Diatoms - Im almost feeling suicidal!

[timsedwards]

OK good point. So how about actinics on at 12pm till 8pm, then mains on 2pm-7pm? Id prefer that time scale because I am not normally here to appreciate it during the day!
I like your signature btw Nice to see someone else comes from the same viewpoint as me on why fishkeeping is so great and who we owe it to

 

[eng50]

Tim,
If your signature is up to date, your alk is a little low. I know I get significant PH fluctuations when my alk is less than 7 dkh. What is your Ph, morning and night? Might be something else to consider..
Bill

 

[timsedwards]

LOL tea and biscuits....jsut about summed up my evening...
OK ill calm the lights down, but I am getting hopefully some polyps or leather on friday, will the lighting schedule of actinics on at 12pm till 8pm, then mains on 2pm-7pm be ok for them?
OK is it worth me taking my kent phosphate sponge (which removes silicates as well) out as it seems to have got worse since that was put in?
Can Salinity affect alk? If so that may be a reason as it is a little low but will hopefully put that right this evening!
Thanks for the help guys,
Tim.

 

[timsedwards]

OK Kip thanks for that.
The instructions say to keep sponge in there for silicate removal for 'several days' which takes it up to friday. PO4's are zero by the way.
Thanks,
Tim.

 

[timsedwards]

It is a shame. I will try and find a LFS that will test them.
LOL is it going to be a jibe at the English every time I post now!!

 

[glinton]

Amen Tim!
It is amazing to see how the figerprints of God are over all His creation. That is why I love this hobby so much!
I am glad to hear you are beginning to solve your problem.
I don't know if you need to cut your whites back that much. I would say that running your whites for 8-9 hours a day would not hurt. All I was saying was that 13 hours a day was a little much.
Greg

 

[timsedwards]

howdy,
well i think for now I will cut them back for 5 a day, just to see what happens and get it under control.
If any of you have any ideas on removing apstasia could you see my other post please!!! Its really getting me down!!!
Thanks,
Tim.

 

[timsedwards]

lol lucky for you we do have a good sense of humour! Although I think the americans and brits have slightly different ones sometimes, especially when I watch some US comedy shows (with the exception of things like Friends, Frasier, Simpsons etc, i mean the stand-up quality).
Oh, and back on the thread, I have raised salinity now to 1.024-1.025. Will test for dkh and Ca later. Diatoms are still there but I have cut down the hours so hopefully might see a change?
Cheers mate,
Tim.

 

[timsedwards]

here is a pic of the diatoms.....

 

[timsedwards]

i have had the diatoms since i added the sand which was about 6-8 weeks ago. mind you even before then I had bad diatoms. It is piggin' annoying me now because it really makes a difference to how my tnak looks. I am going to try and get a silicate test done somewhere and we can see if I have any.
Yes I am using RO water although I didnt always and I have only done 3 10-15% water changes with RO water so far.
What other varients cna affect diatoms?
Thanks,
Tim

 

[newreefers]

Tim,
I am ready to make a suicide pact with you, been fighting them for about the same amount of time. today, I aded 1" of live sand over the bloom, within 30 minutes a had a new bloom on the top of my new sand. my PO4 is also 0. never put anything but 100% aragonite live sand in the tank, tried everything, at my wits end. I am wondering if I cut my lights off for a while, what will it do to everything in the tank, and would it kill the bloom????

 

[krux]

you can order a silicate test from most online distributers, but they are one of the moist pricy ones, 30-35 if i remember from when i bought mine for a salifert kit, its been a while...

 

[timsedwards]

Hi guys,
Yes its a real pain, especially when it is hard to pin it down to something. I am going to the (not so local) LFS that will test it for me today and see if it is silicates. The Salifert test kits are still $15 or so for silicates over here in UK...
If you cut down your lights yes, it will disappear temporarily, but any corals need the lights and you have no doubt have spent a lot of money on your tank, and dang nammit you probably want to see it most of the time!
WE WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY ALGAE!
Tim

 

[coralcollector]

Tim ro water more ro water and get a di on it for gods sakes!
Cut the lights back on there photo period,get hermit crabs,and give it time it will go away slowly over time.Be patient in this hobby please.

 

[timsedwards]

as far as I know it is di as well, i buy it from lfs.
i have 10 hermit crabs who eat it all during the night but not day.
i cant cut back on photo period with corals in there.
mains are on for 5 hours and actinics for 7.
I have waited 6 months for it to go away!

 

[coralcollector]

6 months tells me that something is feeding it then I suspect your ro water immediately may not be as clean as you think.

 

[timsedwards]

well guess what asked my LFS today if it had a DI filter on it; well it doesnt. its just plain RO water. and all the FS in my area dont use DI. What is going on?!?
COuld this be the source?
Oh btw I had a massive spike in xmas and so replaced about 75% of water and the substrate so could be about 4 months old really i guess. But still.....

 

[coralcollector]

ah ha thats it get a di get a di get a di!!!!

 

[timsedwards]

lol i know i couldnt believe it when the guy told me!
Well I am trying to save up for a RO/DI unit but it is so expensive. Distilled water from supermarket? Is that all I need? Can I use that instead of RO? Does it need to go through RO?
Thanks,
Tim.

 

[timsedwards]

ok so what is distilled water exactly? Is it as good (bar your PO4 result) as RO/DI water?
Is Spring water (pure) the same as distilled water?
Thanks,
Tim.