Diatoms are algae. There are over 10,000 species of them.looks like diatoms. Not technically an algae
The appearance of Diatoms has absolutely nothing to do with silicates in the water.and usually caused by high silicates
Not the best photo, but it does appear to be BGA. Clean your filter and add more KNO3. BGA is due to any combination of dirty filters, poor NO3 and poor flow.Algae is starting to form. How do I combat it?
the appearance of Diatoms has absolutely nothing to do with silicates in the water.
Yes, unfortunately the conclusions that silicates are responsible for the blooms are illogical. All of them. Whether or not silicon is an absolute requirement is completely irrelevant.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...sCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false
"Diatom growth depends on silicate availability, in addition to nitrate and phosphate, but northern Atlantic waters are richer in nitrate than silicate. Following the spring stratification, diatoms are the first phytoplankton to bloom. Once silicate is exhausted, diatom blooms subside in a major export event. Here we show that, with nitrate still available for new production, the diatom bloom is prolonged where there is a periodic supply of new silicate: specifically, diatoms thrive by 'mining' deep-water silicate brought to the surface by an unstable ocean front"
"As diatoms have an absolute requirement for silicon (as silicic acid)3, its supply into the photic zone — largely by silica dissolution and upwelling — controls diatom production (and consequently the biological uptake of atmospheric CO2 by the ocean) over vast oceanic areas"
"Silicon is a major limiting nutrient for diatom growth and hence is a controlling factor in primary productivity."
There are loads of papers on exactly this subject, a quick Google brought these up.
If it's possible to obscure the lighting somehow then that would be a good thing to do.Should I wait and see now that I have increased KNO3 or should I do something else as well?
Well the papers are not talking about a tank, which has different dynamics than other systems. This is a synthetic system, with natural processes, but synthetic nonetheless.Clive,
That's interesting you say that. Although it's never explicitly mentioned in any of those papers, I got the impression that where there is no silica, diatoms are unable to build a frustule? So if we eliminate silica from our tank then the diatoms will literally starve to death.
Yeah not available here over the counter either, but you just need to find an aquarist friendly pharmacist at the dispensary..You wouldn't be able to buy this in the UK for one really good reason.
you just need to find an aquarist friendly pharmacist at the dispensary