demetrisag
Member
It's been there over a month.
ok, guys prepare for loooong post since I want to be as much thorough as I can.@demetrisag Looks like Diatoms to me. If you need advice on the situation, please post a full tank picture and additional details about your tank such as size, age, maintenance routine, light, filtration, fertilizer, if your injecting CO2 etc.
Cheers,
Michael
Diatoms need silica (Si) to build their frustules, but after that it all unravels. Have a look at <"Any-one used the JBL SiO2"> and linked threads. Ramshorn snails or Nerites will eat the diatoms and there are also Otocinclus.Also, even now which is almost 3 months later, when I do a 50% water change with completely silicate free water (tested with silicate test and TDS meter which shows 001 TDS) my aquarium water once I do the change like half an hour later it still fully and completely saturated with silicates.
Normally Diatoms decline over time, I don't know why and I'm not sure any-one has a scientific answer for it. Cherry shrimps might be another diatom grazer?So the only real way to get rid of diatoms is snails and ottos? Cause those even though they are doing something, it still nothing at the overall sceme of things
My lighting is currently at 30% if I make it even less do you think I should make the fert dose lower too? Currently I am dosing at 4ml 3 times a week and by the end of the week I barely have any nitrates in the tank, like 10-15 ppm.I've always associated diatoms with new, immature and not yet established tanks.
Again, as always, look into your maintenance routine, flow/circulation, CO2 application and light intensity (too much of it, which is usually the culprit...)- all the factors, if done improperly, that will impede plant health and allow algae and diatoms to get a foothold. While I do acknowledge the connection between diatoms and silicates I do not think high silicates necessarily equates diatom issues... plenty of people successfully uses sand as their substrate and don't have a diatom issue. So focusing too much on that may not solve your problem.
If this would be my tank, I would up the maintenance (up water changes % and cleanups), make sure flow and circulation is up to par (no stale areas etc.), dial the light intensity way down and wait it out! ... the diatoms will go away. I have zero experience with CO2, so I am not going to speak to that.
Cheers,
Michael
No, just keep up the fertilizer dosing. The fertilizer you add (including Nitrate / NO3) do not cause algae, lack of fertilizer just might if it causes the plants to struggle for nutrients and thus become algae magnets. I have 20-40 ppm of Nitrates, +20 ppm of Phosphate / PO4 fairly consistent with my macro (NPK) dosing and no algae to speak of (we all have algae btw, it's just that, if we get it right, we prevent them from gaining a stronghold and see them to the extent where they become a nuisance).My lighting is currently at 30% if I make it even less do you think I should make the fert dose lower too? Currently I am dosing at 4ml 3 times a week and by the end of the week I barely have any nitrates in the tank, like 10-15 ppm.
Michael do you think it's a good idea to increase my fert dosage since I have so little nitrates and phosphates too, when I test. It's just that in the packaging it says 5 ml 3x a week per 100 litres and I thought it's maybe so for lesser plant mass. My aquarium I have a lot of plantsNo, just keep up the fertilizer dosing. The fertilizer you add (including Nitrate / NO3) do not cause algae, lack of fertilizer just might if it causes the plants to struggle for nutrients and thus become algae magnets. I have 20-40 ppm of Nitrates, +20 ppm of Phosphate / PO4 fairly consistent with my macro (NPK) dosing and no algae to speak of (we all have algae btw, it's just that, if we get it right, we wont allow them to gain and stronghold and see them to the extent where they become a nuisance).
Cheers,
Michael
If your dosing "ATP Estimative Index" I would add in another day or two of dosing (or double the dose on the day you do maintenance, after the WC of course...), with the recommended dose of 5 ml. 3 x week for a 100 L tank with your plant mass/density and injected it seems a bit on the lean side (13.8ppm NO3, 4.5ppm PO4, 15ppm K weekly as far as I can tell)... so adding another dose gives you 18.4 ppm NO3, 6 ppm PO4 and 20 ppm K. The beauty of the Estimative Index is that you do not have to worry about ferts as long as you have enough! But more important to your situation is probably the maintenance, flow/circulation, CO2 application and light intensity aspects.Michael do you think it's a good idea to increase my fert dosage since I have so little nitrates and phosphates too, when I test. It's just that in the packaging it says 5 ml 3x a week per 100 litres and I thought it's maybe so for lesser plant mass. My aquarium I have a lot of plants
If you didn't have any <"orthosilic acid (H4SiO4)"> at all in your water it wouldn't support diatom growth, but it would have <"to be all of it">. Diatoms are pretty much universal in all liquid water, they are are incredibly efficient at <"extracting traces of silicon from water">.So you believe if I didnt have silicates in my water I wouldn't have diatoms?
I will increase my dosage, lessen my lighting to 20%. I believe I have good flow circulation. I can see plants moving even to the lowests corners of aquarium and keep my co2 as it is. Usually I do 50% weekly but maybe I should do twice a week for a while?If your dosing "ATP Estimative Index" I would add in another day or two of dosing (or double the dose on the day you do maintenance, after the WC of course...), with the recommended dose of 5 ml. 3 x week for a 100 L tank with your plant mass/density and injected it seems a bit on the lean side (13.8ppm NO3, 4.5ppm PO4, 15ppm K weekly as far as I can tell)... so adding another dose gives you 18.4 ppm NO3, 6 ppm PO4 and 30 ppm K. The beauty of the Estimative Index is that you do not have to worry about ferts as long as you have enough! But more important to your situation is probably the maintenance, flow/circulation, CO2 application and light intensity aspects.
Cheers,
Michael
Yep, up the 50% to say 75% and double down to twice weekly. I'll bet your problem will go away in a couple of weeks.Usually I do 50% weekly but maybe I should do twice a week for a while?