What type algae is this?.

[tim8111]

Mikesmith34;898262 wrote: You know now that you say that, the bloom came out after I hooked up the wave maker. Only one head is on at a time....dam

I ordered the BRS GFO reactor. Everyone seems to say go gfo???? The test is a ELOS

Elos is good, I like Salifert test kits too. You can run the phosguard in the BRS Reactor as well as carbon or as suggested above, SeaGel which is premixed for you.

Also, diatoms just like cyano appear in low flow areas and in nutrient rich environments, the cure to both in my opinion is increased flow, reduction in dissolved organics (nitrates, phosphates, etc.).

By the way, a proper good skimmer is the most valuable piece of equipment to be had in a reef tank other than proper lighting of course.

 

[mikesmith34]

BlueSpot;898264 wrote: Looks like a large amount of diatoms. Commons in new tanks and even older tanks that are disturbed aka moved. Some die off, even slight amounts, are present. You can even get old pockets/patches of "crud" or detritus stirred up from in between or under rocks. The old sand contains detritus also and can release phosphates and other goodies into the water. Vacuuming old sand can even release more for a time. Thus you can get phoshate/nitrate/and other organic spikes for a while. Plus you have the previous bioload adding nutrients at the same time due to the tank starting off pretty well stocked. I tend to think of a moved tank as closer to a new tank then a mature tank although it will settle faster than a new one.

Just stay on top of water changes and test. A phosphate reactor is a good step, so is carbon. A good choice for you maybe seachem SeaGel. Has phosphate removers plus carbon and can be gentler than aggressive use of GFO. It is a favorite of mine. Water changes and time for maturation will go a long way. Sand stirring CUC will also help with the diatoms and nutrients within the sand.

I have 3 sand stars a a dotty back hobby. When you vacum your tank do you do a cleaning of the sand bed. I let it pick up a lot and keep a pinch on the hose so that most is returned to the bed. Not sure if that right. My snails seem to be dying off also