AHH!!! I've got diatoms like WOAH!

[Devilishturtles]

I've got a tank full of diatoms that developed in about 3 days. I added 15 lbs. of liverock to my 29 gal tank exactly 7 days ago today. Tuesday of last week, I added 15 lbs of live sand, over top of 20 lb of aragonite.

Did I add too much bacteria at one time? It developed all in about 3 days, from sparkling white sand and colorful rock, to brown everywhere. I know in FW, diatoms are a likely inhabitant of new tanks. But, is this the case with SW? How long will it take them to go away? Should I scrub them off?

Also, can I grab a few snail from the lfs to take care of the problem while my tank is still cycling of sorts? Anything else I can add?

My params are:

PH: bout 8.4
Kh : 12
Ammonia: 0 - .25 mg/l
Nitrites: less than .3 mg/l

How does this all look? Thanks for the help!

 

[revhtree]

Sounds normal to me!! How long have you been cycling the tank. Kinda sounds like your nearing the end!!

 

[Devilishturtles]

How long have you been cycling the tank. Kinda sounds like your nearing the end!!

Had the water up and running for two weeks. Live rock in for 7 days, and the live sand in for about 5 days. It's done cycling already, possibly?

What can I do about the diatoms? They will go away on their own, won't they?

 

[jamal-188]

What can I do about the diatoms? They will go away on their own, won't they?

For the most part they will go away when they burn up their food source. If nutrient levels remain high after your cycle they may remain. I would not worry too much yet or try to clean them up, this is a normal part of the cycling process.

 

[revhtree]

Ya, they will go away on their own. When my cycle was complete, I got a thick coating of rust looking diatoms that covered everything. They all went away on there on. The tank didnt look so good for a while though. Anyway, glad it's gettin close for you.

 

[i have crabs]

they feed on silicate in the water u using tap water ? if u are get a silicate sponge and stuff it in ur filter worked like crazy for me about $10 every couple months keeps the cyno away also