Best media to reduce silicates from ceramic rock in FOWLR

I believe a micro film of golden diatoms is a natural event and your structures do not look like they have a problem. Increasing and re-directing the output of the internal power heads would improve the situation greatly and be far less expensive that adding silicate adsorbents every month. You also did not mention the type of skimmer you use. Does it produce a thick dry green waste in the cup? If not, then readjust it or invest in a stronger unit. The last question I would ask is what type of lighting you use? What is the color spectrum and how long have the bulbs been uses and what is their periodicity?These are all basic questions that should be answered before you ever think about using compounds to add or remove trace elements from your water. Why spend the money? My philosophy has always been... Remember, you are trying to imitate in a teardrop what God has made. Relax, enjoy the tank and meditate in front if it.
Gerryhine

Hello,
Thanks for the input but i believe i have covered almost all of that if you have read this entire thread. I don't think most would call a 4+ month diatom bloom normal. Even the highest flow areas in the tank are not any better than dead spots, so it is not flow related. It is possible i did not mention the skimmer though. It is a JNS SK2 (same as the AquaMaxx Cone2) which as a side note is an incredible skimmer, blows any of the reef octopus's i've used out of the water. Produces a ton of nasty thick dark skimmate.
The lighting has been discussed as well. Thanks
 
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