Diatom Bloom and Levels help

[JCOLE]

Hello everyone. Looking to the pro's for some help. I just now got a huge brown diatom spike over the last 2 days and now its geting worse.

Started up a 55 gallon after taking 8 ywars off...it has been up and running for around 3 weeks now.

I have about around 50lbs of rock(40lbs dry and 10lbs live), 4" of live sand, 2 chromis, 1 clown, 1 head of torch coral and 1 condy anemone.

My filtration is 2 - HOB Marineland Emperor bio wheel filter. I just added bags of bio ball and a protein skimmer today. 2 - powerheads(ignore the makeshift white fitting on the right one, that is now gone).

I tested my levels for the first time today and plan on doing a 10% water change tomorrow. Please see levels below. I have never experienced a diatom blood this bad and quick before. Is this normal? Also, does my levels look normal for a tank just over 3 weeks old?

PH - 8.2-8.4
KH - 12
CA - 580ppm
Ammonia - 0.25-0.50ppm
Nitrite - 5ppm
Nitrate - 5ppm
Phosphate - 0ppm

I believe my Calcium and KH is through the roof because I have been dosing purple up everyday.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[bertoni]

That level of microbial bloom is very minor, and less than normal. The ammonia is very high. I would dose some Prime or Amquel right away, although the kit might be having problems.

 

[mcgyvr]

Totally minor and normal..
Diatoms should 100% be expected in a new tank.. then green hair/film algae and then even some cyanobacteria.. Thats absolutely normal and will pass with time.. Usually a few weeks to a month or so..

Whats not normal is the amount of livestock you have in a tank thats clearly still cycling..
Consider yourself super lucky if nothing dies..
Big mistake there..
You should NEVER put livestock into a tank until the cycle is over..You should always wait until ammonia and nitrite is zero

and yes stop with the purple up and throw it in the trash.. Thats not smart either..


NOTHING good happens fast in this hobby.. I suggest you slow your roll and expand your knowledge a bit..

 

[JCOLE]

Totally minor and normal..
Diatoms should 100% be expected in a new tank.. then green hair/film algae and then even some cyanobacteria.. Thats absolutely normal and will pass with time.. Usually a few weeks to a month or so..

Whats not normal is the amount of livestock you have in a tank thats clearly still cycling..
Consider yourself super lucky if nothing dies..
Big mistake there..
You should NEVER put livestock into a tank until the cycle is over..You should always wait until ammonia and nitrite is zero

and yes stop with the purple up and throw it in the trash.. Thats not smart either..


NOTHING good happens fast in this hobby.. I suggest you slow your roll and expand your knowledge a bit..

Thank you. I had 3 previous tanks a while ago and never experienced the diatom outbreak before. There was a little algae but not this much. The picture doesn't do any justice.

You are right. I should not have put the livestock in there and I do plan on moving them to quarantine if levels do not get under control. Or they get stressed. All seem to fine at the moment.

I am going to do the first water change today. How do I get the CA and KH under control? Will that go down over time with water changes?

Also, I noticed that the highest concentration of Diatom is in the middle of the tank where the 250w MH is. It was used when I boiggt it and I don't know how old it is. I changed it last night. Could the old bulb or high wattage cause this as well?

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[timnem70]

Thank you. I had 3 previous tanks a while ago and never experienced the diatom outbreak before. There was a little algae but not this much. The picture doesn't do any justice.

You are right. I should not have put the livestock in there and I do plan on moving them to quarantine if levels do not get under control. Or they get stressed. All seem to fine at the moment.

I am going to do the first water change today. How do I get the CA and KH under control? Will that go down over time with water changes?

Also, I noticed that the highest concentration of Diatom is in the middle of the tank where the 250w MH is. It was used when I boiggt it and I don't know how old it is. I changed it last night. Could the old bulb or high wattage cause this as well?

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No. What causes this is a new tank and those Biowheels will not work long term. Please do not wait until animals die before doing what's right. Take them back to to your LFS for credit and set yourself up for long term success by purchasing reputable equipment for the type of tank you are trying to create.
Good luck.

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[JCOLE]

No. What causes this is a new tank and those Biowheels will not work long term. Please do not wait until animals die before doing what's right. Take them back to to your LFS for credit and set yourself up for long term success by purchasing reputable equipment for the type of tank you are trying to create.
Good luck.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

I mean no disrespect here but I have kept a 75gallon mixed reef tank for over 3 years with the same type of filters and only those. I have added bio balls and ceramic rings for both to help assist the bio wheels as well.

My post was about the diatoms only. I know the issues and what to look for in fish related issues. I just never seen the diatom tank over so quickly. Almost doubling every day.

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[MakomekTVN]

I mean no disrespect here but I have kept a 75gallon mixed reef tank for over 3 years with the same type of filters and only those. I have added bio balls and ceramic rings for both to help assist the bio wheels as well.

My post was about the diatoms only. I know the issues and what to look for in fish related issues. I just never seen the diatom tank over so quickly. Almost doubling every day.

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And my issue is the Koralia powerhead with the PVC mod:spin1:

 

[JCOLE]

And my issue is the Koralia powerhead with the PVC mod:spin1:

Lol...I wish it was a Koralia. It was a cheap Chinese knockoff from Amazon for $4. The flow was all over the place. I tried to give it some direction but it only lasted a day. It has now been replaced with a smaller power head with better direction.

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[timnem70]

I mean no disrespect here but I have kept a 75gallon mixed reef tank for over 3 years with the same type of filters and only those. I have added bio balls and ceramic rings for both to help assist the bio wheels as well.

My post was about the diatoms only. I know the issues and what to look for in fish related issues. I just never seen the diatom tank over so quickly. Almost doubling every day.

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None taken. Just speaking from early reefing experience in which I used similar. It was okay for a while, but ultimately just ended in a nitrate factory and fish or inverts getting too close during sleep or moving around and sucked into the gaurd(s). You don't absolutely have to have an exterior mode of waste removal but not having a way to skim the upper water column and adding water volume to your DT it'll be difficult to make adjustments and when something goes wrong, it will go really wrong.

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[bertoni]

The bio-balls and bio-wheels act as ammonia filtration, and they will work perfectly well. They aren't seeded with bacteria yet, but that will come with time.

 

[JCOLE]

The bio-balls and bio-wheels act as ammonia filtration, and they will work perfectly well. They aren't seeded with bacteria yet, but that will come with time.

Appreciate the positive info. Thank you!

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