Another diatom thread plz help

[sirclintler]

SG: .025
nitrates: 8
phos: 0
ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Tank: 125 gal 4 gal sump
lighting 3x 250w mh 20000k

Stock list: Toadstool, devils hand, micro zoas

Over the last 3 days my tank has been over taken by diatoms, When I do a search here I read a lot about bad husbandry, so what am I missing? This tank has been cycled for a few weeks now, I cycled with my lights off and only got a small algae bloom,

 

[pyithar]

diatom blooms are part of the process. diatoms feed on silicates and it'll go away when there're not enough silicates left in the system. keep up with the general husbandry and use RO/DI for water change and top off.

 

[ReefLover1230]

SG: .025

nitrates: 8

phos: 0

ammonia: 0

Nitrites: 0

Tank: 125 gal 4 gal sump

lighting 3x 250w mh 20000k



Stock list: Toadstool, devils hand, micro zoas



Over the last 3 days my tank has been over taken by diatoms, When I do a search here I read a lot about bad husbandry, so what am I missing? This tank has been cycled for a few weeks now, I cycled with my lights off and only got a small algae bloom,

I just am now getting over my diatom problem. My tank was cycled for about a month when it happened. I used a filter media called "chemi pure elite phosphate remover" that has ferric acid in it to remove the phosphates and silicates. Diatoms are silicate based so needless to say the filter media helped a lot. It took a couple days but it helped. Also just keep up with water changes!

 

[BigEZ77]

diatom blooms are part of the process. diatoms feed on silicates and it'll go away when there're not enough silicates left in the system. keep up with the general husbandry and use RO/DI for water change and top off.

Emphasis on DI! I am new to this and bought an RO unit not even realizing that it didn't have the DI part. Have it now and hope it will help. Also trying PhosGuard in a reactor, purigen in a bag and Matrix Carbon in another reactor. And of course water changes. Hoping things will turn around.

 

[WWIII]

If you have your own ro/di system, spectrapure makes a great di cartridge called silicabuster. I was using other cheap brands before, when I received the spectrapure cartridge I realized you get what you pay for! It is a larger cartridge that fits in the standard di system and spectrapure has put in the research on this! Starting off with good clean rodi water can only make things easier!

 

[BigEZ77]

If you have your own ro/di system, spectrapure makes a great di cartridge called silicabuster. I was using other cheap brands before, when I received the spectrapure cartridge I realized you get what you pay for! It is a larger cartridge that fits in the standard di system and spectrapure has put in the research on this! Starting off with good clean rodi water can only make things easier!

Have been looking at their 180GPD system with that cartridge...dual TDS, pressure valve and flush. Thinking about buying...the more I think the less guilty I'll feel about spending the money Wish I hadn't gone with the cheapest option (RO Buddie) when I first bought everything. If I had known then how much I would put down in total on this hobby, the extra for the better RODI unit would have been drops in a bucket...pun intended!

 

[sirclintler]

Thanks for the info, I am using RODI my tds after the DI is 1, Could this be the issue? I used dry rock and dry sand, Where do the silicates come from, sand and water?

 

[pyithar]

Thanks for the info, I am using RODI my tds after the DI is 1, Could this be the issue? I used dry rock and dry sand, Where do the silicates come from, sand and water?

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/aafeature1

scroll down to "Sources of Soluble Silica in Reef Tanks". basically it said soluble silica come from sand(especially silica play sand), tap water and maybe in small quantity from salt mixes, fish foods, and limewater.

 

[BigEZ77]

Recommend changing DI cartridge.