Dino or diatoms

[bonarjoseph]

My tank has been running for two years now and about a month ago this algae pops up it disappears at night and comes back an hour after the light turns on I have pics below of my parameters and what the algae looks like

 

[Bryson.bobby]

My tank has been running for two years now and about a month ago this algae pops up it disappears at night and comes back an hour after the light turns on I have pics below of my parameters and what the algae looks like

Looks like diatoms imo

 

[ScottB]

On the sand is diatoms IMO. Don't sweat these. Visually annoying but not harmful. Blowing them off and filtering them out will eventually cause them to fade. I've read that they are feeding on some excess silicate in the sand; removing them will remove the silicate over time.

On the rock in front left of picture, I am assuming that is just algae. Does it "blow off" the rock or is it fixed? Does it have longish snotty strings with bubbles or no? With your nutrient levels relatively high, it would be unusual -- but not unheard of -- to have dinos. Be happy with anything aside from dinos.

 

[dwest]

My tank has been running for two years now and about a month ago this algae pops up it disappears at night and comes back an hour after the light turns on I have pics below of my parameters and what the algae looks like

I agree with the others. However if you are concerned you can likely ID them with a $12 microscope.

 

[Westoncase]

That’s diatoms on the sand ik for sure.

 

[bonarjoseph]

Thanks every body I guess I just got scared because of how crazy Dino is to deal with.

 

[bonarjoseph]

On the sand is diatoms IMO. Don't sweat these. Visually annoying but not harmful. Blowing them off and filtering them out will eventually cause them to fade. I've read that they are feeding on some excess silicate in the sand; removing them will remove the silicate over time.

On the rock in front left of picture, I am assuming that is just algae. Does it "blow off" the rock or is it fixed? Does it have longish snotty strings with bubbles or no? With your nutrient levels relatively high, it would be unusual -- but not unheard of -- to have dinos. Be happy with anything aside from dinos.

It’s fixed and it doesn’t blow off ,it has strings but no bubbles, it’s probably green hair algae

 

[Bryson.bobby]

If it’s stringy, it could be a mixture of cyano and diatoms

 

[ScottB]

It’s fixed and it doesn’t blow off ,it has strings but no bubbles, it’s probably green hair algae

Goody. Come the day (like so many of us) you start dabbling in carbon dosing or GFO or even more mechanical methods ATS, algae reactors, mega refugiums -- anything that brings down nutrients -- test nitrates & phosphates so that you don't strip the water.

It's kinda like corporate bankruptcy. It is a slow slide at first. And then it is over pretty quick. Enough melodrama for the day, please enjoy your tank!

 

[bonarjoseph]

If it’s stringy, it could be a mixture of cyano and diatoms

Now that I’ve calmed down that’s what it looks like , in the last month it had bubbles but I am now looking at it and it seems like it’s just diatoms and cyano

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Yep. It’s probably bubbly bc of the flow. Back when I first got my tank started, the cyano has bubbles in it and I had the same reaction. I actually started a thread much like this one lol

 

[bonarjoseph]

Yep. It’s probably bubbly bc of the flow. Back when I first got my tank started, the cyano has bubbles in it and I had the same reaction. I actually started a thread much like this one lol

Thanks for the help any suggestions to get it looking nicer?

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Since your tank is on the new side, I would personally just let it run its course. That’s what I did for mine anyway. Hope yours goes away soon!