ray_sj

Last month, I upgraded my guppy tank to a 20 long. Since this was a new tank, I figured there would be the usual diatom takeover, and there was.

After doing some reading here on FL as well as other places, one theory is that phosphates and silicates, as well as the ratio between the two, allow diatoms to take hold and flourish in a new tank.

I decided to try an experiment where I lower both the phosphates and silicates using API Phos-Zorb. I put the pouch in the tank near some water flow, and left it in for a week. Over that week, the diatoms slowly disappeared. All other conditions (feeding, lighting, water changes, etc) remained the same. That was about six weeks ago. Over the last six weeks, there has been very little diatom growth. It's not zero, but it's barely noticeable.

This is just my one data point. Certainly not enough to prove the theory, but it's interesting. I am going to try it in my 30 gal, which STILL has diatoms in it after six months. Has anyone else tried this approach? Is this a well-known technique?

JoeSmo

What exactly are diatoms? You might be on to something here.... hahah

ray_sj

Diatoms are a brown algae that often appears shortly after a new tank is established.

JoeSmo

Oh jeez, I had a TON of that. Had to scrub it almost every day! Of course, I got to Bristle Nose plecos and that took care of it. But that's a pretty good find, because that stuff is a pain!