diatoms

pdiehm · 05/08/2015, 07:29 PM

My BioCube is cycling, and I'm starting to see diatoms...I still have a nitrite reading though 24 hours after dosing.

Are diatoms the beginning of the end of the cycle?

whosurcaddie · 05/09/2015, 03:17 AM

It's normal they can happen at any time during the cycle and even after the cycle. If your running your lights you should turn them off until the cycle is complete.

Your gonna go through many different types of algae until your tank becomes stable 6 months in.

pdiehm · 05/09/2015, 05:57 AM

I got excited. Haha. The cycle is going well. Ammonia getting converted to 0 in 24 hours. Nitrites get to 0.1-0.2 in 24 hours.

Will dose back up to 1ppm ammonia tonight (will hit 0 nitrites today).

Once I get nitrites to 0 after 24 hours will add some snails to the tank to handle the diatoms.

CStrickland · 05/09/2015, 07:44 AM

I added snails right after the cycle, it was a mistake. The ones that don't like diatoms didn't have enough food, so I wound up having to feed them nori and flakes. I think it's better to wait until there is green stuff for them. As long as you're using pure water the diatoms will wear themselves out once they get all the silica from the sand and rocks.

05/08/2015, 07:29 PM	#1
pdiehm Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Delaware Posts: 921	diatoms My BioCube is cycling, and I'm starting to see diatoms...I still have a nitrite reading though 24 hours after dosing. Are diatoms the beginning of the end of the cycle?

05/09/2015, 05:57 AM	#3
pdiehm Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Delaware Posts: 921	I got excited. Haha. The cycle is going well. Ammonia getting converted to 0 in 24 hours. Nitrites get to 0.1-0.2 in 24 hours. Will dose back up to 1ppm ammonia tonight (will hit 0 nitrites today). Once I get nitrites to 0 after 24 hours will add some snails to the tank to handle the diatoms. __________________ [URL=http://www.aquaticlog.com/aquariums/pdiehm/2][IMG]http://images.aquaticlog.com/aquarium/aquarium14573.png[/IMG][/URL]

05/09/2015, 03:17 AM	#2
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	It's normal they can happen at any time during the cycle and even after the cycle. If your running your lights you should turn them off until the cycle is complete. Your gonna go through many different types of algae until your tank becomes stable 6 months in.

05/09/2015, 07:44 AM	#4
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	I added snails right after the cycle, it was a mistake. The ones that don't like diatoms didn't have enough food, so I wound up having to feed them nori and flakes. I think it's better to wait until there is green stuff for them. As long as you're using pure water the diatoms will wear themselves out once they get all the silica from the sand and rocks.