Diatoms? Dinos? The eternal question...

[jsettles]

I know this question is asked ALOT but even after reading others posts I still am not sure what to do. My tank is 2 months old however my "diatom bloom" started on day 7 (I started with live rock, live sand and established water from my lfs). I've been doing 20% water changes every 2 weeks and installed a UV 2 weeks ago. I'm using RODI water from a 4 stage system with a TDS meter that is reading 0. I tested silicates and they are undetectable. Also using phosguard in my sump. Its now been 2 months with essentially no change. The tank looks better initially after water changes because I stir up the sand and use a vacuum but it always comes back. These pics are 1 week after my last water change. Current readings are nitrate 2 ppm, nitrite 0.05, ammonia 0, phosphate 0.03, KH 7.1, pH 8.2, salinity 1.023. Currently I have a pair of clowns and a solar fairy wrasse along with 2 hermit crabs, 4 turbos, 3 nassarius snails, 1 emerald crab. Am I still just dealing with diatoms here and just need to wait it out or is something else going on? Any advice on how to proceed?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Reduce white light intensity and add the following snails
Astrea
Turbo
Cerith
Nassarius
6-8 blue leg hermit crabs

 

[jsettles]

Reduce white light intensity and add the following snails
Astrea
Turbo
Cerith
Nassarius
6-8 blue leg hermit crabs

so you think it is still just diatoms? white light is only at 5% (RedSea ReefLED 90) now but I can just turn lights off all together since no corals yet. I already have 3 nassarius and 4 turbos and 2 scarlet hermits...you think I just need more? Thanks!

 

[jarviz]

Your tanks is 2 months old, but you had diatoms since day 7? So your tank has been looking like this for the last 7 weeks?

I'm more surprised that you still have nitrites at this point tho. Did something die recently?

 

[jsettles]

Yes! 7 weeks! But I started with live rock, sand and water from established tank. I did have an emerald crab die recently ( I think?? Could have been a shed) but I had the trace nitrites before that.

 

[vetteguy53081]

so you think it is still just diatoms? white light is only at 5% (RedSea ReefLED 90) now but I can just turn lights off all together since no corals yet. I already have 3 nassarius and 4 turbos and 2 scarlet hermits...you think I just need more? Thanks!

A blackout (white or lights out is the most effective) leave blues on and feed inverts if you do