Diatoms need help corals dying

[jjpossel]

Hey I have a 10 gallon tank that I started around the beginning of June and I have bad diatoms I added Phosguard yesterday and was wondering if there is anything else I can do to help get rid of them because they have taken my hammer from me by growing over it and my zoas are all closed right now.

 

[hexcolor reef]

What is the chemistry in the tank?
Flow? And filtration set up if using any

Sounds like your tank is getting to much light or your lights are hanging to low above water surface

 

[ptrick21186]

Your tank is very new. Let it run it's course. I honestly wouldn't have added corals so soon. You're gonna go through a lot of different forms of algae in the 1st year.

 

[jjpossel]

yeah i only added the hammer and 2 kind of zoa my nitrates were 8.4 last tested and phosphate 0.01 alk 7.0alinity 1.025 AI prime light 8 inches above water
im only concerned of these diatoms because i've had them for at least a month now

 

[jjpossel]

og i forgot filtration I have a sponge and a protein skimmer with an airstone

 

[ptrick21186]

yeah i only added the hammer and 2 kind of zoa my nitrates were 8.4 last tested and phosphate 0.01 alk 7.0alinity 1.025 AI prime light 8 inches above water
im only concerned of these diatoms because i've had them for at least a month now

They can last several months

 

[jjpossel]

ok ok so is the play to just let it run its course then add corals? I also have a question if they'll pop back up after I move the tank bc I'm gonna take it to college

 

[ptrick21186]

Again you're gonna go through the entire ugly phase with the tank being so new. Eventually they will die back and something new will come along (hair algae, dinos, etc.). But eventually the tank will balance out. Best thing you can do right now is just keep doing basic maintenance and not do anything drastic.

 

[ptrick21186]

ok ok so is the play to just let it run its course then add corals? I also have a question if they'll pop back up after I move the tank bc I'm gonna take it to college

Exactly. Moving it shouldn't effect the maturity of the tank. Just stress the inhabitants

 

[jjpossel]

ok thank you for the feedback gave me much needed reassurance but do you think it is the diatoms making my zoas close? because they were open for the weeks they've been in but just recently started to close

 

[Lavey29]

I agree with all the above post but can you post a pic under white light of your sandbed for reference.

 

[ptrick21186]

ok thank you for the feedback gave me much needed reassurance but do you think it is the diatoms making my zoas close? because they were open for the weeks they've been in but just recently started to close

The alk is a little low for my liking. But zoas are pretty tough. Just make sure parameters are staying stable with no wild swings. But also that being said I've had my zoas be bothered by algae touching them. They close up when it touches them. You can try manually pulling some off. Give it a couple days and see what they do

 

[jjpossel]

just did a water change and sifted sand but sand is covered normally

 

[CoralB]

What type of water are you using to make up your water ? Are you using RODI ??

 

[jjpossel]

yeah I use RODI from my LFS

 

[Lavey29]

just did a water change and sifted sand but sand is covered normally

Well scrape your glass. Try and get a clear pic tomorrow of the sanbed with the algae on it for us to see...thanks

 

[hexcolor reef]

Corals will be closed up if water flow, PH, ALK isn’t spot on. Zoas like flow for sure. Make sure you add beneficial bacteria to the tank as well. It will move things along and make your coral alot more comfy

If you’re moving it to a new location make sure you take the already cycled water with you and don’t rinse the rocks. Keep them in a bag or bucket of water as well.
If you use new water then the cycling will start over from start.

Raise the light at least 10”-12” from water surface or turn lights down to 40% for a few more months

 

[ptrick21186]

Tank doesn't look awful in my opinion. Just going though it's BS. Just stick with the maintenance, try to keep the parameters stable, and be patient.

 

[jjpossel]

ok ill get a better pic tomorrow morning too

 

[ptrick21186]

Corals will be closed up if water flow, PH, ALK isn’t spot on. Zoas like flow for sure. Make sure you add beneficial bacteria to the tank as well. It will move things along and make your coral alot more comfy

If you’re moving it to a new location make sure you take the already cycled water with you and don’t rinse the rocks. Keep them in a back or bucket of water as well.
If you use new water then the cycling will start over from start.

+1 on the bacteria. Brightwell MicroBacter 2x a week. I'm a firm believer of this. It's cheap and helps keep the beneficial bacteria supply up.