Diatomic Algae

[Matty P]

Our 122g reef tank was hit with Diatomic Algae last week and has gone from this...

to this...

Lost hunrdeds of £££ of livestock - all the corals, and have only 4 fish left

Before:
1x Male Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
4x Female Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
2x Ocellaris Clown (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus)
3x Banana Wrasse (Helichoeres chrysus)
1x Fridmani Dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani)
1x Red Sea Cleaner Wrasse (Larabicus quadrilineatus)
1x Atlantic Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus)
1x Coral Beauty (Centropyge bispinosus)
1x Lamarks's Angel (Genicanthus lamarck)
2x Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
1x Chalk Goby (Valenciennea sexguttata)
5x Blue/Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)

After:
1x Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus)
2x Banana Wrasse (Helichoeres chrysus)
1x Blue/Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)


I think it has come from the R/O Unit requiring new filters, they have been needing changed for a while and we have left it too late. Possible silcates and phosphates have got into the system because they weren't completely removed from the "tired" R/O filters.

I have replaced the phosphate remover (Rowaphos), and are getting someone out to replace all the filters on the R/O Unit.

Any other ideas to remove any causes of the diatoms?

 

[PRW1988]

That absolutly SUCKS!!! Man do I feel bad for you! I hope my reef never get's anything like that!

 

[Matty P]

Yeh I hope it doesn't either. It really is pretty rubbish. Also it doesn't go away overnight, it can sometimes take up to 6 months to get rid of it. I really hope it doesn't takee that long

 

[paul_219]

They dont harm the fish. But they just look bad in the tank and makes the tank dirty.

 

[scotslasszoe]

awwww nightmare , Now you wonder why i dont want to do marines

 

[joecoral]

how did diatoms make you lose all the fish?! they're unsightly, but not harmful

 

[Matty P]

No it wasn't the diatoms that made the tank crash, I havn't figured that part out yet. The diatoms came after the crash. It just I can't restock or anyything until I have got rid of the algae.