Nøjo
Aquarium Advice Activist
I just finished my cycle just over two weeks ago, and now have a bit of an algae problem. Green hair algae is proving to be a bit of a nuisance, but other than scraping it off the glass weekly it's not that big a deal. My other algae problem, however, has really got my attention.
It started in the corners, a golden brown colour that did little more than turn spots of my sand a darker colour. At first I wasn't sure if it was anything to worry about but over the span of a couple days it quickly grew to covering the entire front of the sandbed. I had my MH lights running, and turning them off during the day (nothing in the tank needed them) really seemed to curb the problem. Being aware that cyano is a common problem with new tanks, I underwent a treatment for that using Poly-Ox and therefore oxidizing the tank. Everything went well and within two weeks the sandbed was clear. Once the lights were turned back on, however, the problem came back strongly, as if the algae didn't seem to fade or deminish at all. It wasn't thick nor slimey, just little more than a darker shade of sand.
The fact that the algae came back so strongly suggested to the resident pro at the LFS that the problem was maybe not cyano but diatoms - not apparently not as common when using RO/DI yet still possible. He also told me that diatoms (sorry if I butchered the spelling) will turn the sand a darker shade, but after feeding on whatever nitrates and silicates that are there it should all fade away and I'll have a nice, healthy tank. Can anyone share any ideas or thoughts on this? I would like to know exactly what the problem may be. And what the heck are diatoms anyway? Is this what is known as "new tank syndrome"?
Thank you in advance.
ps - water parameters are great, everything reading 0, and my circulation is keeping everything flowing nicely.
It started in the corners, a golden brown colour that did little more than turn spots of my sand a darker colour. At first I wasn't sure if it was anything to worry about but over the span of a couple days it quickly grew to covering the entire front of the sandbed. I had my MH lights running, and turning them off during the day (nothing in the tank needed them) really seemed to curb the problem. Being aware that cyano is a common problem with new tanks, I underwent a treatment for that using Poly-Ox and therefore oxidizing the tank. Everything went well and within two weeks the sandbed was clear. Once the lights were turned back on, however, the problem came back strongly, as if the algae didn't seem to fade or deminish at all. It wasn't thick nor slimey, just little more than a darker shade of sand.
The fact that the algae came back so strongly suggested to the resident pro at the LFS that the problem was maybe not cyano but diatoms - not apparently not as common when using RO/DI yet still possible. He also told me that diatoms (sorry if I butchered the spelling) will turn the sand a darker shade, but after feeding on whatever nitrates and silicates that are there it should all fade away and I'll have a nice, healthy tank. Can anyone share any ideas or thoughts on this? I would like to know exactly what the problem may be. And what the heck are diatoms anyway? Is this what is known as "new tank syndrome"?
Thank you in advance.
ps - water parameters are great, everything reading 0, and my circulation is keeping everything flowing nicely.