DIATOMS

[Ashv5]

Hi Guys!

So my tank is getting diatoms slowly but surely. 90-gallon system with a sump and refugium. Let me know what I can do to reduce or stop it.

Stocking:

1- Yellow Tang
2- Clownfish
1- Jewel Damsel
1- Yellowtail Damsel
1- Female bj trigger
1- Cleaner shrimp
couple snails and hermits

I prefer not to add anything more (or spend lol). I was wondering if the diatoms will eventually be taken care of with my refugium.
I used to have a 40g system prior to upgrading and I didn't notice the diatoms too bad... I just faced painful hair algae.

 

[Ashv5]

#reefsquad

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yes
Siphon, reduce white light intensity and Add clean up crew such as some Turbo snails, about 4 nassarius, 3 trochus, 3 astrea, 3 -6 blue leg hermits

 

[Ashv5]

Yes
Siphon, reduce white light intensity and Add clean up crew such as some Turbo snails, about 4 nassarius, 3 trochus, 3 astrea, 3 -6 blue leg hermits

Should I kill all lights or just white? I want to get rid of this early before it is too late.

 

[schuby]

Things grow when you feed them (and nothing else eats it faster). if you have high Silicates in your top-off water (usually RO/DI), then you are feeding diatoms. A simple Silicate test-kit can help.

I had diatoms. They seemed to be mostly gone when my lights came on, and then they just seemed to get more and more after a few minutes. Removing the excess Silicate from my RO/DI water made them go away in less than a week.

 

[Ashv5]

Things grow when you feed them (and nothing else eats it faster). if you have high Silicates in your top-off water (usually RO/DI), then you are feeding diatoms. A simple Silicate test-kit can help.

I had diatoms. They seemed to be mostly gone when my lights came on, and then they just seemed to get more and more after a few minutes. Removing the excess Silicate from my RO/DI water made them go away in less than a week.

Ok I see. Was still wondering though, is my fuge set up correctly? I’m really hoping it will take care of it. From my understanding, I think I’m gonna just leave it alone (diatoms) and reduce the lighting.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Should I kill all lights or just white? I want to get rid of this early before it is too late.

White unless you have no corals, then all if fine although not necessary

 

[Conovan]

I have been running a full light cycle to encourage the diatoms and algae. 2 weeks of that and they don't seem to be getting worse. I am doing this so I feel comfortable I won't starve CUC when I add them in the comming weeks. Having no coral, I am extremely comfortable with this because I know I can just cut the lights for a day or 3 and kill it off at any time I become uncomfortable.

 

[saltyhog]

Ok I see. Was still wondering though, is my fuge set up correctly? I’m really hoping it will take care of it. From my understanding, I think I’m gonna just leave it alone (diatoms) and reduce the lighting.

A refugium will have no effect on diatoms. If this is a new set up it will likely go away on it's on when the available silica is used up...as long as there is not an ongoing source of silicates from your salt, RO/DI , etc.

 

[HighChiefKC]

A refugium will have no effect on diatoms. If this is a new set up it will likely go away on it's on when the available silica is used up...as long as there is not an ongoing source of silicates from your salt, RO/DI , etc.

How do you get rid of silicates?

 

[saltyhog]

If you don't have a source of silicates that is replenishing your level it will be removed by the diatoms....they literally "eat" themselves out of existence. Common sources of silicates is RO/DI water when the tap water is high in them. GFO removes silicates well but be careful it also removes PO4 which could bottom it out and lead to worse problems.....like dinos.

 

[rkpetersen]

Things grow when you feed them (and nothing else eats it faster). if you have high Silicates in your top-off water (usually RO/DI), then you are feeding diatoms.

This really is key. If silicon is getting into your top off water because of inadequate RODI water filtration, it will be hard to defeat diatoms. Especially in the summer when evaporation and top off water use tends to increase. Even 0 TDS water can have a significant amount of silicon that has broken through; silicon is one of the harder elements for both RO membrane and DI resin to remove completely.

Home test kits might be inadequate though. The best way to test your RODI water for breakthrough of silicon and other elements is by sending it to ATI for ICPOES testing. In my case, it was worth adding another DI resin stage containing a SpectraPure SilicaBuster cartridge, which solved the issue with silicon breakthrough.

 

[rkpetersen]

Ok I see. Was still wondering though, is my fuge set up correctly? I’m really hoping it will take care of it. From my understanding, I think I’m gonna just leave it alone (diatoms) and reduce the lighting.

Your refugium setup probably isn't optimal. You should have pretty fast flow through the algae. If it's a ball of algae, optimally the water flow should keep it slowly rotating. If you use a mat of algae, it should be near the water surface, with fast flow through it. Also the light spectrum should be optimized for algae growth, more reddish, as with plant grow lights.