I feel you pains as I was going through the same thing. I did research on the subject. This is what I did to help the problem go away so far they have not returned. There are things you can do to limit the growth.
As in my other post Diatoms are usually in newly cycled aquariums.
Diatoms will sometimes disappear as quickly as they arrived.
I went on a mission to reduce the levels of diatoms in my tank. It was not a cheap cure and so far they are not to be seen.
Filtration will help allot with diatoms. Water flow in the tank will help the diatoms from sticking on decor and on the glass. But is not a cure. Silicates are present in my tap water as well as phosphate PO4 and Nitrates. To take care of the contaminates in the water I bought the (API) Tap water filter. The water filter removes the things that cause diatoms. It's not cheap for sure but it work's. I'm sure there are cheaper ways to do this. May have to call the Culligan Man.
As I have learned later lights really have little affect with diatoms.
Lights have a real affect on green algae.
Substrates: Some substrates have silicate in them and will also promote diatoms.
When cycling our tanks our water has high levels of organic carbon and No2, and low levels of No3 and Po4. They say that diatoms thrive in these condition's. Also Iodines cause brown algae. Some of the products we put into our tanks have it in the chemical mix.
Way to Slow or Stop Diatoms
Manual removal is one way. Diatoms do not have a firm attachment to the things they are found on. So they will clean off semi easily. Good way to control growth is to remove as much as you can during water changes as you can. So do that and wipe them off.
Remove silicates from your water. Silicates above 3-4 ppm will cause persistent diatoms.
There are products to remove silicates such as
Seachems PhosGuard or
Kent's Phosphate Sponge.
Hagen make a product called phosgaurd.
If you have live plants that should help you all also.
Helpful animals will help such as: Otocinclus catfish, /snails like Ramshorns or Olive nerites. They also say that some shrimp like to eat it as well.
Source of info:
See more at AquariumsLife.com | Fresh & Saltwater Information, Fish Profile, Algae Control, Equipment Reviews, Aquarium Directory, Right Now Bacteria There is information available for reading. It would have been alot easier if I could have copied and pasted but that's against AA rules as I'm still learning the rules. So i put into my own words and practiced what I have learned. I think the results are favorable that the diatoms will not return.
I hope this was helpful. It is crystal clear.
