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ChunksInClemson
03/23/2006, 04:52 PM
Diatoms? I know this tank is new (running for 3 weeks) but this is the first algae growth I have seen. I know it will go away with time. Just making sure this is Diatoms? The sand has been pretty white for the first couple of weeks and this algae just started 3 days ago.


http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c35/chunksbrowne/DSCF0637.jpg
koletangz
03/23/2006, 05:00 PM
Yes it is diatoms. It should go away in a little if you are using ro/di water.
ChunksInClemson
03/23/2006, 05:04 PM
Im not using RO/DI. Is there any kind of additive I can use?
six.line
03/23/2006, 05:21 PM
Are you using just RO water then?

Any additives you could add to tap water/well water would be more expensive than getting RO water from LFS/Wal-Mart or even buying an RO/DI unit, imo...

Good luck.
drunktank
03/23/2006, 05:27 PM
i always use tap water, it still goes away rather quickly, but it depends on how bad ur tap water is
spoon25
03/23/2006, 05:31 PM
yes there are too many chemicals , nutrients and metals in tapwater, you need to remove all them with ro/di water before you add to any tank...those chemicals like chris mentioned will cost you too much in the long run....and you will never have any sps corals or any sensitive corals in your tank...
ChunksInClemson
03/23/2006, 10:32 PM
Well, I have used tap water for my other tank for 5 years and not had any problems. I guess I will be using RO/DI from the store for water changes from now on. How long will it take if I use RO/DI from now on for the Diatoms to go away? 2 weeks? I will be also adding a UV sterilizer in a couple weeks.
bjonesjr1
03/23/2006, 10:35 PM
with a bunch of water changes to get the tap water out of the tank and cycle it threw with RO/DI water I would say, are you doing 20% water changes every 2 weeks ???
ChunksInClemson
03/23/2006, 11:13 PM
well, i'm doing one tomorrow for the first time. I will start after this week doing 10% everyweek for 3 weeks, and then start a 20% every 2. I plan on having fish in there in 3 weeks.
spoon25
03/24/2006, 07:13 AM
what size UV light are you gonna be using, just a thought, i have spent numberous money on 6watt- 9watt dterilizer and they dont work....dont waste your money on them unless your gonna go with a 55 watt uv or higher, i am sry to say they suck....unoess you have a fish store with numerous tanks, i wouldnt go that route for removel of unwanted bacteria...there are plenty of fish and critters that kill of these kinds of problems, stick with them, like a neon goby or even a macro tank setup will do wonders for your problems...a macro tank will eat off the nutrition in y9ouro main tank and the diatoms will eventually die off alot better then tose stupid UV lights...thanks..
spoon25
03/24/2006, 07:16 AM
oh i forgoto to mention one of my best tanks was ran off tapwater, never seen a better thrioving tank than that, but when i learned about ro water i did a big water change and killed everything in that tank, so go slow with your changes....and if you have added chemicals to your existing tap water, i wouldnt worry about it too much, if you wanna learn something, the salt you use prolly has more deadly metals in it that regular tap water...heres a link http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/11/aafeature1
Salt by shimek
ChunksInClemson
03/24/2006, 09:19 AM
Thanks. I dont have anything in my tank yet so it wouldnt be a problem to start putting RO in it. I plan on doing a water change with it today.
UnderwaterExotic
03/26/2006, 08:04 PM
I do not think you need a 55 watt UV sterilizer. I run 40's on both of my 210's and it works just dandy!
PatMayo
03/27/2006, 12:12 AM
spoon25,
I gotta believe that other things killed you tank off. I don't see anyway that switching to RO/DI water would kill the fish. The water is inert. How could it do that?

I could be wrong but Randy in the chemistry forum would know for sure.

ChunksInClemson,
If you can afford it I would get an RO/DI unit. Longterm your tank will be healthier. I would go to the Chemistry forum and ask Randy about the switch to RO/DI and any possible consequences of doing so.

On my 46 I switched from tap to certified distilled water which was the same as RO/DI, both had zero TDS.

But go to the expert Randy.

The diatoms will go away. They will take some time. Lots of flow. Low bio load. Take your time.

Regards,

Pat
ChunksInClemson
03/27/2006, 12:24 AM
yeah, im just gonna work in RO water and maybe in a couple months, it will be all RO. I really cant afford one right now but not in a huge hurry. I know I'm gonna have to do things slowly b/c im a broke college student but it'll come around and those diatoms will be outta there in a couple weeks I think.
ChunksInClemson
03/27/2006, 12:26 AM
Im pretty sure that purple growth on that one rock on the left of the pic on the thread starter isn't coraline. Anyone know what it is? Its not forming like coraline (in circles). Can a brotha get some help?
bertoni
03/27/2006, 01:39 AM
The purple growth might be an encrusting sponge. That seems to be fairly common. You'd need to get an extreme closeup to get a more certain id, though.

The growth on the substrate might be diatoms, dinoflagellates, or cyanobacteria, and is most likely a mixture of all three. You'd need a microscope to see what's what. These blooms are common in new tanks, and often go away on their own. I'd just ignore it.