Major diatom problem!!!

[soto]

i'm clueless on how to stop this stuff. i was told i had diatoms about 2 weeks ago after i called my fish mainenance dude over. he said the 2 main reasons they started was because:
1. i was using catalina water for my water changes and
2. i wasn't using sock filters and particles of food were cycling in the tank from overfeeding.
he charged me $300 to do a 75 gallon water change, removed all my live rock and cleaned it, vacuumed the sand, and did all this other knarly stuff. he said i needed to shut off my skimmer & filter, do 10-15 gallon changes every 4 days, and treat the tank w/ a red slime remover.
i've been sticking to that schedule and it's NOT WORKING. i also installed sock filters, put this phosphate reducing filter media in my sump tank, and have cut down on feeding. but they're back. every night i suck em out and they're all back the next day. it only takes em ONE DAY to completely re-infest my tank!!!

i'm not payin this dude to come back so i need yer help me fellow compadres. here's my setup description:
i have 3 tanks that all cycle together for a total of 250 gallons.
tank 1- 150 gallon reef/display tank that hosts 2 clowns, 2 tangs, a wrasse, and some other small fish. also has several clams, about 25 corals, and a ton of crabs n' snails. has two 175-watt MH pendant lights and one 250-watt MH pendant hovering over
tank2- 40-gallon tank that hosts my peacock mantis shrimp. has p/c lighting but i'm not sure of the wattage. i'm guessin it's pretty strong though cause it gets hot. this is also the tank where the worst breakout is.
tank 3- 60-gallon fuge tank underneith. has a small flourescent that gives light to some spaghetti algae. got some live rock in there too and i keep the heater and skimmer in there.
the filter and chiller are outside and cycle w/ the 3 tanks. this system's about 5 months old.
sorry for the long description. i know it's boring but i wanted to be accurate. THESE DIATOMS ARE DRIVING ME NUTS!!!! help please fellas :help:

 

[djevack]

post all of your levels

 

[beth]

Diatoms is actually not algae, but, rather single-cell, shelled organisms with cell walls containing silica. They are yellow-green to brown. These organisms have little mobility and live in groups of cells growing a film over the surface of objects---glass, substrate, rocks. In low concentrations they have little noticeable effect in aquarium systems, are always present, and are harmless. They can respond to nutrient increases, growing in abundance when higher concentrations of organic by-products, such as phosphates, are present in the aquarium. However, mostly, they are present more when higher amounts of dissolved silica is present in the water. Silicate is dissolved in sea water, and these organisms use it to construct their shells. Under normal conditions, diatoms are controlled in aquaria by the use of grazers such as snails [not fish grazers], and by using an algae scraper to remove the nasty looking film on aquarium glass.
If your aquarium has extra-high levels of silica and excess nutrients in the water, then diatoms will proliferate and quickly grow as unsightly brown films which can cover every exposed surface in the aquarium---including any shelled creatures that you have. Use calcareous substrates, rather then the cheaper river sands that you can buy at the garden or home improvement center. The use of silica-free deionized, distilled, or reverse osmosis water can also help reduce excess diatoms.
Silica is in new tanks at higher concentrations because the sand or substrate, rocks, etc., are new and are made of silica---the food source for diatoms. Once the silica is reduced in the aquarium---as these diatoms will eat much of it, then the brown algae will die back, and the more pleasant and desirable green algae will take its place.
Diatoms are a normal part of the tank cycle. If you have enormous amts of diatoms even after a few mos, then look for the problem that is causing this---most likely the water you are putting into the tanks. In the meantime, clean up as much of this as you want to keep your tank looking the way you want.
In your reef tanks a good biological clearner is the trochus snail. However, only get 1-2 per tank, otherwise they will starve.
What type of substrate are you using?

 

[tjake68]

is this a brown powdery looking i have a new 55 gallon set up 3 months and on my skimmer and rocks and powerhead little bit on glass and sand thers a brown powdery looking dust like on these things i clean it off twice a month and it keeps coming back i use tap water conditioned and let it sit one week before using it i also have a 65 gallon running 9 months i use same water and dont have this problem it actually hasc greens and purpals and looks great sorry for asking question on someones thread but i saw something that was similier to a question i had

 

[soto]

thank you for the replies
right now i'm just using live sand. my levels are all normal. i have been adding occasional doses of Kent iodine, calcium, and strotium & molybdenum nutrients every week or so. should i chill out on that stuff??
also, i just bought an r/o unit and have been making my own water for the last 2 weeks. but this problem has been going on for over a month! i would think that the 3 chamber r/o unit would be eliminating most, if not all, of the silica.
should i just keep dosing the tank w/ the red slime remover? i've already given it 3 doses and nothing's changed.

 

[beth]

Keep using the RO and see if the situatuon clears up. This type of thing is usually short lived.

 

[soto]

ok kewl. so is there a limit of how often i change the water? right now i've been doing 10-15 gallon changes every other day for the 250 gallon system.