View Full Version : This is frustrating!!!
I need some help, bc don't know what I'm doing wrong...
I have a 54g corner tank for over a year and I do water change every 2 weeks. I also have a phosphate reactor (with rowa phos) and carbon reactor (with rox 0.8). Bought new filters for my RO/DI and my water parameter is as follow:
Test kit: SALIFERT
SALINITY:1.026
TEMP: 78.5
CALCIUM: 425ppm
ALKALINITY: 8.0ppm
MAGNESIUM: 1300ppm
PH: 8.1
PHOSPHATE: 0 (I use Hanna instrument)
NITRATE: 0
PROBLEM: DIATOMS!!!
I can do a water change and the secon day my sand is brown, the glass is all cover with it, and the worst of all some green algae start to build in one rock...
Good thing: my soft and hard corals are groing good...
***if someone knows or have an idea why is happening this, please help me because this is very frustrating***
thanks,
Omar
Stay with the GFO: it takes time. But clearly it's not doing enough:
what lighting do you have? How old are your bulbs?
What sort of skimmer, and do you have any filter/sponge/floss, medium/bioballs in this system?
You might add true nassarius snails and a fighting conch to clean under the sand. But lighting going off, or a dirty filter and nitrate rise can fuel this situation. If nitrate or phosphate are bound up IN the pest algae/diatoms, it might not show on a test. So a little more description of your water course: where does it start, how does it flow, what does it go through, and how is it cleaned. DO you have a fuge?
bnumair
03/12/2011, 05:04 PM
check ur silicate levels
jimmy frag
03/12/2011, 05:10 PM
what was your tds readings before you changed the rodi filters, did you ever use tap water.
Gary Majchrzak
03/12/2011, 05:15 PM
got snails?
Stay with the GFO: it takes time. But clearly it's not doing enough:
what lighting do you have? How old are your bulbs?
What sort of skimmer, and do you have any filter/sponge/floss, medium/bioballs in this system?
You might add true nassarius snails and a fighting conch to clean under the sand. But lighting going off, or a dirty filter and nitrate rise can fuel this situation. If nitrate or phosphate are bound up IN the pest algae/diatoms, it might not show on a test. So a little more description of your water course: where does it start, how does it flow, what does it go through, and how is it cleaned. DO you have a fuge?
Have a Marineland light fixture... It has 4-t5 (ATI) and 1-mh (Radium)... The lights I change it and have like 2 month old...
For skimmer I have a reef octopus 1000sss and in my sump is only a sock holder (no bio balls or any sponge).
I have 4 nassarius snails and a few cleaning crew...
My RO/DI was reading 001 but I change the filters anyway and is readin 000 right now...
check ur silicate levels
Iwill check it with my store... (don't have that test kit)
what was your tds readings before you changed the rodi filters, did you ever use tap water.
My TDS was reading 001, but I change the filter and is reading 000 right now and my tank never had tap water
Gary Majchrzak
03/12/2011, 06:58 PM
got any herbivorous snails?
Never heard about it...
That will help with diatoms???
Can u tell me more about the herbivorous snails???
laf-reef
03/12/2011, 07:05 PM
how much flow is in the tank?
Gary Majchrzak
03/12/2011, 07:07 PM
Nassarius are detrivores.
You need algae eaters.
how much flow is in the tank?
I have 2 power heads... One is a 750gph moving all the front and another of 425gph for the back
Gary Majchrzak
03/12/2011, 07:39 PM
water movement has nothing to do with diatom growth
MarkGP
03/12/2011, 08:40 PM
What RO/DI unit are you using?
Neogenocide
03/12/2011, 09:53 PM
It sounds like silicates. What kind of sand did you use? I had the same issue, mine took about 8 months show it's ugly head. I tried to save a few bucks by using play sand and paid the price for it. After I took out almost all the sand, it's taken about a month to clear up, but I'm diatom free now. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.
Scott
Did you use silica sand or aragonite sand? Silica can fuel diatoms.
Really don't know what type of sand I have... In my video At 2:01min appears the sand I have... Don't know if that may help...
Neogenocide
03/13/2011, 12:47 AM
Was it reef sand, or did you use a play sand. I've always read that if you pull a little out, pour vinegar on it and it fizzes, your ok. Otherwise what you have is crushed glass. I'm sure sk8r will call me out if I'm wrong about this though.
Michael
03/13/2011, 12:55 AM
It sounds like your fine apart from some diatoms which is no big deal, your tank looks great by the way, congrats, when these little things occur it is frustrating, I get cyano from time to time and feel like kicking the tv over haha, but I always get it resolved, Your doing everything right I think, one thing I would ask is what lights and times? Although diatoms of course won't get cured with light, I have found myself that new bulbs and a bit longer on sometimes actually improves the tank, otherwise you may have some silicates as mentioned by some of the great reefers who have posted in this thread. Now you have confirmed your water quality is there you will be fine, One last minor suggestion is to get your mag up a little, its fine now, but again if I get mine to around 1400 I find the tank quality improves, not sure why, but it works well for me.
Gary Majchrzak
03/13/2011, 05:44 AM
a diatom bloom is fairly common and normal in newly set up reef aquariums
laf-reef
03/13/2011, 05:48 AM
water movement has nothing to do with diatom growth
oops, my bad
Thanks for correcting me Gary.
Now back to the topic.
It sounds like your fine apart from some diatoms which is no big deal, your tank looks great by the way, congrats, when these little things occur it is frustrating, I get cyano from time to time and feel like kicking the tv over haha, but I always get it resolved, Your doing everything right I think, one thing I would ask is what lights and times? Although diatoms of course won't get cured with light, I have found myself that new bulbs and a bit longer on sometimes actually improves the tank, otherwise you may have some silicates as mentioned by some of the great reefers who have posted in this thread. Now you have confirmed your water quality is there you will be fine, One last minor suggestion is to get your mag up a little, its fine now, but again if I get mine to around 1400 I find the tank quality improves, not sure why, but it works well for me.
Thanks for the comment of the video... Hope u like it!!!
My 4 t5 are running from 9am to 9pm and the mh from 12-4pm...
My t5 are ATI Blue and my mh is Radium 20k... I bought them like 2 month ago...
About he mag, I dose yesterday so hope to see some improvements...
Today I will go to world wide corals to see if they can check my silicates...
Now, if my silicates are high, how I can lowered it???
a diatom bloom is fairly common and normal in newly set up reef aquariums
But I have my tank for 1 year and 2 month...
Did water change yesterday...
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/omie11/c44c7234.jpg
Diatoms today...
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/omie11/734329d2.jpg
Michael
03/13/2011, 11:28 AM
Your tank is outstanding IMO, it's fantastic, seriously, Just do what I suggested previously, and congrats again, I love your tank, Have you Joined my corner club thread? We have Sk8r and the Doc as members and they are incredible aquarist's and luckily for us team members here and corner club members, You will do well in our club, the water quality in your aquarium is top class IMO, welcome aboard, if you don't know what I mean, please PM me or sk8r or the Doc and we will show you a link.
bnumair
03/13/2011, 11:49 AM
from what i have learned about ur tank i am pretty sure its a silicate problem.
Thanks a lot to everybody!!! Will keep u inform about the silicates results...
Thanks again,
Omar
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