i have a 20 gallong long reef i just set up 3 months ago. i have about 17 pounds of bulk reef supply reef saver rock. i had it cured for about a month and added a couple rocks from my larger tank to seed them with bacteria. when i got the tank set up i cycled with dr tims. everything went great. my only problem is my diatoms. they are rediculous. the only thing i have in my tank are two frostbite clowns and a clean up crew. ive had diatoms before. i know its gonna happen in a new tank. im 0 tdi rodi water to top off and im doing water changes every sunday once a week. im using a ai prime hd light for about 9 hrs a day with not much white, almost all blue. i also run a seachem tidal filter with seachem matrix, brs rox carbon and phosbond. i feed once every two days at the moment and none of the food hits the sand. didnt know if anyone has ever had a problem with this rock or what the problem could be causing diatoms so bad.
ditaoms question
- Thread starter Jdurm55
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Double check the diatom I'd first off.
And I wouldn't sacrifice feeding healthfully the fish to solve an algae problem.
It quite likely it's not really nutrint related.
How are you using the phosban and gfo?
In a bag may not be agressive enough.
And I wouldn't sacrifice feeding healthfully the fish to solve an algae problem.
It quite likely it's not really nutrint related.
How are you using the phosban and gfo?
In a bag may not be agressive enough.
How old are the filters in the rodi? What type of sand? Any new equipment? Dealing with diatom shenanigans myself after about a month or so with a tank change over. I know the rock I have is solid and added nothing new aside from aragonite sand. It's a phase and it will pass with nothing more than time. Unless there is a silicate source introducing and feeding them that is.
@saltyfilmfolks , I run phosban in a bag, and it's definitely not enough. Can confirm. Lol
my clowns are very fat and healthy lol thats almost always been my schedule on all my tanks and ive never had a problem. and yes im running the phosbond in a bag. i just started it two days ago so i havent really been able to say if its working. i dont have a sump so i have no way of running a reactor.
Although you're getting 0 tds on the rodi, silicates are non conductive and won't show on a tds meter.
That's a young rodi setup then, I wouldn't suspect the silicates creeping through yet. Check that off the possibility list then.
yea ive dealt with diatoms before i know its normal. ive just never had it this bad. it just makes me think its the rock i have because i have never used it before. i guess i should just let it runs its course. every tank has a ugly phase lol
All it took was new sand for me to get the plague of diatoms. Lol. It's only on my sand and not my rock. I have 2 tiger tail cukes (not by choice, my one split), a mix of snails and hermits, and a tiger conch. I also turkey baste the sand every other day or so and let the filter floss catch what I push up into the column. I change the floss on the Opposite Day of basting the sand. Determination, time, patience, and water changes
I was so frustrated to see them myself. My other tank was a year and 9 or so months old and was pretty much self sufficient as I went mad overkill on live rock and light stock. Just to start the uglies over. Lol. You're not in this alone. 
I was so frustrated to see them myself. My other tank was a year and 9 or so months old and was pretty much self sufficient as I went mad overkill on live rock and light stock. Just to start the uglies over. Lol. You're not in this alone.
yea it deff sucks. im very good about doing my water changes every sunday. i take a tooth brush and clean my rock when i do so. its just frustrating haha
Meet my sandbed.....
Meet my sandbed.....
yup mines like that. but on my rock really bad too lol. ive never used dry rock before. always used live rock. wanted a little more control of my tank this time. didnt want some bad hitchhikers.
Very little on my rock, just a few intentionally lower flow spots. Now I've gotta go turkey baste my sand now that it's staring at me. Lol
Never tried dry rock. Just did about 150# in a 90 gallon tank. Overkill, yeah, biofilter, excellent. When went to the 80 shallow, just broke a bunch and filled my sump with it.
