Help with Diatom(?) Lighting outbreak

Eug40

Member
Hoping someone can help me fix this problem once and for all.
Assuming these are diatoms. Didn't go away for months so I turned off lights where it went away for a period of about 4 months. Set up lights again and immediately back.
0 TDS, minimal live stock on a strictly blackworm diet, kessils ramp up to 50% for 2 hours and back down.
 

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Hoping someone can help me fix this problem once and for all.
Assuming these are diatoms. Didn't go away for months so I turned off lights where it went away for a period of about 4 months. Set up lights again and immediately back.
0 TDS, minimal live stock on a strictly blackworm diet, kessils ramp up to 50% for 2 hours and back down.
Sure looks like diatoms. Could also be dinos. cyano or crysophytes. Does it stay dusty looking or does it get snotty? Phosphate and nitrate levels would be helpful information. Also what sand are you using? What kind of flow do you have?
 
Is there any chance your lights might be due for a change or upgrade? Or perhaps the tank is also in the sun for some period, and the lights give it just the boost necessary for algae? Kessil says their lights last 5-7 years before needing a change.
 
Sure looks like diatoms. Could also be dinos. cyano or crysophytes. Does it stay dusty looking or does it get snotty? Phosphate and nitrate levels would be helpful information. Also what sand are you using? What kind of flow do you have?
its dusty, not snotty. like a coating. Using caribsea special grade aragonite, flow is stock, tank is IM 20 peninsula. Flow does seem to slow where its darkest, between the two rocks, but it still exist everywhere. Will check nitrate, phos, cant imagine thats the problem tho, as i mentioned, strictly blackworm feedings(will change that).
 
Is there any chance your lights might be due for a change or upgrade? Or perhaps the tank is also in the sun for some period, and the lights give it just the boost necessary for algae? Kessil says their lights last 5-7 years before needing a change.
The tank is in the living room not in direct sunlight, but does get some natural light, but again, when the lights were off, diatoms were nonexistent. . Kessils were bought used, they do ramp up and down fine, but i used them personally for maybe a years total time.
 
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