Diatoms oh Diatoms

[NoobSalt]

Well, I know that Diatoms/brown algea is normal in the cycling process but it kind of came out of left field and quick and lots of it! So I have a decent amount of it on the sand and all over my live rocks, I did a lot of reading and from what I understand, this is pretty normal in my cycle right?

My question is this,

Last night when I tested my water I had the following:

pH- 8.4
SL/G - 1.023
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - around 2.0ppm
Nitrates - around 40ppm

I know this all seems normal too, but today when I checked again my Nitrites suddenly jumped up to 5.0ppm and the Nitrates down to about 10ppm. I also know that Diatoms feed off nitrates, or at least thats what I understood...Is this all normal and how do I get rid of this brown garbage, and/or should I not worry about it and it will go away once I start with the water changes (Ive read I shouldnt do water changes during my cycle.) Also, it looks like I have some nice coraline algea growing on the back wall, or at least I assume its coraline b/c its more like redish than brown and doesnt look like the rest of the diatoms.





I couldnt really get a good pic of what I believe is the coraline cuz its not that bright yet.

Thanks!

[NoobSalt]

Well, I got the answers I need from researching the forums. Diatoms are normal, but when and how will my Nitrites go down?!

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

If I had to take a guess, I'd say your tank is still cycling. Did you end up adding a CUC? Are all still alive? The cycle takes time and not much else.

[chavez]

Thats weird cause my sand is the same color and the cycle is long done. I just thought the redish brownish sand was normal so i never worried about it, should i be?

[reeferbill]

Thats weird cause my sand is the same color and the cycle is long done. I just thought the redish brownish sand was normal so i never worried about it, should i be?

Hi Noobsalt ; You could do a water change to get your nitrates down. If you add another power head to create more flow that will discourage the diatoms from growing and add more surface agitation for better oxygenation of your water. You can also add a diamond goby and it would clean your sand in one day by sifting it through its gills looking for food.Good Luck and Happy Reefing!!!! Or you could wait and do your normal water changes and then try one of the above to see which change is best.

[chrisfont23]

Your tank is probably not done cycling. I would also add a powerhead to increase surface agitation. Finally, you can always "turn over" the top layer. What kind of snails do you have? Big Turbo Snails will usually do this for you.

While the last method might be debated, I have actually found my Clownfish and Coral banded shrimp picking at the clumped algae.

[NoobSalt]

Hey gang, so I did end up adding a CUC in there, I have 2 hermits and 4 snails, 1 cerith and the others I was told are turbos but They dont seem to interested in the sand, only the rocks. One snail has been upside down in a crevis of one of my rocks for DAYS, anyone know anything about this?

I know the tank is not done cycling, hence the bloom of diatoms, but the CUC seems fine, I was thinking of adding a shrimp to the crew. More so I was just wondering if the Diatoms will be gone at the end of the cycle or not because I have also read, that the bloom of Diatoms is a sign of either being close to complete or a complete cycle. Thats where my questions of Nitrites arose from, because if were close to complete, then the Nitrite level should be at 0 where Ammonia is currently. I plan on adding a powerhead to the mix next month when I have a little more $$ but first I want to add my goby!

As far as water change goes, Ive heard not to do a water change while the tank is cycling so I dont want to do that until after the cycle is complete right, and then maybe do it before I add a fish, correct?

Thanks!

[Original Fin]

Hi Noob,

For future reference, you shouldn't add the CUC until after the cycle has completed. The nitrites that are present durring cycling are poisonous to invertabrates. It will certainly stress them, probably shorten their lives, and possibly kill some/all of them. I'd wait on the shrimp add.
Also, Turbo snails are not always able to right themselves when they get tipped over. If you don't spot this soon enough and help them out, they'll die in that position.

Diatoms will always be around to some exent...this is normal. You can expect large blooms to come and go within the first 6-9 months IME.

On the water changes, normally, I'd say yes, wait till the cycle is done, but that fact that you have a CUC in place too early sort of complicates that decision. If you can't find another more stabile temporary home for them, I might be inclined to start with the water changes for their sake.
If you are able, I'd rehome the CUC temporarily till your tank completes the cycle. Do you have any friends nearby in the hobby that could babysit for a while? Some LFS are even know to help hobbyists out with "boarding" once in a while.
Durring cycling, I suggest turning off your lights to discourage nuisance algae growth.

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Im with Fin on the info.
Are you sure the turned over snail is alive? If it is, you should flip it before it dies.
if its dead, maybe that's where your trites are coming from.
Diatoms don't really indicate a cycled tank. Your test kits should be the only indicator for that.
Diatom blooms are usually associated with young tanks and come and go, depending on its food source is available. You don't really see it in mature tanks because their numbers are insignificant
I also vote to start doing water changes since you already have higher life forms in there.

[NoobSalt]

I always think its dead but then it moves, this past time he climbed into a crevice and stayed there, so I finally decided to move him (This lead to rearrange some rocks since he was at the bottom side of one rock. Hope thats ok) I figure I will leave him in one spot overnight and if he doesnt move by morning, then I figure its dead.

I dont have anyone up here to babysit but the critters seem fine, ill do a water change tmrw to help with the nitrites. I just hope moving the rocks around didnt cause too much damage, i really had no choice, i had to get to that snail to see what the deal is. The guy at the LFS told me i should move him to see whats going on.

Im not going to get a shrimp till the cycle is complete. I get excited, read, and then decide AGAINST all my impulses (ie getting a shrimp) LOL. The only reason I went with the CUC is b/c i took a water sample to my LFS and they said some hermits and snails were ok to put in? Either way I know it sounds mean, but I wont be tooo sad if a snail or crab dies. (I know, I know, its still a life!)

also, I noticed after i put my rock back in, a small little shrimp, its an amphiopod (SP?) right? Where did it come from??

Thanks again guys!

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

The hitchhiker probably came with your liverock. The easiest way to tell if a snail is dead is to take it out of the water and smell it. If it smells like...well...something died, then its dead. If You smell it and you can't tell, its alive.

[NoobSalt]

It didnt smell dead to me! but its also not moving at all! I think it dead I guess we will find out in the morning! Also, I plan on doing a water change tmrw, any tips on how much?

[chrisfont23]

I plan on adding a powerhead to the mix next month when I have a little more $$ but first I want to add my goby!

This makes no sense since you're not done cycling, unless you intend to wait. Increase flow. Less algae. Isn't that the focus of this post? The goby won't eat anywhere near "all" of it. And it probably won't make a noticeable improvement much. Like fighting a fire with a water gun.

As far as water change goes, Ive heard not to do a water change while the tank is cycling so I dont want to do that until after the cycle is complete right, and then maybe do it before I add a fish, correct?

I wouldn't touch the water until the cycle was complete. I am sure there are varying opinions.

[NoobSalt]

I do intend to wait on the fish. I just want to add a goby as my first fish is all. I really intend on waiting for all sorts of things. for the water change yeah I have heard do it and dont, but I think im going to do a small water change tmrw, like a gallon, unless there are other opinions?