Ceramic Media And Diatoms

I have a question and an observation I would like to ask others about. I am building some new tanks out and am going to be using ceramic rings in a multI stage filter/sump arrangement. I have always used separate sponges as pre filters, bio filters and to hold polishers. But also have had very low water volume with allot of pourus rock as substrate so didn't worry much about adding bio.

I purchased a cnz media set online, rinsed some rings and dropped them in one of my existing filters between the sponges to seed them for the new tanks. About two weeks after putting them in I have noticed this tanks first ever appearance of "Brown algae" aka diatoms. This tank has been established for almost a year and the water source and filter have been in use for 2 and a half years in various configurations, none of which had ceramics, or diatoms build up.

I can see the point of origin/darkest diatom area after the ceramics starting at the exit sponge (I keep my intakes and outlets critter resistant due to stocking choices), and have buffed some off the glass near the filter as well.

My question is has anyone else observed an appearance of diatom growth after installing ceramics in a non ceramic system?

I want to correlate it to the high silica (diatom creation) in most ceramics, though I can't find any info on the specific make up of the cnz rings I have procured.

I have not removed the rings to inspect then as I'm sure they aren't seeded yet and need them somewhat ready to go in another week or two. I would rather not disturb them, but the layers I can see are still pretty brilliant white.

I am not having a water quality issue and my numbers have remained stable as I haven't removed any media, added fish, or had any other variables change that I can detect with a test kit and some observation. There aren't any dead snails under the rocks and I haven't suddenly started over feeding. Just curious about your experiences specifically with certain media.

 

1st time i've heard of CNZ. I looked it up and the only place I found them was on Amazon. a lot of the Amazon sellers are knock off Chinese products. buyer beware.

i've used many bags of Biomax without any problems.

 

How are your nitrates?

 

1st time i've heard of CNZ. I looked it up and the only place I found them was on Amazon. a lot of the Amazon sellers are knock off Chinese products. buyer beware.

i've used many bags of Biomax without any problems.

I can't argue that an off brand would possibly have more silica dust in packaging etc, I first heard of cnz in a filter/sump building thread and they are pretty highly reviewed online. They do sell mostly ornaments and pond stuff though. Thanksf your sharing your experience with biomax, I may try them in the future if my sumped tanks all end up with diatoms and the remaining sponge tank doesn't.

How are your nitrates?

In the affected tank my nitrates climb to about 20 ppm in a week, I drop them to ~10 with a 2 part water change/vacuum session. About 30-40% turnover per week. I top off once mid week with about 10%. It has a large surface area to water volume ratio. It has run like this for 8 months with no diatom staining until I dropped in the ceramics.

Have you introduced new ceramics into a fully cycled established tank and noticed any parameter change or increase in diatom growth? This tank is otherwise extremely healthy and the current diatom coverage is extremely slight, but noticeable as there has never been any in any of my tanks. I'm not really trying to "cure" it. The ceramics are not intended to improve this tanks parameters but were introduced just to kick start my next tank.

This thread is intended to draw experience from others in the introduction of silicate, probably from new ceramics, allowing diatoms to grow. This could also happen pretty easily if someone introduced unwashed black sand, also high in silicate.

 

i've used many bags of Biomax without any problems.

I'm pretty sure Biomax isn't technically ceramic. I believe it's a sintered glass. I know some places call it ceramic, but that's not technically correct.

Whether this matters in this specific instance, I don't know. I would think any silica product that was properly fired would not be leaching silicates into the water. I'd be very surprised if Biomax did.

 

I just wanted to put some further findings in this post.

Shortly after my op, I stuffed that filter full of rings. I have been using the rings to seed/instant cycle multiple tanks and can confirm they do carry a good load of beneficial bacteria, they typically populate and drop the ammonia within about 2-3 days and I see very very little nitrite through the process.

Whenever I have introduced new, un-seeded rings into a system it had shown mild diatom activity for the following 3 weeks. After the growth stalls I scrape/wipe the diatoms and do not get any returning growth.

I have 2 new tanks I have set up with sponge filters, and fluval rings. Using the same type substrate and water source. They have shown no diatom activity. I would say the cheap cnz rings are likely my source of silicates. I would still recommend them, but maybe not for a hardscaped tank or 3D background type set up as the toothbrush method required doesn't scrape diatoms very well.

 

Very interesting about the silicates and algae

 

Very interesting about the silicates and algae

It really is. I had no idea until I had some diatoms in an aquarium the first time that diatoms produce half of Earth's free oxygen.

Important delineation between common algae and diatoms though. Diatoms build a cell wall of opaline silica, it's what makes them harder to scrub. In further detail it seems all you need to get them in your tank is some silica dioxide and phosphates.

In my tanks normal algae has never been able to thrive due to my plants out competing for nutrients. Diatoms however are very efficient, but need the introduction of fresh silica to "thrive". In my case my water has very little if any silica and the source is my cheap ceramic rings. This makes my diatom production fairly finite and it has never been a problem. Maybe a 6"x3" smear on the glass near my filter only after adding new CNZ media, after stealing a handful of rings to drop in another tank/filter.

I theorize there is more apparent silica dioxide in about a 2 liters of CNZ ceramic rings than in a 50lb bag of silica pool sand after rinsing. I deduce this because I have had more diatoms in a tiny 5ish gallon tank with rock substrate I use to seed them than I have had in tanks without them that ran pure silica sand. My tanks are all similarly lit with a very evenly distributed custom light source, and all get the same tap water, water treatments if any are used, and feeding schedules. I have had no diatoms in my sponge filtered tanks or in the seeder tank before using this brand of ring. I have also ran fluval branded ceramics and not produced diatoms.

I would like it if someone else had observed similar or contrary but as Skavatar has pointed out CNZ is not a common brand of aquarium products. I myself have also only seen them on pond websites and Amazon. I wouldn't expect the pond guys to notice or care quite as much as those who keep glass boxes. Though I have noticed the rings perform and seed just as well as the fluval in a terms of surface for beneficial bacteria to colonize.

Fascinating stuff I have discovered setting up my little glass ecosystems. Next time I get a bloom by the filter I'll see if I can scrape some and get it under my microscope, would be neat to see exactly which kind I have, when I have them.

 

Look online for Fluval Clear Max. A box has 3 bags of resin that adsorbs phosphates.

Our 75 gallon had algae that wasn't horrible, but would come back quickly in my opinion. I found some Laguna Phos-X for ponds (repackaged Clear Max, Hagen owns both companies) on clearance last year and threw some into the filters. The algae growth was stopped and I rarely wipe the inside glass now.
I need to pick up another box of the Clear Max. Our 55 gallon Mbuna tank gets algae all over the limestone rocks and front glass. I figure the limestone releases phosphates and silica causing the algae. It's not out of control and gives the rocks a cool look, but it's a PITA to scrape off the glass. I'm not sure if its diatoms or normal algae. Possibly the Clear Max can clear it up.