Sorry, I know this question gets ask a lot. Got some light brown coloration on the rocks in my display tank. Figured it was just diatoms. I know they go away on there own. Looked in my refugium and it is just covered in brown. All over the rock rubble, on the sides, and some on the macro algea. I also noticed a little on the top of my circulation pumps too. Is this all just diatoms? I thought diatoms only grew on rock and sand? If not diatoms, then what is it and what should I do?
Diatoms or Something Else?
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GoVols
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Does your sump have a grow light in it?
GoVols
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Does it float around like dust (dusty) if you wave your hand in the water over your live rock?
Does it go away after lights off and come back strong during the day (lights on), but not so much in shadows of your display?
Does it go away after lights off and come back strong during the day (lights on), but not so much in shadows of your display?
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reeferfoxx
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Diatoms don't always go away without a predator. Snails and pods are good choices. Turbos snails, trochus snails, cerith snails, astrea snails.
In my display tank it’s not that bad, and yes it seems to be worse during the day when the lights are on. I’m more concerned about my fuge. It seems to be much worse there. My fuge lights are on for 10 hours at night while the tank lights are off so hard to tell if it’s worse then. I noticed it first on the rubble in my refugeium then a little in the DT. It never got worse in the display but got really bad in the refugium. I know a diatom bloom is normal for a new tank and they usually go away on there own. Just want to make sure that is what this is. It’s my first reef tank so I don’t know what they really look like. I thought about adding pods to my refugium. Do you think that might be a good idea? Thanks for the help everyone.
2 pics of my observation tank. 3 weeks old with diatoms on the rocks and sand. Feeding phyto for the pods. Lights on 10 hours a day. Snails have something to eat now. It will go away.
