Diatom outbreak - looking for the cause

djryan2000

New member
I've experienced a diatom outbreak in my tank for the last week or two and they're covering... everything. The tank is about a month BUT I did not just set it up - my previous tank broke and I transferred all the live rock and creatures along with about 40-50% of the water to the new tank that was up for about 6 months. I tested nitrate with the API kit and The color is between 10 and 20. Would the nitrates be the cause of this? Or is this an "œugly phase" of my tank? Or is this excessive lighting?

I turned the white lights completely off in my tank per the advice of YouTube but am looking for other input from more experienced reefers if this is the right call - not sure if I should leave everything as is if it's part of the tank's cycle.

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When taking identification pictures like that please turn the blue channel off or way down to not distort colors. It can also help improve focus..

Is the sand new?
Is the tank new?
Did you use RO/DI water? (thats been verified TDS of zero/silicate free)..

Really doesn't matter the answers :p .. Welcome to a new tank.. This is normal from what I see here.. Just part of the ugly phases.. Accept it and enjoy.
 
When taking identification pictures like that please turn the blue channel off or way down to not distort colors. It can also help improve focus..

Is the sand new?
Is the tank new?
Did you use RO/DI water? (thats been verified TDS of zero/silicate free)..

Really doesn't matter the answers :p .. Welcome to a new tank.. This is normal from what I see here.. Just part of the ugly phases.. Accept it and enjoy.



Thank you. Should I put my lights back up to what they were? How long should I wait to see if it's just a cycle from the new tank (with the old rock) or if there is another issue?


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Put your lights back whenever.. And very likely normal like the thousands of tanks before you :). Check back in a few months if it hasn't subsided..
 
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