Vinegar dosing

mike007 · Dec 29, 2014

Question for Randy. I have been dosing vinegar as per your guide on a new tank I set up about 2 months ago and now I am getting a blondish colored hair algae on rock and pumps. Is this a bacteria growth?

Triggreef · Dec 29, 2014

Diatoms

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 30, 2014

Hard to know what it is from the description.

Does it extend up into the water, or just a thin coating?

mike007 · Dec 30, 2014

The light brown or blondish algae looks just like green hair algae that Is stringy. It is growing on rockwork and pumps. It does extend up into water waving around like cotton. I have some green hair algae and I thought maybe it was dying off and turning color. Water parameters seemed to be okay. Running phosphate, carbon reactor and wet skim. I thought this might be normal for a new tank but not sure now. That why I questioned the vinegar dosing.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 30, 2014

Bacteria don't normally look like that, but others things might.

I'd just watch it for a while in a new tank and see what happens.

mike007 · Dec 31, 2014

Now that I have seen pics of this brown algae yes I believe It Is diatoms. Anyone have any good remedies?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 31, 2014

Diatoms can normally be cut off by eliminating silicate additions to the water.

A new tank may just have sone available that need to be used up, but tap water can be a big source.

mike007 · Dec 31, 2014

I am confused thought dosing sodium silicate was good. Are we talking about something different here? Also should I continue dosing the vinegar? My nitrate test are showing 0 at a daily dose of 30 ml a day. But could be misleading due to the algae using it. I don't know whether to keep upping the dosage or not.