Stupid Diatoms. I gave up.

[Lady Hobbs]

Tore my 55 gallon apart tonight. Stupid diatoms have whipped on me long enough. So darned strange. This tank has over 2 watts, I added CO2 to the tank a month ago and still the diatoms continue. My 20 and 29 gallon are low lights, no CO2 and NO diatoms and never have had them. Goes against everything I hear and read. Makes 0 sense to me.

Time to get some anubius, ugly old hornwort and some java ferns I guess and just let it be a low light, no maintence tank. That is unless over 2 watts will be too much. LOL

[Sounguru]

What was your PPM of dissolved CO2? it may not have been high enough.

[Luna]

Stubborn diatoms are frequently an indication of excess silicates in your water. I think the only thing that can get rid of that is RO/DI water.

[Lady Hobbs]

I use silicate removers but I am "over it." Too much money invested to have to keep up with this struggle. Can't understand why other two tanks haven't this problem...... same water and same substrate.

I will quit much sooner than Hillary did, believe me, and won't run up a huge debt before doing so.
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_36.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNman000)

[Commodore 64]

So I take it that this thread (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=27297) was premature? Or is this a different tank?

[Lady Hobbs]

Yes, very permature. I got all excited for nearly 2 days!

[reef12]

What are you using for CO2?

How high are the Lights from surface?

How many Bubbles of CO2?

How long ?

What is PH reading?

These will tell all.

Silicates might be if using a plain sand based product try something like Eco-complete.
Really worth the extra $$$.
IMHO

[Commodore 64]

Silicates might be if using a plain sand based product try something like Eco-complete.
Really worth the extra $$$.
IMHO

Sand is 99.9% quartz. SiO2 is not water soluble (not enough to affect the amount of bio-available silicates in the water). It's not the sand. It's something else. Aluminosilicates are much more soluble in water, for example.

[reef12]

Sand is 99.9% quartz. SiO2 is not water soluble (not enough to affect the amount of bio-available silicates in the water). It's not the sand. It's something else. Aluminosilicates are much more soluble in water, for example.


Cool:thumb: unless water a tad acidic.
Would that not brake down the silica faster?
I guess a test of the water would do it at the tap.
Where I live very hard water.
Sand stone which breaks down a bunch.

[Commodore 64]

Cool:thumb: unless water a tad acidic.
Would that not brake down the silica faster?

Where I live very hard water.
Sand stone which breaks down a bunch.

Si is very hard to displace with acid, so no, water acidity shouldn't matter.

Some sandstones are calcite cemented. Others are composed of calcite grains. Calcite (Calcium carbonate) breaks down in water; calcium will be vigorously displaced. Some argillaceous sandstones may contain aluminosilicates. Some these will readily break down in water and can effect water chemistry.

[Lady Hobbs]

None of this explains no diatoms in my low light tanks with the same substrate (gravel + playsand) with phosphate/silica removers. It appears to me having more lights caused more problems.

I suppose now this light would be considered too much for the low light tank. I may have to see if I can remove two of the bulbs or have floaters to lessen the light. Getting my canister outlet to not throw the floaters all over the tank will be a trick but perhaps a spraybar will take care of that. I may just pick up a bunch of pond plants. :)

I wish I'd have given up on this months ago. It would have saved me tons of aggravation. I actually have time to clean other things in my apartment rather than just leaves. LOL