B
brue102
Guest
anyone with pics??
pezenfuego
Active Member
"Diatoms" is a very broad category of a type of algae. Diatoms make up a large portion of the ocean's phytoplankton. This algae is known for its hard outer shell comprised of silica. Once it dies it covers the ocean floor and is used in things like ice cream, toothpaste, and adhesives. It also makes up a large part of sand on the beach.
Diatoms consume the silicates in your aquarium and once all are consumed, it SHOULD go away. They don't last long and almost everyone gets them as an initial part of the cycle. They are okay to have in new aquariums and will go away soon.
I like to relate diatoms to hatboxes. Think of a circular hat box. The algae reproduces asexually by splitting (ie the hat comes off the box). The new diatoms then produce another half, so you end up with two diatoms. Now, each generation gets smaller. Once the diatoms are about a quarter the size of the originals, they will produce either sperm or eggs and release them for sexual reproduction. The resulting diatoms will then be much larger than the parents...or the same size as the original generation...
Here is what it looks like in the aquarium:
Diatoms consume the silicates in your aquarium and once all are consumed, it SHOULD go away. They don't last long and almost everyone gets them as an initial part of the cycle. They are okay to have in new aquariums and will go away soon.
I like to relate diatoms to hatboxes. Think of a circular hat box. The algae reproduces asexually by splitting (ie the hat comes off the box). The new diatoms then produce another half, so you end up with two diatoms. Now, each generation gets smaller. Once the diatoms are about a quarter the size of the originals, they will produce either sperm or eggs and release them for sexual reproduction. The resulting diatoms will then be much larger than the parents...or the same size as the original generation...
Here is what it looks like in the aquarium:
bizzmoneyb
Member
yup, thats it ^
its a brown rust color, mostly on the sand and rocks. always happens in a new tank. mine looked like crap for about a week then magically it was all gone overnight. waterchanges help.
its a brown rust color, mostly on the sand and rocks. always happens in a new tank. mine looked like crap for about a week then magically it was all gone overnight. waterchanges help.