whats going on here

[kimberfish]

OK I"m still having a problem with what I"m assuming is diatome. I say assuming because I'm starting to wonder. I'm doing at least biweekly water changes of about 80g (320g total volume) only dosing part 1 & 2. Phosphates read 0 nitrates are between 10-20. My flow should be good I have 4 koralia 4's and am moving about 2600 g thru my 2 returns and a spray bar. Temp is kept around 79. I don't even feed the fish every day. My load shouldn't be too heavy I have 17 fish that are mostly no bigger then 3" with a couple exceptions.
My tank was setup about 6 mos ago w/ tap water (stupid I know - don't ask) But I have never added any other tap water since initial setup. I've been having ro/di problems until about 2 weeks ago and the water is now 0 on TDS down from 115.
My sister setup a tank same time as me under the same circumstances with the tap water and she has no problems at all
Should I still be having this much diatome? How much water would you think I'd need to change to get this under control? Shlould I test silicates?

Sorry for the long post but I"m very frustrated!!!!

[charlie]

What are you using for a skimmer?

[kimberfish]

brand new octopus 200 which is great I"m emptying a full cup once weekly...when I first installed it It did more than 1 cup - I had a horrible impact skimmer previously that didn't work hardly at all

[charlie]

How long have you had the new skimmer on there. In my opinion, the problem doesn't look all that bad, and you may just need to give a little more time to let things take effect. You didn't get your TDS figured out until 2 weeks ago, so you haven't done enough water changes yet to replace what you had. I would just sit back and let your good RO/DI water and that new skimmer kick in. Just keep up with your water change regimen, and have a little patience. HTH


PS----read my sig line, I think it is more true than we know.

[kimberfish]

yes and this is my weekend for a wc any opinion on how much would be good in order to cut the diatome down drastically? Maybe like 40%?

[charlie]

Personal opinion??????? I would keep with the water changes you have been doing. They are not going to disappear overnite, these things take time and/or patience to get rid of.

[Reefland]

I agree with Charlie. If your source water is good, continue with your same routine and I bet you see a reduction in the diatom's within 4 weeks.

[scubadude]

I agree with Charlie. If your source water is good, continue with your same routine and I bet you see a reduction in the diatom's within 4 weeks.

Yup....Definately make sure your source is good kimber...even if you only have 4TDS treated water....strive for 0 as you will fix your problem much quicker.....Clean your skimmer more often too....it will perform better that way. Another thing you might want to consider is some macro algae in a spot that can grow and not get eaten real quick....if you get some to take this will compete w/the nutrients that the diatoms are fueled by. Hey cheer up...other than the diatoms your tank looks great

BTW what part of Florida are you in if you dont mind me asking? I used to live there.

[kimberfish]

I do have about a fist sized ball of chaeto in my fuge and also a shoot of mangrove that actually isn't doing all that well. Think I need more?

I'm in Jacksonville, fl BTW

[charlie]

What are you lighting the chaeto with? IME chaeto seems to like more lite than something like caulerpa.

[kimberfish]

I have a spot light on it for about 8 hours

[charlie]

At one time I was using 2 400w halides for 8 hours and I couldn't keep the stuff in the tank. I would be harvesting a couple of handfuls a week.

What type of "spotlite" ?