still getting diatoms, please help

timsedwards

Active Member
Hi,
You may remember from earlier threads i was getting big diatom problems. Well I have added Live Sand to the bottom, whole brand new white surface and added Rowa-Phos, a phosphate sponge in my cannister filter. Phosphates are now 0.25 or so.
I have just expanded my janitorial crew, added 6 red legs and 12 nassarius today.
I am still getting diatoms. What makes it worse is the nitrogen bubbles coming through it. I am at my wits end. What more can I do? it really gets me down because the tank looks awful with it.
please help somebody,
Tim.:(
 

barracuda

Active Member
Tim, the RO water you've just started to use... have you checked it for phosphates and silicates??? You just treated with phosphate sponge and you still have PO4=0.25ppm. This means that you add phosphates from the external source maybe. Now, few questions.
1. During the treatment, did you monitor PO4 level and did you see 0ppm?
2. What additives do you add and how often?
3. How often and how much do you feed your fish?
4. What about PH? Daylight reading and night reading? (remember i mentioned, that microalgae loves low PH)
5. Very important!!! Do you still feed your fish with garlic soaked food?

[hr]
Try to get your RO and tank water tested for silicates. Ask your LFS to do that.
 

timsedwards

Active Member
HI guys thanks for the feedback,
Yes I am now using RO water bought from LFS
1)No levels never went to 0, 0.25 (now) is the lowest it went.
2)I'm not adding any additives at the moment
3)I feed them every other day and not a lot!
4)I will check nightime reading - daytime is 8.2
5)No garlic food for 3 weeks.
Thanks for all your help and I will see if i can get a silicate test kit. Presuming I cant (which I dont think I can over here), or say i do have high levels, how do you treat that?
Cheers!
Tim.
 

barracuda

Active Member
Kent Marine or Seachem makes "phosphate sponge" which will absorb phosphates and silicates.
Do not buy silicate test kit, try to find someone that already has it, let's say LFS.
Good luck!
 

timsedwards

Active Member
Hi Barracuda,
Just tested my night-time pH and it is 7.8 - a bit too low? How do get it up?!?
Kent phosphate and silicate sponge? I will keep an eye out for that.
My LFS doesnt have a silicate test kit, lol.
Thanks for all the help,
Tim.
 

timsedwards

Active Member
Ive just realised (doh) that I ahve left my phosphate sponge in there for over a week! Probably 9 days or so! And apparently with most phosphate sponges you only keep them in there for 2 days max! Doh! Do you think this could be it?
Thanks for the help,
Tim.
 

barracuda

Active Member
Tim, PH 7.8 at night could be due to your microalgae. As any type of algae this "bad" one also photosynthetic. As night falls (light turns off) this algae starts to release CO2, which is responsible for lowering PH.
As i said, i never used Rowa-Phos and don't know for how many days you should treat with it. But i'm sure about one thing. This "stuff" could release phosphates back to tank if not removed from system at the right time. What are directions say?
Anyways, try to find either Seachem's "Phosguard" or Kent Marine's "Phosphate sponge". These products for sure treat your system for phosphates and when PO4 level drops, the same sponge will take out the silicates. Both can be reused untill exhausted.
Good luck!
 

timsedwards

Active Member
Hi guys,
Came home today and the tank looks terrible, absolutely over run.
The instructions are very vague and Im not impressed with them!
I will try and get my hands on this Kent's stuff. Cant get to one until sunday tho :( Anything I can do in the meantime?
Is it a bad idea to disturb the gravel on the top a tiny bit to get rid of the diatoms?
Thanks for all the help,
Tim.
 

broomer5

Active Member
Hi Tim,
Couple questions.
I see in your signature you're still measuring nitrites.
Is this correct ?
How long has the tank been set up ?
What type of rock is the "dead" rock ? Where did you get it ?
 

drkegel

Member
1/4" is more than 1mm. 1/4" is actually 6.35 mm. Not that that's a whole lot of distance, but it's 6.35 times deeper than 1!
Good luck!
 

timsedwards

Active Member
Hi Broomer,
Yes just a slight reading that happened when i added the live sand, although this has now gone, it is zero. Sorry I will update sig.
The tank has been set up 9 months although I had a catastrophic spike over Christmas when changing the substrate.
The 'dead' rock was rock that was used in my previous marine set up and was used in my previous marine tank. It was boiled ferociously and I believe it to be fine :)
I think the rise in diatoms is due to the fact that I hvae left the phosphate sponge in there for 9 days, as opposed to the 2 you are supposed to!
All the very best,
Tim.
 

timsedwards

Active Member
i (foolishly!) am not using Kents, although I am going to get some this weekend. I am using a type called 'Rowa-Phos'.
Thanks for the help,
Tim.
 
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