Looking for a reliable Silicate Test kit,, any suggestion

[dwest]

The Hanna Checker for silicates uses the same chemistry as Hach, and I assume the results would be comparable. The Checkers have always generated results very close to those reported by a $4,000 Hach spectrometer. I've compared results for phosphorus and iron, and alkalinity and calcium using Hach's digital titrator.

I agree about Hanna. There was at least one well known member using the Hanna checker when dosing silicates to study amphidinium dinos.

 

[brandon429]

Adjusting silicates isn't indicated in any of the problem tanks posted so far. Manual cleaning is. We see reef tanks from a chemistry angle to the exclusion of the physical angle, but nature employs both

if the sand rinse thread is 17 pages of invasions getting fixed, what's the chance two more review tanks aren't going to follow suit


Correctly rinsing a sandbed removes high fraction silt powder vs floc it into the crevices of the system. The crevices that constitute active surface area + biofilter want to breathe, so unpack them if needed. If you want to tune the direction of your tank, physically make that happen


Organic waste likes to associate with silt powder, detritus magnet.
OP mentioned the exact condition in his tank. We would have fixed this in two days.


True cleaning gives the system a chance to have detritus ejected and porosity restored (a storm) and the system is put back together, only with no clouding this time, so the invader abates.

I know silicate adjustments are valid chemistry and very handy tuning for larger setups where cleaning-as-catchup isn't practical... just mentioning that for any tank it is practical, a complete/ not partial tank cleaning will get the same ends, months faster and will no ability to feed+ support a new succession of invaders

We get this constantly in high-detritus bryopsis jobs where they use fluconazole to kill the plant, leaving all the fuel for the cyano invasion post. Alternating generations of invaders, all enjoying the same fare

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Anyone have a good silicates tester i was looking at the Hanna ul tester but I'm not sure if its worth it or how its used it looks like 2 reagents are required.

 

[GARRIGA]

If silicates aren’t being introduced then wouldn’t the problem just go away naturally once that which was there gets consumed? Had diatoms and it was nasty. Phosphates were low as well as nitrates. Only variable left was silicates. Used PhosGuard for a week or two and it went away but got to thinking that I could have just left it alone and let it naturally be consumed. Likely the approach I’ll take if this happens again.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

If silicates aren’t being introduced then wouldn’t the problem just go away naturally once that which was there gets consumed? Had diatoms and it was nasty. Phosphates were low as well as nitrates. Only variable left was silicates. Used PhosGuard for a week or two and it went away but got to thinking that I could have just left it alone and let it naturally be consumed. Likely the approach I’ll take if this happens again.

I'm talking about r.o water testing and dosing, i believe the Hanna is the way to go, curious what the community is using?

 

[jimmypencil]

One cannot "blame" diatoms on silicate, but diatoms are the only pest in our tanks that MUST have silicate, and so reducing silicate is often a useful way to beat them.

But like all pests, they MUST ALSO have an adequate source of N, P, trace elements, space to grow, freedom from herbivores, adequate light, etc.

FWIW, I dosed silicate regularly for sponges and other organisms, and I'd get a small temporary shift from green algae on the glass to brown diatoms on the glass until the silicate was sued up, and green algae would take over again.

Feature Article: Silica In Reef Aquariums ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm


Figure 3. A view of the inside of the front glass of my reef tank 5 days after scraping the glass.

Figure 6. A view of the inside of the front glass of my reef tank 5 days after scraping the glass and adding the silica supplement.

Why do new/cycling reef tanks have silicate even if rodi water is used?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Why do new/cycling reef tanks have silicate even if rodi water is used?

If there are diatoms growing at significant levels, the various materials added to the tank must be releasing silicate. Rocks, sand, foods, etc.

 

[nano reef]

Does Brs regular Gfo remove silicates? It dosnt say so on the container. I have heard that only a few do like Rowaphos and two little fishes brand. I also read phosguard does but last bottle I bought did nothing for po4!

Since this is old and 2017 has anything changed? How about carbon dosing with Tropic Marins brand? I also need to bring down nitrates that are now at 28 so i am considering carbon dosing. I have no other way really of bring nitrates down since I have no room for a fuge and anything else that takes up space.

Is 29 to high for lps and softies? I have a few easy low light sps frags that seem to be ok.

Pretty sure its diatoms because chemi clean does nothing and its mainly growing on new acrylic frag racks and on the glass. Very problematic because it has killed a lot of small polyp count zoas on frag racks! Only seems to bother zoas!

Also was in my other tank and coraline grew on racks and took over and all is good in that tank but glass gets real dirty quickly! Coraline wont grow in the tank I need help with! Its over4 years old and very little.

Sorry to branch off! A lot going on!

Both types of mineral phosphate binders (GFO and aluminum oxide) reduce silicate

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Does Brs regular Gfo remove silicates? It dosnt say so on the container. I have heard that only a few do like Rowaphos and two little fishes brand. I also read phosguard does but last bottle I bought did nothing for po4!

Since this is old and 2017 has anything changed? How about carbon dosing with Tropic Marins brand? I also need to bring down nitrates that are now at 28 so i am considering carbon dosing. I have no other way really of bring nitrates down since I have no room for a fuge and anything else that takes up space.

Is 29 to high for lps and softies? I have a few easy low light sps frags that seem to be ok.

Pretty sure its diatoms because chemi clean does nothing and its mainly growing on new acrylic frag racks and on the glass. Very problematic because it has killed a lot of small polyp count zoas on frag racks! Only seems to bother zoas!

Also was in my other tank and coraline grew on racks and took over and all is good in that tank but glass gets real dirty quickly! Coraline wont grow in the tank I need help with! Its over4 years old and very little.

Sorry to branch off! A lot going on!

All GFO are basically the same chemical so will have similar binding, including binding some silicate.

You sure the pest is not dinos?

 

[nano reef]

All GFO are basically the same chemical so will have similar binding, including binding some silicate.

You sure the pest is not dinos?

Yeas, I have had dinos before. This is just dirty glass and on the frag racks and wave makers.. The glass closest to the frag racks is worse.

I keep taking the racks out and cleaning them and it comes back except in my smaller tank when the coralline took over. It appears dusty, not webby nor bubby.

I know that good flow is kind of hard to get to these racks and I have a lot of them. One big 3 tierd one hanging on the back waiting for me to move to frag tank that is full of diatoms too because its a new frag tank. Could it just be from lack of flow and if it is lack of flow thats causing it then does that mean its diatoms? You now how people get red sand in areas of low flow?

I already have 4 wake makers though but racks sit below wave makers on side wall and kind of hard to tell if they are getting enough flow since the racks have zoas and corals that dont move.

I have standing racks on the sand and its a bowfront so hard to get good flow too!

I just cant wait until I can move these zoas to my frag tank! Whatever this stuff is it killed off over 3 k in highend zoas I had purchased recently! All other corals are fine that are on rocks.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yeas, I have had dinos before. This is just dirty glass and on the frag racks and wave makers.. The glass closest to the frag racks is worse.

It still wouldn’t be a bad idea to microscope it if you can. Just to be sure.

I have diatoms growing in and around my powerheads, and even on the propellers. I wouldn’t assume high flow would discourage them.

 

[nano reef]

If there are diatoms growing at significant levels, the various materials added to the tank must be releasing silicate. Rocks, sand, foods, etc.

could vacuuming the entire sand bed every two weeks during water changes release silicates? I did just cut back to vacuuming half each time, I could cut back more but the water comes out very orangeish and dirty when I vacuum so makes me think I need to each time.

If I just change water the water is clean! Also if the water coming out sits in the bucket a while it forms wavy lines of detritus/diatoms maybe? I read that when it clumps and forms back its dinos but I see no signs of dinos just this dusty red stuff I spoke about! That killing of my zoas on frag racks! the zoas on rocks are fine but out of room on rocks!

Looks like the stuff thats all over my rocky/ rubble substrate in my new frag tank as well!