The Diatoms Persist...Please Advise

[Osage_Winter]

one year is still on the newer side of things.

Is it really?

 

[Osage_Winter]

Do you ever change your filter media?

Yes. The media in the Aqueon QuietFlow 55 is changed routinely (they are dual carbon cartridges). The media in the AquaClear is rinsed (the ceramic bio rings and the sponge) and the carbon pack has been replaced by Seachem Purigen bags.

 

[Crepe]

What do you rinse in? Also what does your water report say about silicates? Are you greasing any fittings? What's your substrate? I've (almost) beaten my diatoms by:
1.) Cleaning out my canister more frequently.
2.)Using RO water
3.) Increasing CO2 (high light planted tank here)
4.) Vacuuming my substrate
5.) Removing the SILICONEgrease from my tank.

 

[Osage_Winter]

What do you rinse in?

Sometimes tank water during WCs, but the last time I did a change, I forgot and rinsed the sponge (not bio rings) in tap water...

Also what does your water report say about silicates?

Do you mean a report from my local jurisdiction, or from a water test of my own (like the API kit)? If you meant a water report from my city, I have not gotten to it yet. My API kit doesn't test for silicates or phosphates.

Are you greasing any fittings?

Do you mean in the filters? If so, no.

What's your substrate?

Standard colored gravel.

 

[krap101]

I kind of skipped through the thread, but diatoms use silica in their "bone structure". Maybe there's something in your sand or decorations or something? Sorry if this was already gone over.

 

[Osage_Winter]

I kind of skipped through the thread, but diatoms use silica in their "bone structure". Maybe there's something in your sand or decorations or something? Sorry if this was already gone over.

Thanks krap.

Indeed, this has been suggested before -- but I don't know what could be causing the diatoms in my decor or substrate (I am not using sand). If this is the case, it could be one of more than a dozen plants and decorations that are in this tank -- or maybe more than one; what's most disheartening is that we purchased all of the decor at PetSmart, and it was all supposedly "aquarium safe" and "approved" (hence, not stuff we just picked up off a beach or on the street)...

 

[mommytron]

i honestly think you need to address your water quality. get that water report from your local water supplier. you may need to switch to RO water (although i'm not sure how that works, i think you need to add minerals back into it? sounds like Crepe may know the procedure there.) are you keeping nitrates as low as you can to try to starve the algae? are you going through mini-cycles when you change out your filter cartridges? you can just pop them open and scrape out the carbon when it becomes "used up" and keep using the cartridge. it's really unnecessary to change them out monthly as the instructions suggest.

and yes, i've read several places that diatoms will show up anytime during the first year or year and a half. they don't normally stick around as yours have, but popping up within the first year of a tank set up is not unusual.

 

[Osage_Winter]

i honestly think you need to address your water quality. get that water report from your local water supplier. you may need to switch to RO water (although i'm not sure how that works, i think you need to add minerals back into it? sounds like Crepe may know the procedure there.)

Just tonight, we noticed the diatoms have become ridiculously aggressive now, climbing all over the right bottom corner of the glass and upward, continuing to overtake the ornaments and gravel -- we have to definitely do something. I don't know if it's my tap water at this point, Rachel, or something else, but I will try, once more, the distilled bottled water and more Seachem PhosGuard.

are you keeping nitrates as low as you can to try to starve the algae?

[moderator edit] it -- I didn't want to face it, but it looks like the lack of water changes may be feeding this problem...thus, nitrates may have climbed through the roof (I haven't done a test of the water in some time)...

As I stated earlier in this long thread, I was afraid of doing routine water changes if the problem was stemming from our tap water supply -- my thinking was, if the tap water is contaminated with silicates, this just continues to pump these things into the column of our tank with each change...but then as stated by many, the activity of constantly changing out the tank water may have been enough to combat the diatoms, so I don't know.

are you going through mini-cycles when you change out your filter cartridges?

No.

you can just pop them open and scrape out the carbon when it becomes "used up" and keep using the cartridge. it's really unnecessary to change them out monthly as the instructions suggest.

So, just use the actual cotton floss and that's it?

I know it's unnecessary to keep buying new ones, but I just feel more comfortable doing it; but, I can't believe that all the beneficial bacteria would be killed off just from thowing out old cartridges or rinsing them off...if that was the case, why would Aqueon (outside of the profit factor) instruct people to do so? I mean, wouldn't this have caused widespread tank crashes on a massive scale already, leading back to the company? The instructions that come with new cartridges for these "QuietFlow" filters state that while cartridges can and should be replaced, the actual "bio bar" and "bio grids" which sit in the filters (they're actually just blue pieces of plastic) are the areas which house all the growing bacteria, and these are not to be rinsed off. So, there must be BB growing somewhere other than just on these cartridge surfaces...

and yes, i've read several places that diatoms will show up anytime during the first year or year and a half. they don't normally stick around as yours have, but popping up within the first year of a tank set up is not unusual.

I didn't know that, and was under the assumption that by 12 months the entire system should be in balance -- my situation even has technicians at Seachem and other companies completely baffled.

 

[fred]

Sorry to hear your tank has taken a turn for the worse .

 

[Crepe]

Wrap the tank in trash bags/cardboard. Unplug the tank lights. Leave it like this for a week. Only open the lid for feeding. I think that should weaken them enough to stop their growth.

 

[ejaramillo01]

As I said previously, to me one possible cause is the lack of water changes.....and I also respect your point of view of why you don't believe or want to do PWC. But in this case, I think that deserves a try the PWC.
When was the last time that you performed a PWC for this tank?

 

[mommytron]

i think you really need to at least TRY weekly water changes. it's been suggested to you several times already. i'm not sure why you're so resistant to weekly tank maintenance, but it really is a key to successful aquarium keeping, IMO. i think before taking anymore drastic or expensive measures, you should start performing weekly or even bi-weekly water changes. give it a few weeks and see if it improves. i really think controlling the nitrate in your tank will help.

 

[jetajockey]

Just something I wanted to share.

I've had my EBJD paired with a female JD in a 40b and they've had fry in there for a few weeks now. I've kept a clamp light with a daylight bulb on it running 24/7 on one side of the tank. It's been nearly pressed against the tank glass on one side, not hanging above the tank.

The tank receives no other light besides that and ambient room light.

It's been running that way for a week or so (off and on, but on for very long 12+ periods), and I noticed today when I turned it off that there is a nice brown patch of diatoms right where the light was shining through the glass.

This is a tank with no silica sand in it and has never had a diatom issue otherwise.

It may or may not pertain to your particular situation but this particular one seemed to be light induced.