Diatoms and yeast dosing?

reeferfoxx · Dec 9, 2017

Fringe09 said:
Yes, just wondering if anyone besides Vivid has tried it.

Not sure its necessary but I will say the length of time(if it works) compared to natural methods isn't extraordinary. It's definitely not a method that has proven to be a sure fire diatom destroyer. Again, snails and also pods feed on diatoms. If any of those creature aren't doing so, its not diatoms.

Fringe09 · Jan 7, 2018

Does anyone know if using yeast will have a negative effect on Chaeto?

reeferfoxx · Jan 7, 2018

It shouldnt. Let us know if it does anything for anything.

salty150 · Jan 7, 2018

I remember reading a lot of so-called (and a lot of self-proclaimed) "experts" being naysayers when it came to Dr. Tim's One and Only - even calling it "snake oil"...

They were wrong then...

reeferfoxx · Jan 7, 2018

salty150 said:
I remember reading a lot of so-called (and a lot of self-proclaimed) "experts" being naysayers when it came to Dr. Tim's One and Only - even calling it "snake oil"...

They were wrong then...

Well, I dont recall any of that but copepods and other microfauna feed on diatoms during the initial cycle phase. IMO, Limiting food sources will limit maturity.

don_chuwish · Jan 8, 2018

What's really fascinating is how this conversation went as compared with the same one on another forum. Much more friendly and civilized discourse here.
Diatoms, the 'new tank uglies' are a fascinating part of the biological growth in our systems. Much more interesting and less threatening the third or fourth time you see it happen than with your first tank!

bhavy · Apr 11, 2018

Hello, I'm following as I bought yeast today but awaiting more members results

Stingray122 · Jan 17, 2019

Been battling diatoms for over 4 months now. Really thinking about giving this a try as I do not think there is too much that could happen besides making other nuisance photosynthetic organisms grow for a short period of time. Should I give it a try? All of the methods I have tried have not even slightly slowed the progression of the diatom growth. Changing out 60 gallons of water in a week on my 50 gallon system did not even slow the rate of growth by a tiny amount. Thoughts?

Cory · Jan 18, 2019

That doesnt look like diatoms to me its kind of fuzzy no?

If you actually have diatoms removing silicate from the water and ro/di will completely remove diatoms since they eat it.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 19, 2019

Are you using 0 ppm TDS RO/DI?

Stingray122 · Jan 19, 2019

Yes, dual DI resin with Silicabuster and have seen 0 improvements. Microscopically identified it to be diatoms on another thread.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 19, 2019

The silica must be coming from somewhere. Diatoms use a lot and cannot live without it.

Do you use anything like scintered glass beads?

Stingray122 · Jan 20, 2019

No. Only thing I can think of it coming from is the fact that I didnt wash my sand. It is Caribsea Fiji Pink. All water used on the tank is 0tds RODI, with a mixed bed resin and spectrapure silicabuster as the final polish.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 20, 2019

Stingray122 said:
No. Only thing I can think of it coming from is the fact that I didnt wash my sand. It is Caribsea Fiji Pink. All water used on the tank is 0tds RODI, with a mixed bed resin and spectrapure silicabuster as the final polish.

And 0 ppm TDS on the effluent? Not 1 ppm?

Stingray122 · Jan 20, 2019

Yes always 0 tds. Replaced earlier than even seeing the 1 tds, been changing it out when about 3 inches from the top of the DI resin has changed color. 15ppm in (3oo+ ppm well water), 0 ppm out on first meter, then 0 ppm in and 0 ppm out on second meter.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 20, 2019

Might be some food or rock that is supplying silicate.

Stingray122 · Jan 20, 2019

I vary my food constantly, rock is a possibility as I didn't cure it outside the tank or acid/bleach it.

Cory · Jan 20, 2019

The fuzzy algae on your rocks is not diatoms. Maybe the brown on the sand is but its hard to tell.

Stingray122 · Jan 20, 2019

I took a sample from the rocks and looked under a microscope at 1000x, and took pictures of what I saw. It is confirmed to be diatoms, they can form in colonies and become stringy. When you brush them off the rocks they fall apart into a dust.