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Do I need to panic over diatom explosion?


wutsit2yuh

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I have a new saltwater tank I set up about a couple of months ago. Should I do anything about it or just let it keep doing its thing? I added some coral along with phytoplankton and am wondering if that did it? It's gotten worse each day. I've read both panic and let it balance itself out. It's kind of hard not to panic over it lol. These were taken within two days of each other 

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Edit: here's just a day later. Ordered a rodi system that should be here Friday. Things seem to be going well. Seems like the snails are enjoying the bloom 😁 

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What does your cuc consist of? What are you using for top up/saltwater mixing water? Generally indicates silicates in the water. Usually goes away once the silicates are used up pending a clean water source is used and the cuc can help keep it down.  It’s all part of the cycle process and your tank is still young. 

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5 minutes ago, Brandonmw said:

What does your cuc consist of? What are you using for top up/saltwater mixing water? Generally indicates silicates in the water. Usually goes away once the silicates are used up pending a clean water source is used and the cuc can help keep it down.  It’s all part of the cycle process and your tank is still young. 

I have a single asteria snail and bumblebee snail. And I get ro water from my lfs. I read somewhere talking about silicates in the water and needing the di part to help out with it. Should I just bite the bullet and get a rodi system?

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7 minutes ago, wutsit2yuh said:

I have a single asteria snail and bumblebee snail. And I get ro water from my lfs. I read somewhere talking about silicates in the water and needing the di part to help out with it. Should I just bite the bullet and get a rodi system?

Could up your snails a bit maybe another 6 or so, trocus, ceriths, turban snails a good mix is always best. And yes di is an important step in removing all dissolved solids in the water. Also best to have your own Ro system for the simple fact that you know when the cartridges need charging and can test your own tds to know when they are depleted. My lfs has always been hit and miss on rodi water. Great for a month or so then bad for a month or so. That’s why I started to make my own. 

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9 minutes ago, Brandonmw said:

Could up your snails a bit maybe another 6 or so, trocus, ceriths, turban snails a good mix is always best. And yes di is an important step in removing all dissolved solids in the water. Also best to have your own Ro system for the simple fact that you know when the cartridges need charging and can test your own tds to know when they are depleted. My lfs has always been hit and miss on rodi water. Great for a month or so then bad for a month or so. That’s why I started to make my own. 

Great thank you so much! I love this forum site. You guys are so helpful!

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4 minutes ago, Brandonmw said:

I live on here! Just a massive wealth of knowledge and fantastic people always trying to help each other. 

I should get on here more often just to read and get some more knowledge. Normally I'm here just asking questions. Y'all make the hobby 100× more enjoyable and easy. It really is such a great community. I never knew I could enjoy a hobby so much like fishkeeping but getting a saltwater tank has really lit up something in me. Thank you for your replies and suggestions. I have already ordered the ro+di buddie system on Amazon with a free prime subscription I'll have to remember to cancel 😁 thank you again! 

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Glad your excited, it’s such a fun experience. I don’t think we ever stop learning when it comes to reefing. We have all had our ups and down and I personally think that’s part of the fun of it all is learning what to do different or better. If I can give the biggest take away I’ve gotten from this site is that people know there stuff and it’s up to us to choose if we want to take that advice. Just remember that nothing good ever happens fast in reefing. Patients is the key. 
 

Best of luck with your tank you have a good start going.  

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36 minutes ago, Brandonmw said:

Glad your excited, it’s such a fun experience. I don’t think we ever stop learning when it comes to reefing. We have all had our ups and down and I personally think that’s part of the fun of it all is learning what to do different or better. If I can give the biggest take away I’ve gotten from this site is that people know there stuff and it’s up to us to choose if we want to take that advice. Just remember that nothing good ever happens fast in reefing. Patients is the key. 
 

Best of luck with your tank you have a good start going.  

Thank you for the compliment that's a huge confidence booster. It was quite daunting to include saltwater in with my freshwater keeping but I'm so glad I have. There's so much information out there that it can be overwhelming but learning a few new things a day keeps it fun and entertaining. Like learning about silicates in the water. Had no idea that was a thing lol. It's been hard to be patient but I've learned that's just part of the hobby. The number of times I have to tell myself to be patien lol but thankfully I'm pretty good about it. Thank you for helping me along my fishkeeping journey 🙂

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Good advice assuming it's a diatom bloom.

 

However, there's a possibility that you might be dealing with dinos (which are another can of worms).  To check:

  • Take a sample of the material in question.
  • Shake it up to separate the individual cells.
  • Filter the sample though a coffee filter.  If the sample was clean, like if it was from your tank walls, you can probably skip this filter step.
  • Place the sample under your tank lights for an hour.  If a mass develops, it's most likely dinos, as diatoms and cyano won't congregate like this.

We're hoping it's just diatoms.  🤞

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SaltyGallon

Personally I wouldn't worry, it's just all part of the new tank fun...! I've had diatoms in every tank, some blooms extensive some not so much. Add a few more members to your CUC and it'll be grazed right back, and the silicates will burn out in time.

 

And then the real fun begins i.e. the green phase... 🤣

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17 hours ago, seabass said:

Good advice assuming it's a diatom bloom.

 

However, there's a possibility that you might be dealing with dinos (which are another can of worms).  To check:

  • Take a sample of the material in question.
  • Shake it up to separate the individual cells.
  • Filter the sample though a coffee filter.  If the sample was clean, like if it was from your tank walls, you can probably skip this filter step.
  • Place the sample under your tank lights for an hour.  If a mass develops, it's most likely dinos, as diatoms and cyano won't congregate like this.

We're hoping it's just diatoms.  🤞

Thank you I will be sure to do this

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15 hours ago, SaltyGallon said:

Personally I wouldn't worry, it's just all part of the new tank fun...! I've had diatoms in every tank, some blooms extensive some not so much. Add a few more members to your CUC and it'll be grazed right back, and the silicates will burn out in time.

 

And then the real fun begins i.e. the green phase... 🤣

It's incredible how much better it has gotten since yesterday. Yesterday was the worst day by far which is what I uploaded. I'm going to update this post with a new picture from today. Gonna have to look into the green phase 😳😂 I'm sure I'll be asking questions on here about it very soon lol

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