brown diatoms

[lmracer]

i have a diatom bloom which i think is from a silica problem the test kit reading is 1.5 ppm from my water source ( both well and and county). i have an ro/di filter that cuts it in half ..75 ppm is this enough to cause this problem and what can i do to get rid of the silica.. i was thinking of running the water through the the ro/di again . anybody got any ideas or solutions? thanks ed

 

[ricky1414]

Try running a phosphate spong or phosban. Worked for me before I went to ro/di for top off.

 

[qwiksilver]

Yeah, phosguard or some filter medium that removes silicates. And if possible, try filtering your top off water and water change water through the sponge for a day or two in advance, that way you aren't adding it to your tank and then taking it out, which still gives the diatoms a bit of a foothold. HTH

 

[Anonymous]

any phosabsorb outta help, give the tank time to mature also, that will be a big cure for diatom blooms...i had the same problem you did for months and even considered leaving the hobby cuz i couldnt control it, until one day i noticed a dramatic cut back in it...I was using regular tap water and it just cleared up..i also used a phos absorber to ie phosphate sponge...I currently use DI water but that wasnt the solution to my problem...most of the time i believe its just a matter of time and maturing for the tank