Long time Diatom problem

[benjamin.rocke]

Hey I thought I would jump in here with a few suggestions. I've had some pretty significant issues with diatoms in the past and it drove me up the wall. I can sympathize with your frustration for sure. Here are a few things I can throw out there:

 

1) From what you posted, you could be a bit short on your live rock. Ideally there should be about a pound per gallon. Shipping definitely can be awful for rocks, but if you find a good enough deal online from a reputable store, the shipping might put you just a bit over what you would pay to get it from Petco. http://www.reefhotspot.com/store/index4.php?cPath=60 has a special on 10lb boxes of live rock. I don't know how much shipping would cost you, but the quality is superior to Petco.

2) I know it's really simple,but have you tried using a red slime remover? I used Ultralife Red Slime Remover and it worked wonders. I shut down all the pumps, turned off my protein skimmer and removed my carbon filters, then mixed it in about a cup of fresh or salt water and stirred it in the tank and left it to sit for about 10 or 15 minutes. Then I turned the pumps only on and left the skimmer and carbon filters out for a few days. Sometimes it takes 2 doses, but that should help tremendously.

3) Your lighting may be too low for your tank and the bulbs may be putting out insufficient light or the wrong spectra. Make sure they are good quality aquarium bulbs. For a 55 gallon, I'd want at least 100 watts.

4) When I've had issues with algal outbreaks, I use cheap filter floss in my filters and change them at least once a day. This makes sure that the dead algae in my filter isn't rotting, dumping even more nutrients into the water that can feed even more algae.

 

I hope this helps somewhat. Diatoms and algae has at times been the bane of my existence.