brandon4432
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I am also using instant ocean sea salt as opposed to reef crystals. Although I am transitioning to Red Sea coral pro salt very soon.
Carib Sea Arag-ALive Fiji Pink Substrate?!
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I am also using instant ocean sea salt as opposed to reef crystals. Although I am transitioning to Red Sea coral pro salt very soon.
OP
OP
Good to know. Could be an important contributing factor. Salt mix + Substrate?
reynaldoramon
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So is it specifically related to the pink Fiji or to all arag alive? Was thinking of going with Hawaiian black from the same line in the near future.
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Specifically the Fiji Pink.
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I realize this thread is a week old, but thought I'd chime in and share my seemingly exact same issue. Fiji Pink and I have always used RS Coral Pro salt. Year and a half old 120g that I've fought diatoms since the beginning. I've actually used the shop vac to remove a fine layer only for it to eventually return. Glad I found this thread as I never thought it was related to my substrate choice, but maybe it is afterall.
In all honesty, I've come to accept it with the thought that if it's the worse thing going on, I'm in pretty good shape. Will continue to follow this thread in case a "solution" comes to the forefront.
In all honesty, I've come to accept it with the thought that if it's the worse thing going on, I'm in pretty good shape. Will continue to follow this thread in case a "solution" comes to the forefront.
Lynn52
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Diatoms need silicate. If they are diatoms they must be getting the silicate from some where. Since you use RODI it isn't your water.
I had a similar problem several months ago that lasted for about 6 months. Initially I thought diatoms but going on so long didn't make sense since there wasn't a source for silicates in the tank. It turned out to be cyano. It didn't look like cyano I have had in the past. It almost completely disappeared when the lights were out and came back in the morning. When I started treating it like cyano it went away. I did end up using chemiclean to get rid of it. I now regularly blast the rocks with a power head and to keep nutrients out of the water. I do blame it on my sand having things trapped in it that were feeding the cyano. It was live sand but not the type the OP used.
I had a similar problem several months ago that lasted for about 6 months. Initially I thought diatoms but going on so long didn't make sense since there wasn't a source for silicates in the tank. It turned out to be cyano. It didn't look like cyano I have had in the past. It almost completely disappeared when the lights were out and came back in the morning. When I started treating it like cyano it went away. I did end up using chemiclean to get rid of it. I now regularly blast the rocks with a power head and to keep nutrients out of the water. I do blame it on my sand having things trapped in it that were feeding the cyano. It was live sand but not the type the OP used.
Every pico reef I've ever put online was using that sand but my prep methods are different perhaps that matters. I pre remove the massively high surface area silt that comes from typical hands off reefing to prevent all clouding and allow cleaning as needed and removal of any top growth
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Blue Lip
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Test your rodi water for silicates. Not all filters remove it the same. Its most likely in your tap water & making it through your rodi unit & into your tank. This is why you have an outbreak after water changes.
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OP
After 30 days without one I finally did a 5g WC, (longest I've ever gone) Removing 5g from DT, vacuuming a small area of SB while doing so. That area looked awesome! But by the following day it was all back.
I've discovered that ANY disturbance of the substrate makes the issue worse. I have always left my SB alone. However my Gramma loves to dig as do my Conch and Nassarius Snails. If I move a frag along the SB the following morning that frag will be surrounded by gold dusting.
It doesn't go away without lighting. Can be stirred up, vacuumed up but returns soon after.
I've cleaned mix bucket and storage bin with vinegar.
I've been running a reactor with SeaGel for 2-3 months. It's a combination of Carbon/PhosGaurd. 250ml. PhosGaurd is supposed to remove silicates.
Now what do I do? I've ordered a Silica test kit.
I've discovered that ANY disturbance of the substrate makes the issue worse. I have always left my SB alone. However my Gramma loves to dig as do my Conch and Nassarius Snails. If I move a frag along the SB the following morning that frag will be surrounded by gold dusting.
It doesn't go away without lighting. Can be stirred up, vacuumed up but returns soon after.
I've cleaned mix bucket and storage bin with vinegar.
I've been running a reactor with SeaGel for 2-3 months. It's a combination of Carbon/PhosGaurd. 250ml. PhosGaurd is supposed to remove silicates.
Now what do I do? I've ordered a Silica test kit.
wonder if you have access to a uv sterilizer, sometimes it's good to ask some people keep old ones unused worth a shot
The invaders that transition through the water and don't have holdfasts are ideal if one is avail just another option to consider.
The invaders that transition through the water and don't have holdfasts are ideal if one is avail just another option to consider.
OP
OP
Not sure I understand your request. "On the way down"?
we can only see the top now need full pic
it shows the cross section of the sand from the middle to the bottom for that section
my pic above shows the top all the way down to the bottom, gives an idea of sinking
see how the top 1/3 is yellowish, detritus layer, and the bottom part 2/3 below isn't? that bottom part is 9 yrs older than the top 1/3 layer that is cleaned regularly before it gets down too deep that's all I was brainstorming looking for
it shows the cross section of the sand from the middle to the bottom for that section
my pic above shows the top all the way down to the bottom, gives an idea of sinking
see how the top 1/3 is yellowish, detritus layer, and the bottom part 2/3 below isn't? that bottom part is 9 yrs older than the top 1/3 layer that is cleaned regularly before it gets down too deep that's all I was brainstorming looking for
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Rybren
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I'm leaning to something in your water causing the issues and not your substrate. If it were the substrate, then doing a WC likely wouldn't initiate a diatom bloom.
Have you tried calibrating the TDS meter? New does not always mean accurate. Have you tried switching salts? RC has a lot of additives that regular IO doesn't have. Why not try a WC using IO and see what happens?
Have you tried calibrating the TDS meter? New does not always mean accurate. Have you tried switching salts? RC has a lot of additives that regular IO doesn't have. Why not try a WC using IO and see what happens?
OP
OP
As stated above I just did a WC and the only place to show the dusting is where I vacuumed the SB.
I also changed my WC method this time from previous times. I removed water from the DT and replaced new water into the DT.
I was removing water from sump and returning it to the sump.
I'll wait till Silica test kit arrives before spending money on new salt that I may not even need. Especially since I have about 60-70g of RC mix left.
I also changed my WC method this time from previous times. I removed water from the DT and replaced new water into the DT.
I was removing water from sump and returning it to the sump.
I'll wait till Silica test kit arrives before spending money on new salt that I may not even need. Especially since I have about 60-70g of RC mix left.
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As I mentioned in the earlier thread, RC salt mix alone isn't supplying a problematic amount of silicate. 
Qh I could support that here if other measures don't work, and if the sandbed would appear clean all the way through (so that excess nutrients in the bed can be ruled out)
Diatoms are usually transient in systems and not part of recurring biota like cyano would be, so if a dose of meds kills them off it's possible they might not come back. That being said, visual id alone isn't 100% perfect regarding golden hued invaders and if this turned out to be a strain of cyano that wouldn't be a surprise...and then again chemi clean might have an impact.
I don't normally recommend chemi clean for anything it's my claim elbow grease will fix sb issues
Diatoms are usually transient in systems and not part of recurring biota like cyano would be, so if a dose of meds kills them off it's possible they might not come back. That being said, visual id alone isn't 100% perfect regarding golden hued invaders and if this turned out to be a strain of cyano that wouldn't be a surprise...and then again chemi clean might have an impact.
I don't normally recommend chemi clean for anything it's my claim elbow grease will fix sb issues
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OP
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Treated tank with ChemiClean on 6/15/15. (I use Aquaplanner) the results were nil.
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