We all start somewhere... right?

CStrickland said:
Unlike algae or bacteria that we see, diatoms are usually limited by the silica available. They will run their course when your new sand and rocks have released their stores, assuming your water isn't adding more. They use the silica to make their shells, and then they get filtered out. IMO turning off the lights will just put off the inevitable, tho idk, maybe a dimmer tank would chill the fish out some?

diatoms are kinda cool
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/90160649?color=ffffff&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/90160649">The Diatomist</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user2339296">Matthew Killip</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Click to expand...

Wow just watched the video! Amazing! Makes me re-think what I originally thought about Diatoms! Klaus Kemp is definitely a Diatomist! He's like Leonardo da Vinci except with a microscope lol
Makes me love my diatoms I'm currently having right now and enjoying them while they last before they're all gone :(
 
Haha, get a microscope Isaac! Who knows what's in your tank if that guy was getting those pretty ones out of sewer grates lol
I'm glad you liked it :)
 
If u don't care as much about ur fish as u do a dog* then ur tank will probs be empty in about 12 months to 2 years. There is so much work in them, if u didn't feel attached to them there would be no point looking after them, I don't really want to spend hours cleaning and checking everything on my tank but I feel I have to to keep them 100% and happy.

It's alright picking fish that might not get on but when fish don't get on they just rip each other to pieces,

Just my opinion,
 
How soon after a water change is too soon to check? This is 1 hour after a 20 gallon change.

d4b3fe389885cb7c54021788e0a53555.jpg
 
1 hour is a good time to check after a water change, looks loke the cycle is getting there. Not done yet but looking better.
 
The diatoms are starting to get a hair overwhelming. I know they will go away, but geez they are ugly!

Is a fighting conch an ok addition? I'm not sure if my sand bed is open enough or deep enough.

20150913_104651.jpg
 
That's nothin they'll get worse before they get better
What are you using for water changes? Like are you buying water from a store, or filtering it at home? If you are filtering it, how?

Sorry if you already mentioned, the thread is long
 
CStrickland said:
That's nothin they'll get worse before they get better
What are you using for water changes? Like are you buying water from a store, or filtering it at home? If you are filtering it, how?

Sorry if you already mentioned, the thread is long
Click to expand...
I have an RO unit mounted up under the tank. New filters. 0ppm coming out, and am mixing using instant ocean salt.

It's been running for 3 weeks (to the day) and did my first water change yesterday (20 gallons).

It still has 5 asteria (sp?) Snails, a single ocellaris clown, and now 4 damsels (1 domino, 1 yellowtail, 2 striped)
 
Your diatoms don't look that bad. I wish I would of took a pic of mine after I transferred my 20 to a 40. Glass, sand, rocks, everything was brown.
 
stingeragent said:
Your diatoms don't look that bad. I wish I would of took a pic of mine after I transferred my 20 to a 40. Glass, sand, rocks, everything was brown.
Click to expand...
It's getting far worse by the day. The glass is turning brown now, and the snails have the little hairs growing on their shells. LoL. I will get a pic tomorrow when the day lights come back on. It's gross.
 
this hobby is very good at teaching patience and putting us in our places. Lol, maybe not what you signed up for ;) hat's a very cool pic of the snail with his little trail behind him.

Using good water is the most important thing so you're on track anyway. You can also use a turkey baster to puff them off the rocks, and your glass scraper too, the more they get carried by the flow of water to your filtration and removed the faster their building blocks will be taken out of your water. Since your waters good you aren't adding more silica, so it'll run out sooner or later.
 
I don't have a skimmer either. I use a filter sock that the water goes through where it comes into my sump. I made a few out of the cheap felt they sell at Walmart for like $6 but you can buy fancy ones. It's really good at catching diatoms. When mine were bad I would put a sock on and stir up the sand and blow out the rocks so the water got all cloudy, and let it run through for an hour, then take it off. I think if you leave it on too long they just rot in there and then other ones can use the silica they release. Otherwise your just taking out what you catch during a water change so it seems like it would be slower?
You might need to be a little less drastic about it with the fish in there though.

There's a lot of threads about filter socks you can learn how to clean them and stuff.
 
Issue with that is, I have 2 drains with the beananimal setup, and I've found that any back pressure on the plumbing creates too much turbulence in the pipe. I had setup a DIY turf scrubber but couldn't get the drains tuned properly. Cut it off and was able to double the glow of the tank while gaining silence and less bubbles.
 
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