Diatoms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Manix]

I'm starting to get this problem. Can't tell the difference between bba and normal brown algae. Are they the same?

I think I had bba a month ago and my true SAE destroyed it.

Now I have algae which look like dots on my driftwood and my entire sand subtrate is brown. Are these diatoms?

I have 78 watts on a 40 gallon breeder. I am reducing my lights to 10 hours a day. It was at 12 hours. And feeding once a day. It was twice a day.

Am I on the right track?

Will doing 50% pwc everyday hurt or start a mini cycle?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Yeah, diatoms = brown algae. Supposedly it's caused by the water conditions at the end of a cycle, mixed with silicates that leech from new substrate and deco.

Minor correction here, diatoms are actually a golden-brown algae, rather than a brown. They're in phylum bacillariophyta (plant-like protists that produce thin delicate cell walls rich in silicon and contain chlorophyll a & d as well as carotenes(a orange accessory pigment), rather than phylum phaephyta (plant-like protists commonly called seaweed that contain chlorophyll a & c and the accessory pigment fucoxanthin (a brown accessory pigment)). They used to be classified as a Chysophyta or golden brown algae, but that was changed relatively recently.

I'm starting to get this problem. Can't tell the difference between bba and normal brown algae. Are they the same?

I think I had bba a month ago and my true SAE destroyed it.

Now I have algae which look like dots on my driftwood and my entire sand subtrate is brown. Are these diatoms?

I have 78 watts on a 40 gallon breeder. I am reducing my lights to 10 hours a day. It was at 12 hours. And feeding once a day. It was twice a day.

Am I on the right track?

Will doing 50% pwc everyday hurt or start a mini cycle?

Sorry, can't keep of with all the acronymes, but generally it is diatoms that turns the substrate, plants, and decorations brown. Doing PWC will not start a minicycle, but what is it you're trying to remove with the PWCs?

 

[brittanykluss]

I dont know if anyones mentioned this but you should check out the post I JUST MADE lol and its so ironic because its the reason why i bought them, becuase they eat it!!!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/why-i-love-nerite-snails-in-a-freshwater-tank-176982.html

 

[eco23]

Guys...this thread is 7 months old. Luckily...the issue is solved in this particular case. Brown, golden-brown...what's a color shade between fellow fishkeepers? haha. Honestly, I don't care where it comes from or what it is. We hate it when it's there, celebrate when it goes away. Regardless...there's not much to do other than wait it out.

 

[Manix]

Sorry, can't keep of with all the acronymes, but generally it is diatoms that turns the substrate, plants, and decorations brown. Doing PWC will not start a minicycle, but what is it you're trying to remove with the PWCs?

I'm assuming by cutting back hours on lighting and feeding less the diatoms will not be as bad.

Doing daily 50% pwc everyday will it help get rid of the algae?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Guys...this thread is 7 months old. Luckily...the issue is solved in this particular case. Brown, golden-brown...what's a color shade between fellow fishkeepers? haha. Honestly, I don't care where it comes from or what it is. We hate it when it's there, celebrate when it goes away. Regardless...there's not much to do other than wait it out.

Yep saw that, but somebody asked a related question in the thread, so I was trying to help out. Not trying to be rude, just making sure the info is correct.

I'm assuming by cutting back hours on lighting and feeding less the diatoms will not be as bad.

Doing daily 50% pwc everyday will it help get rid of the algae?

As eco said, the only solution here is waiting it out. Once the silica is absorbed out of the water column and off the tank decorations etc. The issue will go away on its own. 50% water changes everyday will not help the issue, and in fact if you're using regular tap water can actually contribute to the problem, as you could be providing more silica to the diatoms by doing so.

 

[Manix]

Okay thanks, I wait and see.

I didn't want to start a new topic since this topic has the same issue.