I have a new biocube that I fishless cycled over a good 6 weeks (probably was ready after 3 but I kept dozing and checking). Had the lights off of course during this time. Nitrates are times were quite high but I brought em down with several (a dozen+) water changes to 5 (salifert) before adding 2 clowns, an acan, and a birdsnest frag (I know this is 50/50 at best in a stock cube) 10 days ago. All doing well (the bird is sorta sad) but as soon as I turned the lights on what I think are diatoms appeared only on the sandbed. The picks are from day 7. Happily though this was essentially it and everything is golden now. Wanted to share the experience and ask if diatoms (if that’s what they look like) can really vanish so fast.
The only interesting thing I’ve done is I’ve been dosing Red Sea Alk fairly aggressively (10ml/day) to get up to their Mixed Reef levels (11.5 Alk). I started the tank with Tropic Marin salt but then decided to move to the Red Sea reef care program in large part just to have a map to follow. So I’m changing water with coral pro on the way to 11.5 Alk. Could the Alk dosing have halted the diatoms. Level was 9.1? Hanna ULR) on the day of the pics and is 10.6 today.
The only interesting thing I’ve done is I’ve been dosing Red Sea Alk fairly aggressively (10ml/day) to get up to their Mixed Reef levels (11.5 Alk). I started the tank with Tropic Marin salt but then decided to move to the Red Sea reef care program in large part just to have a map to follow. So I’m changing water with coral pro on the way to 11.5 Alk. Could the Alk dosing have halted the diatoms. Level was 9.1? Hanna ULR) on the day of the pics and is 10.6 today.
