Help! How do I get rid of this?

[Manuel Peralta]

I think it's diatoms but I am not 100% sure. This occurred right after I did a water change. It covers everything even my corals and it blows away like dust. It's been a couple of weeks since it started and I don't see it getting better. I have done consistent water changes, replaced filter socks frequently, added vibrant, and increased my water flow and nothing has changed. What can I do???

 

[blaxsun]

It's a little hard to tell, but either dinos or cyano (possibly both). These two reference images might help you narrow it down before figuring out your best treatment options. Vibrant has some potential risks associated with its use, so I'll just leave it at that since it's apparently not working anyway.

Before embarking on any kind of remedy, get yourself a good nitrate and phosphate kit and post your water levels, filtration, size of your tank, how frequently (and how much) you perform water changes, etc.

Dinos (brownish, almost like snot with bubbles)

Cyano (reddish-orange-purple, stringy)

 

[Roatan Reef]

Are you using an RODI Water system?

What are your CUC Members??

 

[Roatan Reef]

Diatoms love phosphate and Silicate.

Water Changes do not really help Diatoms especially if you are not using RODI Water.

How old is your tank?

 

[Manuel Peralta]

It's a little hard to tell, but either dinos or cyano (possibly both). These two reference images might help you narrow it down before figuring out your best treatment options. Vibrant has some potential risks associated with its use, so I'll just leave it at that since it's apparently not working anyway.

Before embarking on any kind of remedy, get yourself a good nitrate and phosphate kit and post your water levels, filtration, size of your tank, how frequently (and how much) you perform water changes, etc.

Dinos (brownish, almost like snot with bubbles)

Cyano (reddish-orange-purple, stringy)

Okay, so I went to my lfs and got my water tested and they said my nitrate is around 2.0 ppm and phosphate is 0.25. They said it's pretty high so what can I do?

The tank is a 20-gallon Red seas max nano. I use filter socks for filtration, I don't have a protein skimmer because the one that it came with broke down. I do water changes the least once a week, 20% water changes.

 

[Manuel Peralta]

Are you using an RODI Water system?

What are your CUC Members??

Yes, I am using RODI water. For CUC I have a peppermint shrimp, bumblebee snails, nassarius snails, and a hermit crab.

 

[Manuel Peralta]

Diatoms love phosphate and Silicate.

Water Changes do not really help Diatoms especially if you are not using RODI Water.

How old is your tank?

My tank is about a year and a half.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Get a Ling big turkey bastef and suck it up. Looks like cyano to me. Blow it into a bucket. Replace fresh sw to the tank.
Check salinity.
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Long

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Baster. Jeez