Diatoms?

rcbc3384

rcbc3384

Member
Ok, so I'm about 2 weeks from slowly populating my 55 gal reef tank. After the last time I introduced LR into the tank a golden film started spreading throughout the tank. My cycling is not complete. Do I just let it spread until i'm ready for a clean up crew?
 
j-bird

j-bird

Member
It should eventually go away once tank establishes, lighting could also be contributing to this, how long do you run lights for?
 
travis89

travis89

Active Member
I run my PC daylights for 9 hrs and actnics for 11 hrs.
J-bird how long should it take for diatoms to go away my tank has been set up for 6 months.
 
j-bird

j-bird

Member
Cut down on the lighting, this is the reason for algae growth, cut it down to like 6 hours a day for a couple days, algae will disappear, run them for 8-9 hours a day after this.
 
travis89

travis89

Active Member
water parameters are:
PH 8.1
amm 0
trite 0
trate 5 (down from 25 a couple weeks ago)
alk 8
cal 400
sal 1.024
I also have hair algae and red slime algae growing
 
j-bird

j-bird

Member
Sorry Travis, I am not really sure, your perameters seem good
:notsure:

When you say you are running PC's for 9 hours and actnics for 11, is that a total of 20 hours or do times overlap (i.e. actnics go on 1 hour before and stay on for 1 hour after)??
 
jerth6932

jerth6932

Active Member
If it is new you will have a diatom bloom for a couple of weeks, this is normal. You could cut back your lighting to like 6-8 hours a day till you get some life in there....fish or coral! The lighting can be giving you your other algea's..... hair ect... Also what type of water do you use? (Ro, tap, distilled?) The one test you didn't post was your Phosphates, and they are the big thing for algea growth, that is what they feed on, and they put Phosphates in our water to keep us from drinking the lead that comes frome the pipes that the water travels through..... (If it is just diatoms it is normal and tanks go through it! Its no biggie, it just happens
)
But over all you are just going through the begining tank Diatom bloom, and it will last a while and then go away.... Just make sure that you have adaquate flow, and don't have it in the direct sunlight and you will be fine. It will go away!!!!

Try Cutting back on lighting for the Hair and red algea's, like down to 6-8 hours a day!
 
iiinadav

iiinadav

Member
Travis, what type of water do you use? How many fish? Corals? Feeding schedule? Send us as much info as possible and we will try to help you with your algae bloom.
 
jonny bolt

jonny bolt

Member
I think lighting contributes to this alot. Should always cut back on the lighting during a cycle or when curing LR. I was curing LR in a seperate tank and was leaving the lights on for way too long and I got the golden tint/algae/bubbles crap. Cut down on the lighting to about 6 hours and it went away.
 
travis89

travis89

Active Member
The tank is a 46 bf that has been set up for 6 months, I use RO water, I have 45# LR, I run an aqua C remora protein skimmer, my turnover rate is 11x, I also changed just my 10K daylight bulb a month ago. i feed pellets, flakes, or frozen mysis once a day. I also use phytoplankton.
My occupants are:
perc. clownfish
orchid dottyback
scooter blenny
xenia coral
anthelia coral
hammer coral
mushrooms
zoos
cleaner shrimp
emerald crab
unknown hitchhker crab
6 nassarius snails
5 astraea snails
2 turbo snails
1 conch
Water parameters:
PH -8.1
ammonia -0
nitrite -0
nitrate -5 (down from 25 a couple weeks ago)
KH -8
cal. -400
salinity -1.024
 
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