Base rock LR ?

silverdak

Active Member
this morning I woke up and noticed that my White base rock had a light brown/redish color on it. not the entire rock, but the majority.. is this just my base rock becoming LR? or do I have an issue here??
 

spanko

Active Member
Could be diatoms and or coralline. It is just balancing out with the rest of the tank. Pretty soon you won't be able to tell the diff between what was bought as live or base. Tis a good thing my friend..................
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Do you have live rock in there too or is it all base? You will not get coraline unless you introduce it first. It sounds like just some diatoms to me.
 

silverdak

Active Member
there is base and LR in the tank right now.. bout 12lbs of base and 10 lbs of live
and are diatoms good or bad?
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by SilverDak
http:///forum/post/2680416
there is base and LR in the tank right now.. bout 12lbs of base and 10 lbs of live
and are diatoms good or bad?
They are neither. It is a natural part of the system stabilizing. They will get worse before they get better. Using RO/DI water rather than tap (I don't know what you use) will help.
 
Originally Posted by SilverDak
http:///forum/post/2680416
there is base and LR in the tank right now.. bout 12lbs of base and 10 lbs of live
and are diatoms good or bad?
good, it happens to new tanks (if yours is newish) will be there anytime from 2-12 weeks
also there are chemicals you can add that will kill it off quickly if you feel ok with putting it in your tank... I just let mine go....
 

silverdak

Active Member
my tank is only about a month or so old... will it go away on its own?? I assume its there for some reason right??
 

prime311

Active Member
If it's Diatoms, it should go away mostly on its own. If its Cyanobacteria(becomes somewhat hairy and bubbles form on top of it) you need to add more water flow to that area and make sure you're Nitrates/Phosphates aren't too high.
 

silverdak

Active Member
Originally Posted by prime311 http:///forum/post/2680475
If it's Diatoms, it should go away mostly on its own. If its Cyanobacteria(becomes somewhat hairy and bubbles form on top of it) you need to add more water flow to that area and make sure you're Nitrates/Phosphates aren't too high.
ya there are bubbles on top... cant tell if it is hairy tho...
and pictures can be found here
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/323823/collins-14-gallon-bio-cube-chronicle
newest pictures are on the last page
 

prime311

Active Member
It'll grow hairy as it gets worse. Not as hairy as hair algae, but a little hairy. The bubbles are a sure sign of Cyano though. Like I said, get some better water flow in the areas its forming and make sure your Nitrate/Phos aren't an issue. If you still have troubles(and you shouldn't), evaluate your lights.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Here is an old pic of my 20 QT with diatoms. Diatoms look like a brown/reddish brown dusting. I don't have a picture of Cayno. I am sure if you do a search for it on here then you will find one.
Sorry, Sir Quizzy is in most of my pics

 

payton 350

Member
just blow it off with a turkey baster.....it will come back though, but at least you can see your tank clean for a couple of hours
 

silverdak

Active Member

maybe that will help? and as far as the bubbles.... there really aren't any anymore
my crabs and snails were all up on it cleaning it too
 

spanko

Active Member
Yup looks like diatoms to me. They are one of the phases of cycling. They will go away soon. Just keep your flow to the tank good.
 

silverdak

Active Member
flow should be decent from what I hear of the BC.... maybe if I find a powerhead for cheap enough I will get that and add it too pointing the other direction right across the top of that rock
 
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