diatom

[hockeydude15]

I got behind with my partial water changes on my 38 gal sw(fowlr) tank. Everything is covered in brown diatom. LFS said i needed a new light. So i just got that. Now to get rid of the diatom, any products out there that are good? I keep the glass clean as best I can but it would look nicer if I could get a chemical.

 

[melosu58]

Are you using tap water? Tap water is sometimes high in silicates.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

"Nicer" is not necessarily "better." Adding chemicals should always be a last resort, not an initial response.

Do you have snails? A good cleanup crew of 20-30 snails (astrea and trochus) will take care of the diatoms pretty quick. Even without the snails, the diatoms normally burn themselves out of food pretty quick.

 

[hockeydude15]

Yes, I use tap water. Is RO the only other option?

 

[cmor1701d]

You can get distilled water at the grocercy store, but nothing beats having your own RODI unit.

 

[hockeydude15]

You can get distilled water at the grocercy store, but nothing beats having your own RODI unit.

Do you have any suggesstions for a cheap RODI unit? and is it worth getting for only a 30 gal tank?

does this count?

Aquarium Water Quality: Tap Water Filter

 

[melosu58]

I would go with an RO or RO/DI unit. You can get some good prices on Ebay. Here is something to read about tap.

Chemistry and the Aquarium

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Do you have any suggesstions for a cheap RODI unit? and is it worth getting for only a 30 gal tank?

does this count?

Aquarium Water Quality: Tap Water Filter

That would work. All it is is the DI stage of a RO/DI filter. It'll give you pure water, but you'll go through more $$ over time versus the RO/DI option. Depending on your source water, you could get 100g out of it... or 25g. It just depends on how dirty (TDS reading) your water is to start with. But the water coming out of it would be no different than RO water.

 

[ccCapt]

That unit will end up costing a fortune in the long run. It says you get 50 to 150 gal before the resin is exhausted. At $20 a pop for the replacement cart, this unit is not very cost efficient.

 

[cmor1701d]

I agree on that cartridge unit. Too expensive to run. Check on eBay for a unit that costs about a hundred dollars.

 

[catmel]

Doing some research on my local water - according to the city of findlay treatment plant site, they said the average ph is pretty high 8.8-9.2. Does the use of the suggested filters eg: r/o unit help correct this or would this be a problem? I was reading on the chemistry and the aquarium if could cause PH 'tugging' tending to pull the water toward a higher PH. Or could this be easily corrected by a PH buffer after cycling... or am I just worrying too much about all this? LOL

could very well be, but I want to make sure I dothe right thing before getting started

 

[MommaFishels]

RO/DI unit that I have cost $100.00 brand new. I purchased it off of EBay. I can tell you it has made a tremendous difference for my water. If you only have a 30 gallon tank, it will take you a while before you need to change the filters. On average and depending how dirty your tap water is..you replace about once a year.

Also, if you have diatoms real bad they will go away in a week or so. I would also make sure you have a good cleanup crew. I have several snails and dwarf hermit crabs in mine. They take care of any access food, waste, and algae in your tank.

 

[cmor1701d]

Catmel,

Test the pH of the water out of the tap and then again after letting it sit overnight. You will probably find a large difference.

 

[catmel]

thanks for the help