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Diatoms
- Thread starter Gfish
- Start date
Re: Diatoms
Got photos? There are lots of ways to have brown on leaves that are not diatoms. Is it the same characteristic brown slime as shown in the photo for diatoms in JamesC's Algae Guide?
Is it only on the leaves, or is there some on the substrate?
Is it powdery/dusty or is it more slimy?
Have you recently made an increase in the lighting level?
Cheers,
Got photos? There are lots of ways to have brown on leaves that are not diatoms. Is it the same characteristic brown slime as shown in the photo for diatoms in JamesC's Algae Guide?
Is it only on the leaves, or is there some on the substrate?
Is it powdery/dusty or is it more slimy?
Have you recently made an increase in the lighting level?
Cheers,
Gfish
Member
- Joined
- 5 Mar 2010
- Messages
- 426
Clive,
To be honest, it's mote powdery than slimy. Sorry I can't get photos on here.
I ain't upped lighting and to be honest it's not a major problem but I did a filter clean as I was getting some BGA, and this brown stuff has occurred since. I have a feeling it's just a temporary thing and things will settle again soon after a major filter clean and possible destruction of some media bacteria.
Just thought I'd mention it to see if you all had any ideas or anything?
Cheers
Gavin
To be honest, it's mote powdery than slimy. Sorry I can't get photos on here.
I ain't upped lighting and to be honest it's not a major problem but I did a filter clean as I was getting some BGA, and this brown stuff has occurred since. I have a feeling it's just a temporary thing and things will settle again soon after a major filter clean and possible destruction of some media bacteria.
Just thought I'd mention it to see if you all had any ideas or anything?
Cheers
Gavin
Re: Diatoms
Well, sometimes people confuse diatoms with brown detritus that the plants themselves produce and which they excrete due their increased metabolism, and which is a direct result of elevated nutrient/CO2 uptake. This is specifically the organic waste that we talk about all the time and is the reason that we are manic about water changes.
The sudden appearance of this condition in your tank does not fit the profile of diatomic algae, which typically occurs as a result of unbalanced or low bacterial loads combined with higher light. This almost exclusively during tank startup and may be prolonged if the lighting stays high. Diatoms are more characteristically cyclic, meaning that they are triggered by, and complete their life cycle during the unbalanced or sterile conditions seen in the immature tank, and then are never seen again. They only rarely ever recur in an established tank. The same goes for the species we identify as GDA (Green Dust Algae).
Subsequent light/nutrient/CO2 imbalances in the tank normally result in the appearance of other specie categories, not these. Of course it doesn't mean that it's an impossibility, only an unlikelihood, so we need to confirm what it is that we are looking at.
What happens when you grab the plant by the scruff of the neck and shake vigorously? Does this result in a cloud of "dust"? If so this is more likely to be the carbohydrates and and other waste produced by the plant itself as it gorges itself on nutrients/CO2. If it's more of a "slurry" then this is more likely to be diatomic.
Why are you having trouble posting pictures? Don't you have a photo upload membership on flikr or photobucket or something like that?
Cheers,
Well, sometimes people confuse diatoms with brown detritus that the plants themselves produce and which they excrete due their increased metabolism, and which is a direct result of elevated nutrient/CO2 uptake. This is specifically the organic waste that we talk about all the time and is the reason that we are manic about water changes.
The sudden appearance of this condition in your tank does not fit the profile of diatomic algae, which typically occurs as a result of unbalanced or low bacterial loads combined with higher light. This almost exclusively during tank startup and may be prolonged if the lighting stays high. Diatoms are more characteristically cyclic, meaning that they are triggered by, and complete their life cycle during the unbalanced or sterile conditions seen in the immature tank, and then are never seen again. They only rarely ever recur in an established tank. The same goes for the species we identify as GDA (Green Dust Algae).
Subsequent light/nutrient/CO2 imbalances in the tank normally result in the appearance of other specie categories, not these. Of course it doesn't mean that it's an impossibility, only an unlikelihood, so we need to confirm what it is that we are looking at.
What happens when you grab the plant by the scruff of the neck and shake vigorously? Does this result in a cloud of "dust"? If so this is more likely to be the carbohydrates and and other waste produced by the plant itself as it gorges itself on nutrients/CO2. If it's more of a "slurry" then this is more likely to be diatomic.
Why are you having trouble posting pictures? Don't you have a photo upload membership on flikr or photobucket or something like that?
Cheers,
Gfish
Member
- Joined
- 5 Mar 2010
- Messages
- 426
I will 'grab my plants by the scruff of the neck' this evening lol and report back 
I only use an IPhone and Tapatalk to post, and this forum unlike others on Tapatalk cannot take pic uploads. I've had the discussion but been told it's not possible.
Cheers
I only use an IPhone and Tapatalk to post, and this forum unlike others on Tapatalk cannot take pic uploads. I've had the discussion but been told it's not possible.
Cheers
