Silicates??

dirk_brijs

Member
I have a diatom problem (Brown sticky carpet over my sand??) as I did use tap water so I presumed my major problem was silicates right?
Anyway now I bought a reactor and added rowaphos which removes Phosphates which I didnt have a problem with anymore but also the silicates I thought I had.
Now before installing and putting the reactor online I tested my water.
Nitrates 2
Nitrites 0
Posphates 0.01
Calcium 420
sal 1.O25
Ph 8.2
and now the fun thing silicates show 0??? SALIFERT TEST KIT
I dont seem to have a silicate problem ok my nitrates are not at 0 but would only the slightly high nitrates cause a diatom issue??
Anyway I put the reactor online and am planning to wrap the tank and shut the lights for 2 days and see what happens??
These are all band aids for now but not sure what to heal if I dont know what is sick??
PLEASE HELP
One thing could death insects cause the nitrate spike? I had a bee problem and my sump got pretty soiled with death bees for a wile who come for the lights on at night and drown. Causing bee limps/corpses to end up in my DT too through my return.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
Don't stress over the diatom problem at this point. It is a part of the natural progression of a tank and will "fix" itself with a little time, just continue with normally scheduled tank maintenence. It is in my opinion a good sign that things are moving along as they should be.
One word of advice I will offer and that is to not panic and start doing alot of things in your tank. SW tanks survive through a delicate balance. Sometimes, I think people "overly" mess with their tanks and end up doing more damage in the long run.
Good luck!
 

dirk_brijs

Member
Thanks
will try not to panic but I msut admit seeing this brown carper getting bigger and bigger is hard .......... very hard!!
tried allready to stir it up and vacuum the sand but guess I cant do too much harm doing that can I?
So you suggest not to blackout the tank?
 
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smartorl

Guest
Do you have a cleanup crew in this tank yet?
I wouldn't blackout the tank, I would just allow it to run it's course. As soon as it does, your sand will be back to looking pristine again!
 

dirk_brijs

Member
tank is 165gl
I have about 20 nassarius, dont know how many sand dollars maybe 10?
few very tiny hermits, some crabs 1 fignting conch 5 Trochus snails
2 cleaner shrimp, 5 peppermint shrimp, one horshoe crab and 2 urchins
 

srfisher17

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl http:///forum/thread/383299/silicates#post_3351283
One word of advice I will offer and that is to not panic and start doing alot of things in your tank. SW tanks survive through a delicate balance. Sometimes, I think people "overly" mess with their tanks and end up doing more damage in the long run.
Good luck!
Very true, and not said nearly often enough, IMO.
This hobby/addiction means a lot of learning. But, common sense goes a long way too. I once heard of someone who completely tore down and cleaned (this was years ago, before LR) a 125 gal tank because a visitor wore too much perfume into his "fish room" and he had heard about airborne pollutants.
 

atrain5851

Member
to answer your bee question, yes the dead bees in your water still go through the same cycle as a fish would. Ive seen it before with flys.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by srfisher17 http:///forum/thread/383299/silicates#post_3352444
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl
http:///forum/thread/383299/silicates#post_3351283
One word of advice I will offer and that is to not panic and start doing alot of things in your tank. SW tanks survive through a delicate balance. Sometimes, I think people "overly" mess with their tanks and end up doing more damage in the long run.
Good luck!
Very true, and not said nearly often enough, IMO.
This hobby/addiction means a lot of learning. But, common sense goes a long way too. I once heard of someone who completely tore down and cleaned (this was years ago, before LR) a 125 gal tank because a visitor wore too much perfume into his "fish room" and he had heard about airborne pollutants.

Before Live rock says allot..In defense of your story guy...My bird can't survive that kind of purfume and frankly it takes my breath away. If it gags you, it gags your pets. I don't understand people who swim in their purfume/cologne ...poison in the air can kill the fish tank. That's why we don't bomb the house for bugs without procautions..that smelly nasty purfume is the same thing.
 
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