Diatoms?

[Amicus]

Hi all,
My tank cycled about a week ago. Last night I noticed some weird stuff on my driftwood and one of my plants. I have never seen diatoms and could not find anything on the net that looks like this. In the plant photo they look white but are more of a beige. Thanks in advance.

 

[CaptnIgnit]

got a pic?

 

[Amicus]

yeah, had a little trouble.

 

[CaptnIgnit]

The brown splotches on the plants could be diatoms or just old plant material. The white/blueish stuff looks like it might be some kind of fungus.

check this out:
Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association » Algae in the Planted Aquarium

and see if it matches up with anything you can see.

What substrate are you using? Diatoms feed on excess nitrAtes and silica so it'd be a good idea to check your nitrAte levels.

 

[Amicus]

Is there any way to tell for sure?
The stuff on the leaf I am worried about is the white/brown stuff, the brown marks are in the plant. I know the pic of the wood is poor, the stuff on the wood is the same as the plant. I am not sure what the larger blueish things are but they are in the water.

 

[CaptnIgnit]

only way is to wait and see if it goes away once you correct the water parameters.

 

[Amicus]

Water parameters are
Amm. = 0
Nitrites = 0
NitrAtes = 20 - 40 ppm. (API test card) Same as my other tank which is running fine.

 

[pantherspawn]

Does it wipe off or move when you brush the leaves?

 

[Amicus]

When I tap it with my thongs some came off and some stuck after a couple of taps. They look like little brown puffs of dust.

 

[eco23]

It absolutely looks like diatoms to me. I unfortunately became very familiar with them when my last tank was set up, lol. It's absolutely common for a newly cycled tank to experience them. It's believed to be caused by the silicates leeching from the actual tank, deco, substrate, etc... It will simply burn itself out and go away on it's own. They were the absolute bane of my existence for a month and a half, but they magically disappeared almost overnight after that time. You can clean them off in water from your tank during pwc's, or just let them run their course. Also, Otos absolutely devour them. I have 7 fat, healthy and happy little Otos thanks to my previous outbreak of diatoms

 

[Mr. Limpet]

When I tap it with my thongs some came off and some stuck after a couple of taps. They look like little brown puffs of dust.

Sounds like BA to me. Go to the link posted and it'll give you help on dealing with it.

 

[Amicus]

Thanks, just glad its not a fungus. I mixed some small gravel with 50 lbs of Red Flint sand for substrate.

 

[pantherspawn]

As Mr limpet and eco stated.. sounds like diatoms.. or what some Poole refer to brown algae which isn't actually algae at all. It can seem unsightly but poses no threat to your inhabitants. I have some in my planted tank from making my own decorations.. the snails I have like to munch on it also.

 

[Amicus]

I have fish in a 29g including a pleco. Should I move him in the other tank?

 

[Amicus]

Sounds like BA to me. Go to the link posted and it'll give you help on dealing with it.

I could not find the link. Do you mean Brush Algae?

 

[pantherspawn]

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_freshwater_algae.php here is some helpful info on algae and diatoms for aquaria.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

I could not find the link. Do you mean Brush Algea?

Here it is.

http://gwapa.org/wordpress/articles/algae-in-the-planted-aquarium/#diatoms

 

[Amicus]

Great link! It looks like it could be diatoms or BA in its infancy. I will wait a couple days to see what happens, unless you are almost sure its BBA.

 

[Amicus]

Freshwater Algae Types: An Illustrated Guide - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish here is some helpful info on algae and diatoms for aquaria.

Thanks for all of the links, all!

 

[pantherspawn]

No problem, hope it was of some use.