Strange cycle behaviour

[Brad Griffiths]

So just a little update...

Code red! Algae has taken over absolutely everything, seems to be algae “bubbles” forming over the rocks too. Hollow centre, algae shell. Almost similar to pearling algae but on a larger scale.

Would it be best to rip this all out and start again?

I have posted some photos.

Brad

 

[G H Nelson]

I would Brad 😉
Just start again...incorporate the advise you have received over the last few days!
Good Luck
hoggie

 

[Brad Griffiths]

I would Brad 😉
Just start again...incorporate the advise you have received over the last few days!
Good Luck
hoggie

Good idea! Luckily it’s only a little experiment nano tank. I’ll strip it out, wait until the filters arrived, use the bacteria from the filter media and plants to give it a kick start.

I appreciate everyone’s help though, hopefully it makes itself to the planted stage this time

 

[Dadofthree]

Hi just a thought for future ref for people this all happened so fast what temperature did you run at ive only ever seen this in marine and freshwater when the temperatures where very high

 

[zozo]

Looks like diatomes to me.. Strippng it down and starting over doesn't give any guarantees it not happening again in the next one. Diatomes is something you can only wait out, same story it has a food supply as long as its in there it can grow massively in hours time. And it goes away as suddenly as it came when the food source is depleted. The food source can come from the used substrate, hardscape or maybe the wood i dunno.

It is very common for new aqauriums to go through a periode of diatome infestation, it can look awfull and disheartening, cleaning all out and hours later it's back to square one. It can take weeks and in worst case scenario it can take months, but it will end at some point.

In one of my fully planted aqauriums setup 2015 i suffered a filamentous diatome infestation that took over 6 months to dissapear. It grew on everthing including the plants.. But it finaly did go away. I had days i feld like giving up, fortunately i didn't. The tank is still running today. 🙂