Diatoms outcompeting coralline algae

[Miami Reef]

I wasn’t expecting the silica dosing for the purpose of encouraging diatoms and sponges to outcompete coralline algae.

I think I can slightly decrease the silica dose, but is this supposed to happen? I clearly see diatoms growing over the coralline.

Ps: I’m still gonna dose the silica. I’m probably shooting over 1ppm silica twice a week, so I do have potential to decrease the dose.

@Randy Holmes-Farley @taricha @Dan_P

 

[CoralB]

My experience is that diatoms feed on silica . Why may I ask are you dosing silica for ? Dino’s ??

 

[Reefahholic]

I’m sure he’s in a Dino battle.

 

[Miami Reef]

My experience is that diatoms feed on silica . Why may I ask are you dosing silica for ? Dino’s ??

Nope, not for Dinos. I don’t have any dinos.

Silica is a good thing to feed. Many filter feeders like sponges depend on silica. Scraping diatoms is free phytoplankton which clams and other corals/filter feeders can consume. Snails may require it for their radula (scraper). Copepods consume silica as their primary food source, and more copepods = happy mandarin gobies.

 

[Reefahholic]

I wasn’t expecting the silica dosing for the purpose of encouraging diatoms and sponges to outcompete coralline algae.

I think I can slightly decrease the silica dose, but is this supposed to happen? I clearly see diatoms growing over the coralline.

Ps: I’m still gonna dose the silica. I’m probably shooting over 1ppm silica twice a week, so I do have potential to decrease the dose.

@Randy Holmes-Farley @taricha @Dan_P

Have you noticed a different in the Dino population.?

 

[Miami Reef]

Have you noticed a different in the Dino population.?

My tank is relatively new (under 6 months) and I never dealt with Dinos as of yet.

 

[Jekyl]

Nope, not for Dinos. I don’t have any dinos.

Silica is a good thing to feed. Many filter feeders like sponges depend on silica. Scraping diatoms is free phytoplankton which clams and other corals/filter feeders can consume. Snails may require it for their radula (scraper). Copepods consume silica as their primary food source, and more copepods = happy mandarin gobies.

Why not just dose live phyto instead?

 

[Reefahholic]

Nope, not for Dinos. I don’t have any dinos.

Silica is a good thing to feed. Many filter feeders like sponges depend on silica. Scraping diatoms is free phytoplankton which clams and other corals/filter feeders can consume. Snails may require it for their radula (scraper). Copepods consume silica as their primary food source, and more copepods = happy mandarin gobies.

I see! Didn’t realize they were that beneficial for everything. I just ordered some NuAlgi. I’ll begin dosing in a few days to try and outcompete my Dino’s. Well, the remnants of the remaining anyway. Pretty much gone now.

 

[Miami Reef]

Why not just dose live phyto instead?

I am starting that as well, it should arrive this week.

Hmm. Maybe the diatoms outcompeting coralline is a good thing! Imagine if scraping coralline is just something I won’t have to deal with.

 

[Reefahholic]

My tank is relatively new (under 6 months) and I never dealt with Dinos as of yet.

Mine too and me either until this tank figured it would suck down .16 ppm for 5-6 months.

Keep your N&P up and you won’t have to deal with it. In my case I couldn’t keep it up manually dosing and had to call GHL in to get my pump online. I was late and they had already gotten a good foothold.

 

[Reefahholic]

I am starting that as well, it should arrive this week.

Hmm. Maybe the diatoms outcompeting coralline is a good thing! Imagine if scraping coralline is just something I won’t have to deal with.

I have Live Phyto coming as well. Who did you order with?

 

[Miami Reef]

Mine too and me either until this tank figured it would suck down .16 ppm for 5-6 months.

Keep your N&P up and you won’t have to deal with it. In my case I couldn’t keep it up manually dosing and had to call GHL in to get my pump online. I was late and they had already gotten a good foothold.

Thank you! I do!

I’ve dealt with dinos coolia a few times in the past. It always always correlated with 0 nutrients. I never used silica to battle them in the past, but diatoms are very competitive from what I can see. Seems like they’d work well so long as nothing else is limiting them.

I have Live Phyo coming as well. Who did you order with?

@Eldredge https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fresh-live-phyto-8-species-blend-–-free-shipping.796578/

 

[Reefahholic]

Thank you! I do!

I’ve dealt with dinos coolia a few times in the past. It always always correlated with 0 nutrients. I never used silica to battle them in the past, but diatoms are very competitive from what I can see. Seems like they’d work well so long as nothing else is limiting them.

No doubt they’re extremely competitive and love low nutrient environments. They love when you do a water change or make any moves that disrupt stability. Thx for the link.

@Eldredge https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fresh-live-phyto-8-species-blend-–-free-shipping.796578/

 

[Dan_P]

I wasn’t expecting the silica dosing for the purpose of encouraging diatoms and sponges to outcompete coralline algae.

I think I can slightly decrease the silica dose, but is this supposed to happen? I clearly see diatoms growing over the coralline.

Ps: I’m still gonna dose the silica. I’m probably shooting over 1ppm silica twice a week, so I do have potential to decrease the dose.

@Randy Holmes-Farley @taricha @Dan_P

Interesting. What are you observing that indicates that the silica dosing is interfering with coralline growth?

 

[Miami Reef]

Interesting. What are you observing that indicates that the silica dosing is interfering with coralline growth?

I can see all the coralline on the back wall turned kind of brown because diatoms are growing over it. I can take pictures.

The coralline looks fine on the rockwork.

 

[Dan_P]

I can see all the coralline on the back wall turned kind of brown because diatoms are growing over it. I can take pictures.

The coralline looks fine on the rockwork.

Got it.

A purely academic question, is the diatom cover much heavier on the back wall than on the rocks?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I wasn’t expecting the silica dosing for the purpose of encouraging diatoms and sponges to outcompete coralline algae.

I think I can slightly decrease the silica dose, but is this supposed to happen? I clearly see diatoms growing over the coralline.

Ps: I’m still gonna dose the silica. I’m probably shooting over 1ppm silica twice a week, so I do have potential to decrease the dose.

@Randy Holmes-Farley @taricha @Dan_P

I didn’t notice a decline in coralline, but it is certainly plausible, and I was not measuring coralline growth. If I am remembering correctly, I dosed in a fashion that the glass coating went brown for a few days then back to green. If it always stays brown, perhaps that’s too much diatom growth.

 

[Microcosm Reefer]

Silica is a good thing to feed. Many filter feeders like sponges depend on silica. Scraping diatoms is free phytoplankton which clams and other corals/filter feeders can consume. Snails may require it for their radula (scraper). Copepods consume silica as their primary food source, and more copepods = happy mandarin gobies.

I noticed more copepods from dosing silica than phytoplankton in my tank. I still grow out cultures using phyto but in the tank it's only silica dosing now. Snails spawn more often. anywhere there is a dusting of diatoms on the glass you can see a herd of pods grazing on it like cows.

 

[Miami Reef]

Got it.

A purely academic question, is the diatom cover much heavier on the back wall than on the rocks?

Yes.

The green rocks towards the front are new dry rocks that I added. The purple ones are KP rocks.

You can see there’s no diatom growth on the rock work, but you can clearly see them on the powerhead.

If you look at the back wall, you can see the coralline algae. Here’s a close up of it:

Here you can see brown growing on the coralline.

Tagging @Randy Holmes-Farley so he can see it as well.

 

[Dan_P]

Yes.

The green rocks towards the front are new dry rocks that I added. The purple ones are KP rocks.

You can see there’s no diatom growth on the rock work, but you can clearly see them on the powerhead.

If you look at the back wall, you can see the coralline algae. Here’s a close up of it:

Here you can see brown growing on the coralline.

Tagging @Randy Holmes-Farley so he can see it as well.

Thanks. Great collection of fish!