djm32189 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 I set up my tank in june/ july or so. It is a 10 gallon, has a few fish, a shrimp, hermit and snail. I have had diatoms now since late July, and i don'y know what to do now. How much longer will this last Link to comment
Withers Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 i see two problems with that post. a 10 gallon plus a "few" fish is too many fish i wouldn't put more than 1 fish in a 10 gallon tank, MAYBE a pair of something. and 2, one hermit, and one snail can't even begin to handle the algae problems in your tank. try getting 10 hermits and 5 snails and your rock and sand will never look cleaner. just so you know, your diatoms will probably never go away. you would have to have an incredibly nutrient poor tank to get rid of them, and unless you've spent a LOT of money on making that happen, then you'll probably just have to deal with it. Link to comment
djm32189 Posted October 16, 2004 Author Share Posted October 16, 2004 will they turn green, i don't mind algae, just the brown Link to comment
Withers Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 nah, i think they'll always stay brown if it makes you feel any better, i've never met anyone who had a tank completely free of diatoms. Link to comment
djm32189 Posted October 16, 2004 Author Share Posted October 16, 2004 ok...i guess i will stalk up on some more janitors....(I only have 2 fish by the way, clown and damsel) Link to comment
Kelpie Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Does high concentrations of silica contribute to diatom blooms? Link to comment
Kool-cat Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Ro/di water helped get rid of a lot of algae for me except i still got a some algae growth. Link to comment
djm32189 Posted October 16, 2004 Author Share Posted October 16, 2004 are you sure it will never turn green Link to comment
JonPM Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Try using RO water, and look into throwing a fist-size bundle of chaeto in the tank Link to comment
Withers Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 if it turns green, then chances it's a different type of algae. those 2 fish are a good amount for a 10 gallon, but i don't think i'd get any more. more janitors will definitely help the situation. also, feeding less could also help, just as long as the fish are still healthy. RO or RO/DI will definitely help things out if you aren't already using it. Kelpie, yes i think i read somewhere that high silica content in the water will fuel algae. thats why people warn against using silica based play sand. Link to comment
flyhigh123 Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 buy a phosphate pad... it will help a lot, you probably have high amounts of phosphats which are causing the diatoms to multiply like crazy and the brown is just the dead bodies of diatoms... Link to comment
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