Quote:
Originally Posted by taricha
young tank, and weird substrates - maybe diatom is not crazy.
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Hey thank you for the detailed response!
But what did you mean by "weird" substrates? Were you referring to my choice of Sand? Or is that term also used in referring to the Diatoms themselves somehow?
Quote:
Originally Posted by taricha
edit: on 2nd look... in the top right of your pic, you can make out within the individual cells stitched together in the chain two pigmented areas with a clear section between. Really makes the pseudonitzschia diatom look like a good ID. See attachment.
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Ok - pseudo-nitzschia nunfortunately is only referenced online in regards to toxic blooms found in the wild and their affects on human consumption of shellfish, etc.
From my findings, it seems it's never come up and been publicly posted where Google can find it, within an aquarium.
Would you happen to know if the typical advice for Diatom removal would apply?
Would you have any specific recommendations?
I got fed up with it because yesterday I opened my sump cabinet and it had taken over my entire sump. It was like a Diatom pudding, it was stuck to the outside of my Filter Socks and thick strings of it were hanging around, stagnant in the slow moving sump water, stuck to the protein skimmer body, the probes, everywhere water wasn't quickly moving.
I syphoned almost the entire sump out, and then decided to rig up my UV return pump in a bucket and then target syphon the "new growth" from the tank rocks and substrate directly into a filter sock in the bucket. From there, the only way back into the tank was through the UV return pump which I theorized would kill any Diatom cells still in the water column.
Did this for about 4 hours, and I swear by the time I reached 1 end of the 5-foot tank, it has re-grown on the opposite end and I had to start over again.
Eventually it diminished to the point that I was only seeing short strands and light coatings, and put everything back in place.
This morning I woke up and found a little more growth but no "crazy explosion overgrowth".
I wanted to specifically mention that I have a 90 watt grown bulb in my sump that I keep OFF because I don't run a refugium any more.
I turned it ON last night to help me see while syphoning the sump. And I forgot to turn it off all night.
In the morning, I see nothing building up down there in the way of Diatoms, which normally there would be.
So I can theorize only 2 possibilities:
(1) I removed so much of it that the population was decimated enough that it could not bloom quickly again overnight, or
(2) The intense light somehow prevented it from blooming in the sump.
But I have no idea, I would have thought light would encourage Diatoms.
Appreciate the input thus far!
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