# Diatoms



## Dolly Sprint 16v (9 Aug 2016)

Guys

Out of all my tanks 3 off - 2 previous (no longer have these) and 1 new one (current), I have never ever encounted Diatoms until now. The tanks is 60 ltr (Aqua mode 600) eheim pro 200 external filter, lighting period 6 hrs total wattage 22 watts (aquaone tubes), full E.I ferts, Co2 injection - colour of drop checkers 2 off - lime green.Tanks been running for approx. 6 mounths.

Only since adding Co2 (last 2 months) has the algea which I am saying is diatoms as it can be removed by rubbing the crypt wendtii green /echinodorus ozelot leaves between finger. Prior to injecting the Co2 no issue - your thoughts please.

Paul


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## Nelson (9 Aug 2016)

Turn the Co2 off .


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## Nelson (10 Aug 2016)

Sorry Paul,couldn't help myself .You know what I'm like .
Surprised no one has replied !.Anyone ?.

P.S.Good to see you back .


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## Chrispowell (10 Aug 2016)

Its a guess but... Sounds like you need to up the co2, maybe not supplying enough to the tank?


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## rebel (11 Aug 2016)

Could it be GDA.? Any pics .?


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## Planted Bows (11 Aug 2016)

I'm having the same issue! I'm not sure if it's more light needed?

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## Planted Bows (11 Aug 2016)

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## Planted Bows (11 Aug 2016)

That's the side of the tank and my rock 

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## Planted Bows (11 Aug 2016)

Plus on another post I have other pictures. The difference is my tank has been setup for a month and your 6? When do you say a setup is no longer new? 
I understand it's an in balance bit and imbalance of what? Lighting? Co2? 

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## Dolly Sprint 16v (21 Aug 2016)

Nelson said:


> Sorry Paul,couldn't help myself .You know what I'm like .
> Surprised no one has replied !.Anyone ?.
> 
> P.S.Good to see you back .




Co2 has been turned off - see what happens. I have my suspions that the ligths I am using AquaOne white / red CFL x2 - the red spectrum is causing the problem

Paul


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## Timon Vogelaar (4 Sep 2016)

Sorry for the dutch there, it shows; 
The golden triangle in _*balance*_ with light, fertilizers and CO2.

It'll just be me but i don't understand Nelson's advice of turning the CO2 off?


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## Nelson (4 Sep 2016)

Timon Vogelaar said:


> It'll just be me but i don't understand Nelson's advice of turning the CO2 off?


It was a bad joke .


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## zozo (4 Sep 2016)

If you look it up "Diatoms" you'll find out "Diatoms are photosynthesising" jsut like plants are.. They build up from and live off silicates or silicic acid.. Many water sources can contain this even as many rocks, substrates like sand, gravel and even clay can contain some degree of this stuff it's actualy very common. It's one of the most common mineral on this planet.. That's the reason why diatom outbrakes are also very common in aquariums especialy the freshly started aqauriums..

Now new tanks need to cycle this is usualy explained with the nitrification cycle only, those well known ammonia and nitrite/nitrate peaks that need to cycle and wear off.

But depending on the hardscape and substrates used there is also this silicates peak that needs to cycle and wear off. And this cycle usualy goes together with a diatom outbreak.. And this is one you just have to wait out, with cleaning the diatoms out and do frequent water changes and by the time the majority of silicates are used the diatoms will slowly dissappear and not come back again in this numbers but most likely will stay pressent.

In your case if it is diatoms, they probably (more surely) were already in there.. And the lak of co2 probably held them a bit back from exploding. Now you are adding co2 this actualy not only favors the plants with photosynthesising more sufficient but also the diatoms. 6 months is enough for the nitrification cycle a tank needs to go through, but silicate can still be in a high level and hold on quite much longer.. It probaly aint a light issue because diatoms is one of those algae which can thrive at very low light, in nature it can be found even at depths of 200 metres in clear waters.

Anyway, contact your water company and ask them what the chances are of having high level of silicate in your tap water if this is acceptable it most likely still is from some material used in the tank. Just keep adding co2, clean it out and wait it out. There aint much time periode to give, some have it for 6 weeks and are done and as i had it for 5 months driving me nuts. But if it isn't in your tap water it eventualy will wear out..


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## rebel (4 Sep 2016)

Some say that you can burn the diatoms out if you increase lights. But this will affect your plants an may cause more algaes.


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## Timon Vogelaar (4 Sep 2016)

Dolly Sprint 16v said:


> Co2 has been turned off - see what happens. I have my suspions that the ligths I am using AquaOne white / red CFL x2 - the red spectrum is causing the problem
> 
> Paul



So, DollySprint was also joking? 

Thanks Zozo; in my startup i had minor diatoms which went away in two days. After four weeks now stones become greener and some parts of the exposed soil starts to get a little bit green too. I am now looking in to what kind of algae this is so i can trace the cause of this. I think i need to lower the light intensity and durance for a bit.


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## zozo (4 Sep 2016)

Timon Vogelaar said:


> So, DollySprint was also joking?



In time you get to know his Roll eyes smiley. 

I noticed in my low tech regarding green algae especialy on plants, it reduced after switching in fert strategy. Before i used complete solutions like tropica and easylife.
My trigger to switch was the M. pteropus orange not realy doing well lost all its larger and older leaves, never got orange.. So switched over to making myself a stock solution from Potasiom Phospate, Potassium Nitrate and trace elements. Within 2 weeks i saw the m p orange indeed get orange tips and brighter green, the little green algae i had on the crypts became less and the hygroryza aristata also does better and got a brighter color.

I assume it was a chortage in one of those elements which reduced plant metabolisme and gave algae the upportunity to attach to it's leaves. Which one it is, i can not determine. The Java ferns like potassium very much (Kalium in our language).. I took the phosphate and nitrate with it to round it off complete...

Al i can say it had possitive effect on reducing algae growth as well. Plants are doing beter is definitely the accelerator.. 

Never used powders before.. But that definitely changed, i'll stick to it..


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## Timon Vogelaar (4 Sep 2016)

zozo said:


> In time you get to know his Roll eyes smiley.
> 
> I noticed in my low tech regarding green algae especialy on plants, it reduced after switching in fert strategy. Before i used complete solutions like tropica and easylife.
> My trigger to switch was the M. pteropus orange not realy doing well lost all its larger and older leaves, never got orange.. So switched over to making myself a stock solution from Potasiom Phospate, Potassium Nitrate and trace elements. Within 2 weeks i saw the m p orange indeed get orange tips and brighter green, the little green algae i had on the crypts became less and the hygroryza aristata also does better and got a brighter color.
> ...


I dose easylife profito and npk from aquarebel;







You have seen my journal, what do you think? 


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## zozo (4 Sep 2016)

Timon Vogelaar said:


> You have seen my journal, what do you think?



Yup..  Nice iwagumi..


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## Timon Vogelaar (4 Sep 2016)

zozo said:


> Yup..  Nice iwagumi..



Well, thanks but i actually mean if you have ideas of the algae i currently have and how to deal with it. Stones are getting green and there are small areas on the soil which is getting green too. On the soil it somewhat assimilates. 

This is a picture of it;


 

Lighting period: 
- 14:00 intensity from 0% to 100%. 
- Then 7 hour of 100% till 21:30. 
- Then from 100% to 3% till 22:00. 
- And till 00:00 on 3%
- Then 0% till 14:00 next day


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## zozo (4 Sep 2016)

Oh!? Sorry didn't catch that one.. I would try adding plantmass.. And if it doesn't fit in your iwagumi style which obviously is the case. My obvious choice still would be fast growing plantmass and would throw in a bunch of elodea or even better also some hungry floating vegitation. Floaters reduce light intensity and take up excess ferts which will help to keep extra algae growth in check. When the meadow is mature and large enough to coop with it on it's own take anything else out again. I guess with only as little you have in there now, it'l take a while before this has some mass, coul dneed some help..  Take true aquatics and floater they do not need transition to submersed.. I see your hairgrass probably aint done yet because there is some melting.. This melting induces bioload en algae growth as well. 

There might be other strategies with iwagumi setups equaly effective, you might want to ask iwagumi scapers about.. I'm not one of them, have no iwagumi or solo meadow experience.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (7 Sep 2016)

Timon Vogelaar said:


> So, DollySprint was also joking? .



Oh "NO" Dolly Sprint was not joking - Co2 switched off and diatoms is dissappearing - Neil you were correct in your remark

Paul


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## Nelson (7 Sep 2016)

Dolly Sprint 16v said:


> Neil you were correct in your remark


Yeah,but I was being an ass .
It doesn't solve your problem if you want to inject Co2.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (19 Apr 2017)

Quick up date - all diatoms g


Dolly Sprint 16v said:


> Co2 has been turned off - see what happens. I have my suspions that the ligths I am using AquaOne white / red CFL x2 - the red spectrum is causing the problem
> 
> Paul



Quick update - change CFL tubes from white / red to 6500K day light CFL tube which are brighter, also increased my EI fertz regime and the diatoms has disappeared, Co2 injection still switched off.

Paul


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## Nelson (20 Apr 2017)

Switch your Co2 back on.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (20 Apr 2017)

Nelson said:


> Switch your Co2 back on.



Thats what I plan to do next.

Paul


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