Help Need In Getting Tank In Line

[Mudhog79]

Ok,

I have had a small fresh water tank (Fluval Spec V) setup for almost a year now. After about two months i guess i had a diatom outbreak. May articles i have read said wait and they will go away. They have not gone away.

Here is what my setup consists of.
Fluval Spec V Tanks
Hydor 25W Heater
Carib Sea Eco Complete in Black then added black sand on top of that.
Cycled with Tetra Safe Start

I have two Harlequin Rasboras in the tank some fake plants and a green moss ball. I am thinking my problem is all of the sand in my tank but i dont know. I am thinking about dumping the tank, cleaning everything well and starting over. Is there anyway to do this without having to recycle yet not putting the diatoms back in my tank? I think i am going to start over with just small colorful rocks (as this tank is for my daughter).

The last water samples i took had the following readings.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - o
Nitrates - 10
PH - 8.2


Again any help / input is appreciated.

 

[ImACoolguy]

You could dump the tank but keep the filter media wet so you don't need to recycle the tank.

That's strange diatoms would still be present this long.


Caleb

 

[biondoa]

Just curious as to why you would use Eco Complete with fake plants since it is more expensive that plain gravel.

 

[Hunter73]

Just curious as to why you would use Eco Complete with fake plants since it is more expensive that plain gravel.

Maybe he used the CaribSea Eco Complete Instant Aquarium.


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[Mudhog79]

Just curious as to why you would use Eco Complete with fake plants since it is more expensive that plain gravel.

I had originally planned on trying a planted tank, it was going good until they were covered with thick brown diatoms.

I am thinking of getting rid of it and starting over with all fake plants.

 

[biondoa]

Sorry you are having such a bad time with diatoms. I also thought about saying redo the tank and keep the filter media wet while doing so, but wonder if there are not diatoms in the media. Maybe someone else can answer that. It is very odd that they would last so long. With only 2 small fish in there, I think I would be tempted to start again from square one.
Empty the tank and refill with a dechlorinator and then do a fish in cycle, watching your parameters closely and feeding very little.

 

[Mudhog79]

So if i start over should i soak the tank in a bleach water solution? I am wondering if i clean everything really good, replace all filter media except use the bio bag from my tank it that would help cycle quicker and not add an over abundance of diatoms?

 

[claudio1]

hi i found this article about diatoms it may help you..
http://www.oscarfish.com/article-home/water/82-diatoms.html


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[jarrod0987]

Diatom algae eats Silicate. Silicate is usually very high in all tap water. Well or City. You could try to use GFO to remove it but it doesn't work very well. Normally you see it when you start a new tank and it goes away on it's own after a few days to a few weeks. Every time you do a water change you are adding more Silicate. A lot of it. They do make Silicate test kits but just trust me on this and save your money. My solution which is cheap and a lot of fun is OTO Cats.

[url=http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+2855+923&pcatid=923]Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Otocinclus Catfish[/URL]

They love this stuff. My biggest concern is not getting rid of the brown diatom algae anymore. It's how to keep these OTO cats from getting skinny and dying once it is all gone. Algae tabs didn't seem to work for me. I recommend just buy 1. Give him a week and see how things look. Don;t be in a hurry to add to many. They will clean your tank and then probably all starve.

 

[biondoa]

That's not a happy thought!

 

[trennamw]

It is a looooong wait for them to disappear but they do, unless your water or something you're adding has silicates. In my experience they come back after bleaching a tank. I was reading aquarium silicone is a silica source, I wonder if bleaching disrupts the silicone enough to release silicates again? Who knows. But bleaching a tank is bad for so many reasons.

Otos are awesome but delicate. I'd never advise keeping just one. I'd get at least 3 from a reputable dealer, after they've been in the store a week, and drip acclimate them.

I've never had any refuse omega one algae wafers. They like veggies too. They eat biofilm, not just algae. Immature tanks don't have enough biofilm.


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[gemach7]

Since you have no plants...
Try a few days no tank lights. If you have a window facing the tank cover with a sheet during the blackout. After you are done shorten your photoperiod or have break in between... Like on 4 hours off 2 on for another 2(so on when you get home). They are still photosynthetic and most single cells do not have enough stores to survive the black out.

Worth a try anyway... Since free and requires no bleach lol


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[Laird-and-Dad]

Diatom algae eats Silicate. Silicate is usually very high in all tap water. Well or City. You could try to use GFO to remove it but it doesn't work very well. Normally you see it when you start a new tank and it goes away on it's own after a few days to a few weeks. Every time you do a water change you are adding more Silicate. A lot of it. They do make Silicate test kits but just trust me on this and save your money. My solution which is cheap and a lot of fun is OTO Cats.



[url=http://www.liveaquaria.com/pro... for Freshwater Aquariums: Otocinclus Catfish[/URL]



They love this stuff. My biggest concern is not getting rid of the brown diatom algae anymore. It's how to keep these OTO cats from getting skinny and dying once it is all gone. Algae tabs didn't seem to work for me. I recommend just buy 1. Give him a week and see how things look. Don;t be in a hurry to add to many. They will clean your tank and then probably all starve.

Yessss otos! Love those guys! But dying isn't always an issue; they're all wild caught, so they can be finicky when it comes to the aquarium. So it may take a couple purchases to find hardy ones. I lost a few before I got two sturdy ones that I have had for almost a year now. I would try it! Try one, then if it lasts more than a month, get one or two more, depending on how big the tank is. They prefer groups.

Also, just a side note, I think harlequins prefer larger groups (not sure though). How big is the tank?

 

[ImACoolguy]

I've had 2 in a 75g for easy 4 months now. I started with 5. I don't even feed them now because they are fat from eating algae in the tank.


Caleb

 

[jarrod0987]

Diatoms come from silicate. All tap water is high in silicate I have ever seen. When you do a water change you add more silicate. I highly recommend oto cat. He loves to eat this stuff day and night until it is spotless.

Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Otocinclus Catfish

I would buy 1 and give him a week. You will be surprised. If you buy too many they will clean it all fast but then get thin and starve. They do not seem to prefer algae tablets in my experience but others may have had better luck with that.

 

[LayzorBeams]

My Otos did great. Until i put him in with an angel that was a bit too big...

But they lived a year and they were fat, with no algae in the tank. I would see them munching on tropical flakes.


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[jarrod0987]

That's good to know. I need some right now because my new planted tank is getting bio film all over the leaves and pretty sure these guys and snails keep that clean. I always feel worried about OTO starving to death after brown diatoms are gone.

 

[LayzorBeams]

Yeah its a risk. Some adapt better than others.

The only problems I've encountered is that if they are full grown they get eaten. Killifish and Otos are a bad mix. Angels work if the Otos are full grown, i just had some younger ones.

I haven't had them starve.


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[gemach7]

Just realized how small your tank was... Tbh easiest way to get rid of your diatoms would be to do your water changes with distilled or ro water. The diatoms will start to use up the silicates in your water and die off. Would cost less than a dollar each water change because of how many gallons you have. A full size oto is really too small for a 5 gallon tank imo.


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[LayzorBeams]

Its too small for it? I think you mean to big...

And personally i would put 1 in and take it out after the algae was gone, put i think it *could* work. Not sure though.


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