The Diatoms Persist...Please Advise

[iceywater101]

I have never scene them attached to another fish and I have them in just about all of my tanks. I would say buy 4 and see if they fix your problem.

 

[dkpate]

SAE or CAE are the ones that suck the slime coats, not the otos.

 

[Osage_Winter]

Okay...

At this point, I may just ride these out or drain the tank and sell everything; I haven't decided yet...

Right now, the tank's an absolute mess, with a missing versa top on one side, non-working bubbles and an AquaClear that's making a splashing, whirring noise like mad...

 

[iceywater101]

I would like to see you stick with it. A few years ago I was in your situation. Fish keeping is a very rewarding hobby but it also requires alot of time, money, and patiences.

I am more than willing to help you as much as possible. Lets try to tackle one issue at a time.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

First thing is to switch your lighting off, and leave it off for several days. From what I've heard it comes about through lighting which is in the middle, too much it won't grow, too little and it won't grow!

I've gone for the minimal lighting approach myself, as soon as I put strong 'daytime' lighting in, everything immediately got covered in brown gunk!

 

[Osage_Winter]

I would like to see you stick with it. A few years ago I was in your situation. Fish keeping is a very rewarding hobby but it also requires alot of time, money, and patiences.

I am more than willing to help you as much as possible. Lets try to tackle one issue at a time.

What you indicate it requires above is not really an "easy" task for many...

Regardless, here's the current situation: The AquaClear is running as if it's about to give out, but after I came up from dinner and checked the tank, the bubble wands had broken apart and were off their suctions...so I just spent an hour -- precious time I needed to complete a writing assignment -- trying to anchor the wands back down and into their suction cups against the glass...also, to put the icing on this cake, the Aqueon's intake tube slid off the extender pipe, so that filter wasn't working right, either...

I took the u-shaped intake tube of the AC out, checked inside the housing where it clicks in, wiped around, put the tube back in DEEP making sure it is in there good, and while that "whirring" seems to have gone away, the filter isn't running at full output for some reason, and it's running louder than usual with more vibration noises...

Meanwhile, the bubble wands I put together aren't working, and there are massive bubbles coming from just the center -- indicating to me there's a leak somewhere...

So, what do I tackle first?

 

[Osage_Winter]

First thing is to switch your lighting off, and leave it off for several days. From what I've heard it comes about through lighting which is in the middle, too much it won't grow, too little and it won't grow!

I've gone for the minimal lighting approach myself, as soon as I put strong 'daytime' lighting in, everything immediately got covered in brown gunk!

I don't understand what you're saying here; GIVE more light to the diatoms or give LESS? At this point, I don't have the glass top on half of the tank, so I can't put the strip light up there anyway...

 

[Mark Hewitt]

What you indicate it requires above is not really an "easy" task for many...

Regardless, here's the current situation: The AquaClear is running as if it's about to give out, but after I came up from dinner and checked the tank, the bubble wands had broken apart and were off their suctions...so I just spent an hour -- precious time I needed to complete a writing assignment -- trying to anchor the wands back down and into their suction cups against the glass...also, to put the icing on this cake, the Aqueon's intake tube slid off the extender pipe, so that filter wasn't working right, either...

I took the u-shaped intake tube of the AC out, checked inside the housing where it clicks in, wiped around, put the tube back in DEEP making sure it is in there good, and while that "whirring" seems to have gone away, the filter isn't running at full output for some reason, and it's running louder than usual with more vibration noises...

Meanwhile, the bubble wands I put together aren't working, and there are massive bubbles coming from just the center -- indicating to me there's a leak somewhere...

So, what do I tackle first?

Your priority is always the filters, it's debatable if the bubbles are even necessary at all and your fish can certainly survive a good while without them.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I don't understand what you're saying here; GIVE more light to the diatoms or give LESS? At this point, I don't have the glass top on half of the tank, so I can't put the strip light up there anyway...

Less! Just leave your lighting off for a good while.

 

[iceywater101]

I am with Mark. Let's get your AC up and running properly.

1. Get an empty bucket
2. Unplug your filter
3. Remove the filter from the back of the tank
4. Dump the water in the filter into the bucket and remove the media
5. Twist the black motor assembly to the left to remove it
6. You should see the impeller sticking out of the motor it kind of has a cross on the bottom of the impeller
7. Make sure to wash this really well
8. Make sure to clean the inside of the motor this is where I always had sand getting stuck and it created a god awful noise
9. Re assemble the filter fill with tank water and plug it back in.

School work should always come first most of the time the fish can wait an hour or two until you have time.

I promise once you have a good routine down your tank won't but take more than 5 mins a day and about a half hour on Saturday.

 

[Osage_Winter]

I am with Mark. Let's get your AC up and running properly.

1. Get an empty bucket
2. Unplug your filter
3. Remove the filter from the back of the tank
4. Dump the water in the filter into the bucket and remove the media
5. Twist the black motor assembly to the left to remove it
6. You should see the impeller sticking out of the motor it kind of has a cross on the bottom of the impeller
7. Make sure to wash this really well
8. Make sure to clean the inside of the motor this is where I always had sand getting stuck and it created a god awful noise
9. Re assemble the filter fill with tank water and plug it back in.

School work should always come first most of the time the fish can wait an hour or two until you have time.

I promise once you have a good routine down your tank won't but take more than 5 mins a day and about a half hour on Saturday.

School work? I was talking about my full time job as a Managing Editor of a magazine...a major one at that...

 

[Mark Hewitt]

School work? I was talking about my full time job as a Managing Editor of a magazine...a major one at that...

Don't take offence, there are all ages on the internet, and it's not like we have our age written next to our names!

But the advice still applies, work is more important than fish! (I should take that advice sometimes...)

 

[Osage_Winter]

Your priority is always the filters, it's debatable if the bubbles are even necessary at all and your fish can certainly survive a good while without them.

Okay...

Well, as of right now, both filters are running, but I don't know how long that will last -- also, I didn't think the bubbles were "necessary" for their survival, I just liked them decorative-wise, and for the fact that they aid in gas exchange up top...

 

[Osage_Winter]

Don't take offence, there are all ages on the internet, and it's not like we have our age written next to our names!

But the advice still applies, work is more important than fish! (I should take that advice sometimes...)

I just don't know where he got school work from what I posted; it was what he gravitated to, and I was just curious...

 

[iceywater101]

Sorry! I know you said you where married so I knew you where not a high school student. I thought maybe you where a college student.

I think you have more than enough surface agitation With your two filters. I have always had problems with the bubble wands as well. If you really like the bubbles try using a bubble disk I have had much better luck with those in my planted tanks.

I am glad you got one problem fixed.

 

[Osage_Winter]

Sorry! I know you said you where married so I knew you where not a high school student. I thought maybe you where a college student.

No problem. Yes...I am well beyond college...LOL...graduated in '96.

I think you have more than enough surface agitation With your two filters. I have always had problems with the bubble wands as well. If you really like the bubbles try using a bubble disk I have had much better luck with those in my planted tanks.

I just like the bubble curtain on the back glass...

Would you be able to recommend a different one other than the POS Top Fin that won't work now? Perhaps one of those heavy, brick-like ones that stay put?

I am glad you got one problem fixed.

Which? The noise?

 

[iceywater101]

Regardless, here's the current situation: The AquaClear is running as if it's about to give out, but after I came up from dinner and checked the tank, the bubble wands had broken apart and were off their suctions...so I just spent an hour -- precious time I needed to complete a writing assignment --

That's where I got the school thing from. I guess as a college student writing assignment means school.

As for a bubble wand. I have never used this one, but it looks like a high quality product and you won't need to use suction cups to keep it down.

Aquarium Water Movement & Airstones: Flexible Bubble Wands

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I had something very similar to that and had to take it out in the end. I wanted it to stay buried under the gravel, but the slightest bit of movement, such as me doing a water change, caused it to surface! So I'd only go back to something I could anchor to the tank base with suckers!

 

[Osage_Winter]

Regardless, here's the current situation: The AquaClear is running as if it's about to give out, but after I came up from dinner and checked the tank, the bubble wands had broken apart and were off their suctions...so I just spent an hour -- precious time I needed to complete a writing assignment --

That's where I got the school thing from. I guess as a college student writing assignment means school.

Okay...

As for a bubble wand. I have never used this one, but it looks like a high quality product and you won't need to use suction cups to keep it down.

Aquarium Water Movement & Airstones: Flexible Bubble Wands

Thanks!

 

[Osage_Winter]

I had something very similar to that and had to take it out in the end. I wanted it to stay buried under the gravel, but the slightest bit of movement, such as me doing a water change, caused it to surface! So I'd only go back to something I could anchor to the tank base with suckers!

Oh yeah, I've seen these flexible types...these actually floated up to the surface on you, Mark? The marketing claims they are "weighted down"...