Diatom Bloom?

[divecj5]

My 55 has been up and running now for about 3 weeks and ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all at 0 (trates are around 3-10). I started noticing some brown starting to show up on my sand bed a couple of days ago and now it's gotten larger in size. You can see below what it looks like. I figure it's probably either a diatom bloom or brown algae. This is just part of the initial cycling correct? Is there anything that I should do in particular or just ride it out? Thanks in advance and here's the pic:

Thanks in advance.

Adam

 

[TKByrnes]

could be but it might also be the start of cyano. how long has the tank been setup? what are your params? lighting? RO/DI or tap?

 

[divecj5]

Thanks TKByrnes. The tank has been set up for about 3 weeks with live rock and the clean up crew has been in there for about 2 weeks. My params are:

NH3 0
NO2 0
NO3 5
Calcium 420 ppm
1.026
pH 8.1

I have a little bit of cyano on a piece of my LR but I put a little more flow on it and it seems to at least not have gotten any larger.

I use RO/DI water, 5 gallon water changes 1X per week and I am running 2 58watt Corallife T-5 lights (1 10,000k and 1 true blue 05 actinic in each).

 

[DSMpunk]

Yep, diatoms will pop up like this when the tank is new. It is just part of the normal cycling process.

They will go away on their own eventually.

 

[divecj5]

So I basically should let it do it's thing? Will it end up hurting anything? I understand what diatoms are (marine science background) but not sure how they affect marine aquaria. Thanks

Adam

 

[HBtank]

Totally normal for a new tank.

Just takes time. Increase your cleanup crew in small amounts if needed to keep it under control. Don't ever get to many and starve them through. Snails are so under appreciated they can live forever...

Ceriths/hemits clean sand and rocks well.. Turbos and astrea like glass and rocks. Nassarius snails will also keep the sand bed stirred some. Those are what I use right now. I think Ceriths would be good for you, they really will attack the sand if it gets a bloom like that, and they get everything else too.

I have 3 turbos, 10 Astrea, 10 cerith and 10 nassarius in my 80g. And I need to add about 10 more cerith and nassarius, as well as 10 more of a new variety for different cleaning patterns. I also have 2 hermits, one is big and really does great on cleaning sand. But I would not advise a big hermit, I got lucky with his temperment. I would get some small guys, they all seem to sift through sand pretty well IME and cerith and hermits love diatoms.

Everyone will always have some form of algae, otherwise everyones snails would die.. You have to find a balance with just enough snails and not an overactive constant "bloom" of algae.

 

[TKByrnes]

ok well everyone answered for me. just give it time.

 

[MCary]

Diatoms are guuuuuuuuud as far as the effect on marine aquaria. They are a great food source. Astrea and Turbos are actually more diatom grazers that green algae eaters. Diatoms provide a source of plankton for corals and other plankton eaters. Scrape the glass for instant food. They are very fast grower so they outcompete more stubborn algaes, like blue-grren, for available nutrients. Yet unlike blue-green alage which is a bear to remove from the glass, they are easily removed. Once they are free floating they can be filtered out by the skimmer or other mechanical filter, providing a nutrient export.

Yeah, ugly, but not harmful.

Mike

 

[divecj5]

Thanks for all the help and advise. I was thinking that I might need to pump up my cleaning crew a bit. Right now i have:

2 - blue legged hermits
1 - bumble bee (I hardly ever see him but he's cool looking)
2- astreas (see pic below and let me know if this is what they are)
2 - nerites

I have been trying to get my hands on some turbos and some ceriths as well. I really think that snails are pretty cool. I place my 2 astreas on a patch of algea (you can see it a week ago in the pic below) and they go to town. The patch in the pic is about 1/4 of the size now.

 

[HBtank]

Astrea are one of my favorites, but like Turbos, they can get big and are pretty quick. Both should be in moderate quantities IMO.

I had my 3 turbos in my 55 before my 80. It was just the right amount. 10 Astreas was perfect too.

But I think ceriths are a different story, they are small, slow and methodical. They will clean averything and form little groups on the sand when a bloom comes. I would have maybe 20 of these guys, and is what I will do. Planned for today actually, I have a little bloom from my tank move

If I were you I would get a few more Astrea, a few more hermits and like 15 ceriths over the next two weeks. Then later on add some more astrea and some turbos to get your final totals.

Of and I have heard bumblebee snails are not reef safe. They are not horrible but I think they may snack on corals or good stuff in your sand bed, I forget exactly though..

 

[divecj5]

Thanks HBtank. I really appreciate all the advice. It really helps out when you're first getting started and getting over things such as different blooms, etc. I am headed for the LFS this weekend to check out there snail/hermit selection. I might just have something to feast on these diatoms this weekend

I'll have to check around and ask here about bumble bee snails. Thanks again.

Adam

 

[MCary]

Here's some pictures of a tank I set up during the bloom...

Day after adding Astrea Snails

Two days after adding Astrea Snails:

Mike

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Diatoms are the leader in the ocean when silica is present. They will use up all silicate untill nitrates and phosphates are very low.

New tanks imo go through this bloom because:

-silicate is leaching from new rocks
-silicate is leaching from new sand
-silicate is leaching from the walls of the aquarium glass.
-silicate is presnet in large amounts in tap water. RO units are poor at removing silicate over time.

Rocks are minerals. Most phytoplankton(including diatoms) get their minerals from weathered rock that travel down freshwater rivers from being erroded wich that nutritet is deposited into the ocean and consumed by phytoplankton. Another sorce is from upwelling of silt from the bottom of the ocean to the surface.

Try putting silica sand into your tank, I bet you will get overgrown with diatoms !

 

[MCary]

It must be soluable silica. You can get it at most craft stores.

 

[HBtank]

Silica is not leaching from anything that happens to have silcates. From the glass?? come on..


I do not know how this myth was started, but it is pretty silly...

 

[boxfishpooalot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8058625#post8058625 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HBtank
Silicate is not leaching


I do not know how this myth was started, but it is pretty silly...

QUOTE: Randy holmes farley
"The “silica” play sand that I purchased from Home Depot can substantially raise the dissolved silica concentration in seawater"

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm


Its not a myth my friend, take a look at Randys artilce

ALthough I think that new stuff will leach because its etched and abraised, showing new surfaces. Also, regular calcreous sand has silica in it too.

 

[HBtank]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8058648#post8058648 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boxfishpooalot
QUOTE: Randy holmes farley
"The “silica” play sand that I purchased from Home Depot can substantially raise the dissolved silica concentration in seawater"

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm


Its not a myth my friend, take a look at Randys artilce

ALthough I think that new stuff will leach because its etched and abraised, showing new surfaces. Also, regular calcreous sand has silica in it too.

Interesting, never thought of the impurity aspects of new sand and other potential leechers. Thanks for the article.

I refuse to believe (and your article backs me up) that glass or the standard quartz silica has any effect though. You seem to not have really read the article anyways....

That is what the standard argument is centered on, and your quote is very misleading in regards to silica sand. Because any sand could be a source, even aragonite.


I mostly was commenting aon the glass part you wrote.. You really don't think glass has any effect do you?

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Well glass may just contain abraised partilces from manufacturing processes such as sand the edges ect. Its possible that the glass particles(wich were sanded) will dissolve easily.Perhaps the sandpaper had silica abrasive in it. But I doubt that the glass itself has any large effect or none at all

I love that article too

 

[gman19]

The worst diatom problem I had was in my first reef, a 40 Breeder. My problem did however turn out to be silica from tap water that my RO did not remove. (This was nearly 12 years ago before the advent of the HiS units like Kent and others make). I used a LaMotte #4463 Silica kit to discover that the tank was loaded with silicate. At that time, I added a deionizer from Cole-Parmer after the RO unit to remove the silica. After a week of daily water changes at 3 gallons/day and using silicate free top off water, the diatom bloom crashed as quickly as it appeared.

My current tapwater is LOADED and turns the vial deep blue using the LaMotte kit. Using a Kent HiS 60gpd unit, the silicates are reduced to non-detectable levels.

 

[mike89t]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8057791#post8057791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by divecj5
Thanks for all the help and advise. I was thinking that I might need to pump up my cleaning crew a bit. Right now i have:

2 - blue legged hermits
1 - bumble bee (I hardly ever see him but he's cool looking)
2- astreas (see pic below and let me know if this is what they are)
2 - nerites

I have been trying to get my hands on some turbos and some ceriths as well. I really think that snails are pretty cool. I place my 2 astreas on a patch of algea (you can see it a week ago in the pic below) and they go to town. The patch in the pic is about 1/4 of the size now.

Here is what I added to my tank:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=748495