Cyano/Diatom bloom?

[bix]

Hey guys,

I'm hoping this is just a diatom bloom but since there's so much of it i wanted a second opinion..

This tank was without fish for about 2.5 months while I treated for ich. The salinity got a little high but the circulation and temp stayed up. The light was off the whole time.

I brought the salinity back down, cleaned out the sump and protein skimmer completely and then filled it with water. Ammonia was 0, nitrite was 0, nitrate was about 20.

I did a 30G or so water change and then put a dogface puffer and domino damsel back in.

I also added chaeto to my sump.

I just did a water change and currently my nitrates are at 5. Ammonia and nitrite are both 0. Temp is 77 salinity is 1.023-1.024.

 

[Cylias]

Looks like a diatom bloom. How long has the tank been set-up in all? Do you have any hermits or snails? I don't really see any in the pics. They will definitely help against the algae. You should do 20% water changes weekly until this is fixed and try to get the nitrates to 0.

 

[rush]

This is normal during the cycle, a good sign in other words. It will disappear within a week or so. Water changes will just give new nutrients and will cause more of this, do not do water changes until it is gone. If you do PWC it will just prolong the diatom bloom. Just let it run its course!

Again I strongly advice AGAINST water changes, just to make that part clear lol

It will disappear in no time.

What do you have for CUC?

 

[bix]

CUC is an issue due to the fact that my puffer would destroy it in about 5 minutes..

Not sure what I can throw in there, the puffer tries to eat me if I don't shoo it away haha

I'm also eventually planning on having a picasso trigger. Any suggestions on what could keep my sand clean and stay alive?

Thanks for confirming its just diatoms

Tank has been up for 8 months total, but it was essentially shut down for almost 2.5 months of that. I just put the fish back into the tank about 2 weeks ago.

 

[rush]

why a puffer fish, you wont be able to keep many or anything with that in there!

its been up for 8 months? and you only got your diatom bloom now :S

you could get a sand sifting star for your sand and some nassarius snails

 

[bix]

I actually had a diatom bloom earlier as well, then they went away.

Then I actually got cyano, I think due to overfeeding (it's hard to resist not feeding the puffer every day) and the puffer got ich.

I think its probably more of a second cycle, maybe due to the dieoff that would have happened from me killing the light for that long?

The cyano I had was a completely different colour so I was pretty sure it wasn't that but there's a lot more diatom this time.

The reason I got into the hobby is to have really cool fish, can't really deny the personalities on puffers/triggers.

I can see myself setting up a smallerish reef in the future, but my big tank is for big fish with big personalities

 

[bix]

And I just realized that this is in the reef section... mods feel free to move this to FOWLR.

My bad haha... I thought this was a general saltwater forum didn't really read the name of it fully.

 

[Karlos69]

I think the diatoms are using up silicates in the water did u add anything recently to cause this(new powerheads etc?)