Fighting diatoms

Tbird165 · Jul 1, 2015

What can I get that will eat this stuff. It's spreading kinda fast. I have to run to the pet store and pick up whatever I need to clean it

Reefing Madness · Jul 1, 2015

You need nothing. When the silicates are eaten out of your system, they will die off.

Tbird165 · Jul 1, 2015

OK thanks some sites were saying that crabs and shrimp would help and other hardly said anything at all about fighting it

Reefing Madness · Jul 1, 2015

The is usually futile, they will continue to grow until the silicates are gone, there are a few critters that would eat it, but its rarely a problem for very long, and doesn't need a special critter to clean it up.

Tbird165 · Jul 1, 2015

Thanks did a water change yesterday and it started going away then it came back worse today . Everything in my tank is staying away from it even my hermit crab

Reefing Madness · Jul 1, 2015

Are you using RO/DI water?

Tbird165 · Jul 1, 2015

I used distilled water on the water change and have been using it for top offs

Acrononomus · Jul 1, 2015

It's normal as part of a newer system, is your system recently set up or have you moved it recently, it's normal and should vanish in a month or so.....

bkostuch · Jul 2, 2015

If you continue to have diatoms and just don't like the way it looks get a diamond goby. While I don't have a diatom issue mine keeps my sugar fine sand pristine, and I have a 120g.

Daytonareefing · Jul 2, 2015

I hate to say it but even though your using distilled water it will still have iron in it and its feeding the algae. You really need to buy an R.O DI unit or buy R.O. DI water from a pet store or something. The DI or deionization filter is most imporant to clean your water with before mixing it with the salt mix when fighting algae problem.

Tbird165 · Jul 2, 2015

Then I'll have to look into getting a unit then. My list keeps growing. Lol that will make my wife happy

Daytonareefing · Jul 2, 2015

I have to say my wife used to get really mad about me spending money on my tanks but then I started letting her pick out corals and I thought I spent to much money on it she spent way more which was funny. But now I'm not married anymore but its not because of the tanks. Lol