Diatoms: Let then run their course?

[BrewDaddyDave]

Hey all,

My prior post probably belongs here in the dedicated algae forum; I didn’t realize we had one.

Algae?

Hey all, please see the pics of a growth that has been accumulating on my sand bed and now on my rocks. What is it? I tried searching the forum and couldn’t find much. Maybe I need to search better. I started my 55 gallon, fish only tank on 6/22 cycled with Fritz turbo start and added two...

www.reef2reef.com

Being that my tank is new, should I let the diatoms go through their life cycle and die off eventually or address the issue now?

 

[SMSREEF]

I would leave the diatoms and get some snails (Astrea and trochus). They LOVE diatoms.

In my experience, if you fight diatoms and win with either chemicals or media, you end up with something much worse take hold and nothing to compete with it.

 

[BrewDaddyDave]

I would leave the diatoms and get some snails (Astrea and trochus). They LOVE diatoms.

In my experience, if you fight diatoms and win with either chemicals or media, you end up with something much worse take hold and nothing to compete with it.

Awesome! Would it be an issue for the snails that I have 5 hermit crabs?

 

[SMSREEF]

Awesome! Would it be an issue for the snails that I have 5 hermit crabs?

If they like the shell the snail has, and snail is weak, they may kill it for the shell. But I have extra shells in my tank and they have not killed any snail other then a nassarius snail that seemed weak. One of my hermits is wearing the shell as a trophy now.

Most of my hermits choose a shell type that is different than the cone shape of Astrea and Throchus. They seem to like the longer shell of cerith type snails better If given a choice. But I only have blue leg hermits.

The trochus are actually pretty funny because when a hermit climbs on them to eat algea on the shell, they start twisting and throw the hermit off.

 

[AZMSGT]

Awesome! Would it be an issue for the snails that I have 5 hermit crabs?

Yes, the hermits will kill snails for the shells. I removed all hermits in favor of snails. Much happier.

 

[BrewDaddyDave]

Would you guys recommend I do a water change to reduce nitrates? Does a water change affect phosphate? I’m planning on only using RODI or saltwater from my LPS thus removing my tap water as a potential culprit for unwanted algae growth.

 

[SMSREEF]

Would you guys recommend I do a water change to reduce nitrates? Does a water change affect phosphate? I’m planning on only using RODI or saltwater from my LPS thus removing my tap water as a potential culprit for unwanted algae growth.

Sorry I missed this.
What is your nitrate and phosphate levels now in PPM?

 

[BrewDaddyDave]

For Nitrate, API Saltwater Master Kit gave me 40ppm whereas the color indicator on the Salifert test was above 50ppm but less than 100ppm so I’d say 60-90???

Salifert phosphate: 2ppm. I’ve noticed that test results vary depending on how long the sample sits. There aren’t any special instructions saying to wait X minutes before reading the results. After 5 minutes or so, the phosphate reading is 0.5ppm

 

[SMSREEF]

For Nitrate, API Saltwater Master Kit gave me 40ppm whereas the color indicator on the Salifert test was above 50ppm but less than 100ppm so I’d say 60-90???

Salifert phosphate: 2ppm. I’ve noticed that test results vary depending on how long the sample sits. There aren’t any special instructions saying to wait X minutes before reading the results. After 5 minutes or so, the phosphate reading is 0.5ppm

My goal for nitrate is 5-10 Phosphate 0.05-0.1
It seems a water change would bring both nitrate and phosphate down and be a good thing to do to help lower both.