help to understanding diatoms.

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edwardclaxton

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
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Alright here is my issue. My tank is over 6 months old. So its not completly new. When I do a water change I get diatoms, why? I tried to research it but allbi come across is diatoms during your cycle. I dont understand why this happens when I do water changes. I thought the water change would take out nutrition from uneaten food. Which can cause diatoms, right?
 
You might have a diatom bloom, I have a 6 month old tank with the same problem
Diatoms feed off from oxygen, nitrate, and silicone
Even after about 10 months, the silicone from the edges is still released a bit, but after a year it should clear up, or maybe you have high nitrates, hope this helps
 
How old are the filters? Do you have a TDS meter? When my filters get old i get crazy algae blooms
 
Not silicon (as in the sealer) its silica or selenium. The diatoms outer shell is composed of silica (sand). Many salt mixes have high selenium content. I use Purigen to remove selenium and have not seen diatoms for many years. Tap water can really set off a batch of it.
 
Hey I was doing some research on diatoms. I came across a statement on reef central. They didnt give an explanation for why not to do it. Im curious, why? They said, "dont vac the sand." They were talking about how long diatoms can last and how to get rid of them. I figured you would siphon them out. Am I not suppose to touch them? Could this be why I have outbreaks after my water changes?
 
Vacuuming the sand can release some nasty nitrates and other undesirable stuff. Don't do much at any one time or leave it to the cleaner gobies to do it.
 
I haven't siphoned my sand for 5 years. My suggestion is to not do much each time to reduce the load you place on your filtration.
 
Would you say a short sand bed is better for a beginner? If so how deep would be considered a short sand bed?
 
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