Diatom mix up

crankbait09 · 02/10/2016, 11:42 AM

I am being hit with diatoms at the moment. About a week or two. Right now it's over all my rocks, sand, and cuc's. I have been taking a turkey baster and blowing it off of everything, including the sand. Once everything settles, I noticed the diatoms are mixed all through out the sand bed.

Am I causing more harm than good by stirring the aragonite sand up?

This is an image from earlier this week, obviously it's thicker and darker each evening I get home.

http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/y...psiyxoflqn.jpg

davehead86 · 02/10/2016, 02:46 PM

Ive got the same problem. I upgraded lights and now my tank is going through an algae cycle of sorts. I clean that crap once a week and suck the hell out of the aggrogite. My LPS and Anemone dont seem to mind so my water parameters must not get too screwy with it. I use the baster the day after to spray off any settled dust and dirt on the corals and trying to get any leftover.

crankbait09 · 02/10/2016, 02:49 PM

Ya, Iv'e been doing the same. I di notice whenever I mix this sand up, my Nassi snail is on the move pretty quick. Doesn't seem to like crawling over the diatoms. He looks for the "clean" substrate and then buries himself in the cleanish sand, where he stays.

whosurcaddie · 02/10/2016, 03:24 PM

How old is your tank? This is completely normal for a new tank and if you're in your cycle I would just leave the lights off.

If your through your cycle just let it run its course they will fade in a few weeks as the silicate is used up.

crankbait09 · 02/10/2016, 03:44 PM

I get this is due to a new tank. It's expected. But I was mainly asking about the sand stirring and the effects that it has/does not have on the tank

02/10/2016, 11:42 AM	#1
crankbait09 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 932	Diatom mix up I am being hit with diatoms at the moment. About a week or two. Right now it's over all my rocks, sand, and cuc's. I have been taking a turkey baster and blowing it off of everything, including the sand. Once everything settles, I noticed the diatoms are mixed all through out the sand bed. Am I causing more harm than good by stirring the aragonite sand up? This is an image from earlier this week, obviously it's thicker and darker each evening I get home. http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/y...psiyxoflqn.jpg

02/10/2016, 02:46 PM	#2
davehead86 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Monticello, IL Posts: 819	Ive got the same problem. I upgraded lights and now my tank is going through an algae cycle of sorts. I clean that crap once a week and suck the hell out of the aggrogite. My LPS and Anemone dont seem to mind so my water parameters must not get too screwy with it. I use the baster the day after to spray off any settled dust and dirt on the corals and trying to get any leftover. __________________ My build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24225945#post24225945 Current Tank: 65 Gallon Mixed Reef\| 40B Sump\| 2 Radion Gen 3's\| 2 MP10wes\| Vectra M1 \| Reefkeeper Lite

02/10/2016, 02:49 PM	#3
crankbait09 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 932	Ya, Iv'e been doing the same. I di notice whenever I mix this sand up, my Nassi snail is on the move pretty quick. Doesn't seem to like crawling over the diatoms. He looks for the "clean" substrate and then buries himself in the cleanish sand, where he stays.

02/10/2016, 03:24 PM	#4
whosurcaddie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,354	How old is your tank? This is completely normal for a new tank and if you're in your cycle I would just leave the lights off. If your through your cycle just let it run its course they will fade in a few weeks as the silicate is used up.

02/10/2016, 03:44 PM	#5
crankbait09 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 932	I get this is due to a new tank. It's expected. But I was mainly asking about the sand stirring and the effects that it has/does not have on the tank