of excess nutrients and dinoflagellates are usually the opposite, chronically low nutrient levels. The good thing is your clean up crew eats it whatever it is, and you are on top of doing what you need to do.
Testing rodi is essential, you can buy a meter or take a sample to your local water store. You know how much water has been pulled out so now all you need to know is when the DI resin has been exhausted and from that point on you will know roughly how often it needs to be replaced. The algae may be helping you with that!

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

Looks good. We don't mean to cause alarm by bringing up other algae. This is just the nature of algae ID especially when working from a description. Even if it happens to be dino, or cyano, there is not necessarily reason to be alarmed. There are hundreds of variants to these algae, some are far worse than others. The point of narrowing the options down is that the cause of each of these is vastly different. Diatoms are linked to silicate, so the most common reason for them to show up out of the blue on a cycled system is from an exhausted rodi filter or food source. Cyano is generally a sign of excess nutrients and dinoflagellates are usually the opposite, chronically low nutrient levels. The good thing is your clean up crew eats it whatever it is, and you are on top of doing what you need to do.
Testing rodi is essential, you can buy a meter or take a sample to your local water store. You know how much water has been pulled out so now all you need to know is when the DI resin has been exhausted and from that point on you will know roughly how often it needs to be replaced. The algae may be helping you with that!

I am looking for a TDS tester right now : )

thank you!

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

I am looking for a TDS tester right now : )

thank you!

I just ordered a TDS tester from BRS

 

[Suohhen]

following...I have the same issue with a new 70g tank about 6 weeks old.

Welcome to the forums! Your tank is definitely still within the algae cycle. You don't want to be too particular about what to do with a cycling tank other than patience. Full output on the lights at 6 weeks is seems high to be, but cycling is all about what you feel is working. If it starts to get out of hand you can definitely crank back the lights.

 

[charlesk]

I just finished with the same problem, sounds like Dino’s. What I did was to black out the tank for three days and treat with Dino X. This stuff really works. You will need to go to their website for application directions. It will work.

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

I just finished with the same problem, sounds like Dino’s. What I did was to black out the tank for three days and treat with Dino X. This stuff really works. You will need to go to their website for application directions. It will work.

Thank you, but I am not jumping into dino treatment unless I get my water tested and someone puts it under a microscope. I am going to find someplace to do a real test on my water (and this Algea) today.

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

Here is what it looks like 3 days after vacuuming : (

 

[JJHodges]

Are you sure you have enough flow in the tank. Is it in high flow spots? Low flow spots?

 

[Suohhen]

Seems like diatoms to me but it is very hard to be sure. Have you tried the test I linked? It is a very easy and accurate way to discern whether you are dealing with dino or not.