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Foam?! And Diagoms Already?? Help lol


FrancineJ

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Ok so for those of you who have been following my posts we have started our cycled... added ammonia drops and Bio-Spira on Sunday... so today (24hrs later is when you are supposed to test first... I always use dr Tim’s schedule and it hasn’t failed me yet in the FW world- his schedule is the same for SW tanks)

 

so dosed ammonia to 2ppm and dumped the full bottle of Bio-Spira in....

 

Todays test results were:

A- 0.5

N-2

PH- 8.0

did not test nitrAtes yet....

 

So all that’s in the tank right now is the heater in chamber 1, InTank tray... with InTank Floss on top in chamber 2 and MJ1200 in chamber 3 with temp probe... the temp is dead on... set for 78 and probe thermometer is reading 78.1.... so that’s fine... 

 

Now I have no clue if this is normal or what but my InTank filter floss is building up with foam.... all the levels in the back are correct... (bottom of first tray just below the filter floss) 

My floss is not really getting dirty at all yet... but I’m changing it daily anyway... which I’m assuming shouldn’t be harmful... however what the heck is this foam on top of it and is it bad or good that it’s there? Did I do something wrong.... this did not start happening until tonight... like a couple of hours ago so the tank was cycling for around 36 hours or so and now the foam?? It’s clear and just looks like bubbles almost... but I would describe it more like foam.... I can post a picture in the morning if it does not seem normal... I’ve tried google searching for hours and I can’t find anything about it... would it have something to do with not having that sponge in there? 

The only other thing that’s in the DT is the rock, sand (which I was able to get the water in so carefully that I didn’t even disturb it... it would cloudy for like a couple hours and that’s it...)

the filter floss isn’t even looking dirty... this morning (before the foam it had a tiny tiny bit of brown- I’m assuming a bit of sand or something but hardly even noticeable but now it’s got a lot of foam on the top... did I screw something up already?? Lol 😂 the foam is not crazy by any means but it’s there....

 

also so I have a ton of condensation inside the tank and lid... is this going to be a problem or could it be what’s causing this....

It just seems too quickly to already be having these issues... I have used things similar to Bio-Spira and had large tanks cycle on days but do you think it’s possible it’s already going to be cycled in a few more days? 

 

Only other thing in the tank is the wave maker (running about 840gph or so)

 

next problem... my non live rock already appears to be starting to cover in what I assume is diatoms.... the room is dark... the lights on the tank are completely off... how is it possible in such a short time to have so much already.... even some of the “fake coraline Algae that’s painted or whatever on these rocks is getting darker- almost like real stuff in parts..... I am so very very confused lol 

 

Any ideas on what to do? Should I just leave it be for now and see if the diatoms get way out of control or what could be going on lol

 

 

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Diatoms are a normal part of new tank syndrome.

 

With regard to the condensation on your tank lids and lights, this is normal. Most of it is a mix of splash and condensation. Wipe it down with the power off if it concerns you.

 

The foam is proteins and oils/fats suspended in the water column. This is the gunk that protein skimmers are famous for removing. Sometimes, it can also be seen as an oily film that looks like an oil slick on the surface of your tank water. So, how to deal with it:

 

A) Switch to once a week on the mechanical filter pads. A lot of poly-fill style filter pads work better when dirty, trapping finer and finer grades of crud. The trick is to let it really pull some crap out of the water BEFORE it turns into a nitrate engine. For example, I use 50 micron polyester filter pads on our biocube and change the pads once a week on water change days.

 

B) Employ chemical filtration. Simple GAC carbon can pull out 70% of organics in your water. Other chemical filter media can also remove phosphates and silicates, limiting growth of nuisance algaes. For example, I run purigen and phosguard from seachem and replace them monthly.

 

C) Use a skimmer. Easier said than done on a nano and carbon is more effective. 

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Sorry I don’t think you have been following my whole “adventure” we will call it... this is just day 2 of cycling... there’s nothing in the tank....

 

Thats why there is only filter floss... and I believe the reason (not sure) that it’s not catching anything is because there is nothing to catch... none of my sand moved at all when I put the water in and I used Caribsea life shape rocks (they are not live)... so I think it’s just a matter of that there’s nothing to pull out at this point... would that make sense? 

The first day the floss got a tad bit dirty (but i never had any sort of sand storm at all...) it got a bit foggy for a couple hours and then was clear.... but like I said this is only day 2 of my cycle with dr Tim’s ammonia and Bio-Spira 

 

Yes I am aware that diatoms are a part of NTS however my rock has quite a lot already and I’ve only been cycling like I said for 2 days... my water had no silicates in it.... my sand had no silicates in it... I used IO salt so I don’t know if that would have anything to do with silicates and I didn’t use live rock... none at all.... I used 25lbs or so of Caribsea LifeRock.... I know it has bacteria spores or whatever when they get wet but unless it’s leaching something... I have no clue how the got there so quickly... 

its usually weeks before a diatom bloom like this... not 2 days....  

Test results today were

A-0.5

N-4.0-4.5

PH- 8

and I (so far) have no diatoms what so ever on or in my sand bed... just the rock... that’s it... (if it even is diagoms... it’s brown and looks like the diatoms I see on my FW and Brackish Tanks) 

Is there a possibility it could be something else?? The room is dark... like no natural light even... and tank lights have been turned on once and only while the tank was completely empty (to make sure they worked)

I’m concerned it may be something else I tried rubbing just a little patch and it sort of comes off but it’s hard because the places that it’s located the most are in the little tiny nooks and crannies of the rock.... I hope that’s all they are.... but if you or anyone else has an idea of what else it may be I’m curious lol

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The "foam" is often caused from new sand, new rocks, etc etc. Its normal.

 

Condensation is also normal with a completely closed system.

 

Diatoms are also normal. There is no time frame as to when these will show up. I've gone through a complete cycle with no diatoms. Then they appear after.

 

Diatoms live off of silicates, man made rock may have a lot of silicates like some sand does.

 

The liferock is totally safe. It's been used for yrs now by many.

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Ya I knew that diagoms are normal I just was not expecting to see them when the room is nearly black and it’s only been 2 days lol (not even quite 2 full days)

 

and good to know about the other stuff... Thanks

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Also sorry I missed a part of your post... 

i know how diagoms work and all that’s why I’m a bit confused....

the sand I used has no silica in it

I don’t know about the rock... the water should not have... it just seems so quick lol 

i thought everything in the SW world was slow lmao 😂 

Thank you.... I was just concerned it may have been something other than diatoms because you guys have a lot more Algae’s to deal with than we do in the FW world lol

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  • 3 weeks later...

Haha ya the foam was the filter floss... leave it to my luck I got a bad batch... it was the InTank stuff but sometimes the machine I guess runs funny and puts too much blue and not enough white..so it wasn’t flowing through right but Steve helped me figure it out and it’s all good and working now 🙂 

And I’m not complaining about the algae lol I know it will come and will come in many forms but I wasn’t sure why my media basket kept over flowing and everyone kept telling me after my cycle that I would have diatoms and algae and I have zip... I only added 2 trochus snails and 2 nassarius snails and one trochus snails already died from no food (but fed the nassarius’ in turn lol.... it’s my sons tank so I want to do as much right as possible as he looks after it all himself and he hasn’t even used his flipper yet because I’m hoping for a bit of something to feed the snails lol 

 

That sounds terrible but I don’t like to see them die... snail or not lol I was gonna try and feed them but I just said screw it... if they don’t find food then in a way that’s a good thing lol and when the algae comes I’ll just replace a couple of need be 

 

i had diatoms for like a day and they disappeared lol

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I run them opposite my tank lights

 

We check and count each snail every morning lol not hard when there only a couple to count lol

 

The tank has been cycled and water changed and his fish in it... I was told by everyone the very first thing to add was snails and the other ones just ate him after anyway... I could see where he fell off the glass (lost suction) and then the nassarius snails ate him nothing left... and it didn’t even move my ammonia to the slightest... not even the free ammonia...I was told that cuc should be the first thing I added and that was on here and everywhere lol that was about the only thing everyone agrees upon.... it’s just a good thing and I had a bit of common sense not to add the amount that people were telling me lol or I would have had a lot of dead snails lol

But again all this is old stuff way past that now... lol I don’t have any unresolved posts now 🙂 yet.... lol

Until my next problem haha 😂 

 

But I will let everyone know how the nitrate sponge filter works! 

 

(Ps my son tests his tank everyday for ammonia nitrite nitrate (several tests lol) and ph...

and he tests every like 3-4 days for calcium phosphates ect ect) 

He is very meticulous lol

I mentioned in other posts this is his tank not mine... he does all the work I just help him out a bit with some of the research but he does his own as well... He’s been looking after his own Axoltyl tank for over a year now... 64g with several axoltyls... and he cleans his own canister filter and everything... I do nothing...he even still does his weekly tests on that tank before he does his water changes lol He’s actually very responsible for 12 lol (more responsible than my other 2 teenagers lol yes I’m old... some one once joked about me being a millennial lol I took the compliment well... 😀 Those are the posts I like haha)

 

But I do appreciate everything that you have informed me of Thank You!

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5 hours ago, Subsea said:

Good things happen slow.  Bad things happen fast.

Trust me lol we are going slow... I’m waiting like 3 weeks in between fish additions (and that’s to the DT) not counting a couple weeks in QT lol so more like 5 weeks lol... slow and steady was one of the first things that I learned.... do not rush anything lol

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On 11/3/2018 at 4:38 PM, Oldsalt01 said:

Its a bit early for snails. Keep a close eye on them. A dead snail can easily fowl a new tank and start the cycle all over again.

Sorry I am confused as to why you say this? (The part about being too early to add snails... the tank was cycled for a week before I put them in?)  My tank was processing 2ppm ammonia in a couple of hours... and I had no nitrites for well over a week... why would that be too early to add snails? From everyone’s advice I got I was told to add my cuc first thing....

im just curious as to why you thought it was too early and maybe something I missed? They are all alive and same with my clowns and my ammonia and nitrites never seen a spike and my nitrAtes are now down to 10ppm (or lower... that’s the highest it’s showing on any of my test kits for nitrAtes) 

 

Also, no this is not a rude comment...I am really just curious as to why I wouldn’t be able to add snails to a cycled tank? 

 

(I did not add the snails with these parameters... I added the snails when the tank was cycled lol)

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1 hour ago, FrancineJ said:

Sorry I am confused as to why you say this? (The part about being too early to add snails... the tank was cycled for a week before I put them in?)  My tank was processing 2ppm ammonia in a couple of hours... and I had no nitrites for well over a week... why would that be too early to add snails? From everyone’s advice I got I was told to add my cuc first thing....

im just curious as to why you thought it was too early and maybe something I missed? They are all alive and same with my clowns and my ammonia and nitrites never seen a spike and my nitrAtes are now down to 10ppm (or lower... that’s the highest it’s showing on any of my test kits for nitrAtes) 

 

Also, no this is not a rude comment...I am really just curious as to why I wouldn’t be able to add snails to a cycled tank? 

 

(I did not add the snails with these parameters... I added the snails when the tank was cycled lol)

If there isn't food for them, they die and can cause a spike in a newly cycled tank.

 

Some people start with corals, some fish, especially if there is no algae.

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Well I get that but I had diatoms (had) lol and I guess if they read probably in another post about people telling me to go ahead and add them and that I could just supliment their feedings if I had to... but they have been fine... except the one guys but he was right off the bat so who knows what happened there... but the nassarius snails get a piece or 2 of Mysis and the trochus loves some Nori but now I am starting to get a bit of algae and it’s actually good that I had the small cuc because they are keeping it under control... it’s their a bit in the daytime and by morning it’s all cleaned up.... I suppose most people have more algae after their cycle and some have less... but the post was about having diatoms which are food for some snails... that’s why I was curious about why it would have been too early to add the couple snails that I did.. 

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  • 10 months later...
3 hours ago, Clown79 said:

It's the dust and junk from not washing the sand before using it

I thoroughly washed 15 lbs. of new Ocean's Direct sand the other day and put it in a new tank and the water started foaming up a week later.   I'm trying to figure out what might be causing it?  Since I noticed the foam, I've changed 75% of the water daily 6 days in a row and gravel vacced the sand while doing so and I can't get rid of the foam.  I thought it was excess organics in the sand that I didn't get out but nothing seems to be fixing the foam problem.  It goes away after the water change and then the next morning it's back again.

 

Edit:  I've also noticed that it goes away at night time and starts building back up as soon as my lights come on.  It'll build up a lot of bubbles throughout the day and then as the lights start to dim the bubbles go away.  It's the weirdest thing.  I've never encountered this before so not really sure how to address the issue...although the occurring during lights on does have me a bit worried that it might have something to do with dinos.

 

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10 hours ago, j.falk said:

I thoroughly washed 15 lbs. of new Ocean's Direct sand the other day and put it in a new tank and the water started foaming up a week later.   I'm trying to figure out what might be causing it?  Since I noticed the foam, I've changed 75% of the water daily 6 days in a row and gravel vacced the sand while doing so and I can't get rid of the foam.  I thought it was excess organics in the sand that I didn't get out but nothing seems to be fixing the foam problem.  It goes away after the water change and then the next morning it's back again.

 

Edit:  I've also noticed that it goes away at night time and starts building back up as soon as my lights come on.  It'll build up a lot of bubbles throughout the day and then as the lights start to dim the bubbles go away.  It's the weirdest thing.  I've never encountered this before so not really sure how to address the issue...although the occurring during lights on does have me a bit worried that it might have something to do with dinos.

 

I dont know what tank or filter system you run? I get foam if the water level in my display is too similar to that in the sump section. I need a fall from the weir inot the sump to pull this out of the display

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15 hours ago, j.falk said:

I thoroughly washed 15 lbs. of new Ocean's Direct sand the other day and put it in a new tank and the water started foaming up a week later.   I'm trying to figure out what might be causing it?  Since I noticed the foam, I've changed 75% of the water daily 6 days in a row and gravel vacced the sand while doing so and I can't get rid of the foam.  I thought it was excess organics in the sand that I didn't get out but nothing seems to be fixing the foam problem.  It goes away after the water change and then the next morning it's back again.

 

Edit:  I've also noticed that it goes away at night time and starts building back up as soon as my lights come on.  It'll build up a lot of bubbles throughout the day and then as the lights start to dim the bubbles go away.  It's the weirdest thing.  I've never encountered this before so not really sure how to address the issue...although the occurring during lights on does have me a bit worried that it might have something to do with dinos.

 

Dino's don't foam.

 

They bind together in stringy clumps that form tiny bubbles on it.

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5 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Dino's don't foam.

 

They bind together in stringy clumps that form tiny bubbles on it.

I thought that as well, but then I did some research on foam and dinoflagellates last night and it says otherwise:

 

Harmful algal blooms[edit]

Foams can form following the degradation of harmful algal blooms (HABs). These are primarily composed of algal species, but can also consist of dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria.[10] Biomass from algae in the bloom is integrated into sea foam in the sea surface microlayer.[8] 

 

Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_foam

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4 minutes ago, j.falk said:

I thought that as well, but then I did some research on foam and dinoflagellates last night and it says otherwise:

 

Harmful algal blooms[edit]

Foams can form following the degradation of harmful algal blooms (HABs). These are primarily composed of algal species, but can also consist of dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria.[10] Biomass from algae in the bloom is integrated into sea foam in the sea surface microlayer.[8] 

 

Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_foam

It says nothing about cyano or dino and as of yet I have not read either causing foam.

Dino causes red tide.

 

All it says is algae but there are various algaes, also different planktons, detritus, chemicals, etc. Are all the cause.

 

What the article is explaining is the oceans natural skimmer(the shore line where everything gathers and forms into foam)

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When I was in Florida last year during the red tide, the shoreline stunk...it had a very distinct smell to it...my tank smells exactly like that right now.  The smell goes away after doing a large water change but then comes right back the next day.  I wonder if my Aquaclear is somehow acting as a skimmer and causing the bubbles to form thus creating the foam and smell?

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7 hours ago, j.falk said:

When I was in Florida last year during the red tide, the shoreline stunk...it had a very distinct smell to it...my tank smells exactly like that right now.  The smell goes away after doing a large water change but then comes right back the next day.  I wonder if my Aquaclear is somehow acting as a skimmer and causing the bubbles to form thus creating the foam and smell?

Not sure. I had osteoporosis in my tank, the same dino strain that causes red tide, it never smelled.

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Can you post a full tank photo as well as a closeup of the algae in question?  It usually helps if the pumps are off and the white lights are on, or you use a flash.

 

Chrysophytes are known to foam up in the wild, but I've never seen that in a tank.

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