Diatom and Filamentatious Diatom Solutions

[Tihshho]

We all get the new tank woes. Sometimes things go right and we get a little bit of diatoms, but then other algaes and the intended flora take off and the diatoms fallback and we get our balance. Othertimes, we get into a new tank and it seems no matter what we do the imbalance stays and we're in the uphill battle. Currently I'm in the uphill battle stage and trying to figure out solutions for a diatom outbreak to proportions I've never had. This is with a fairly new tank that had a the contents of an existing sponge filter squeezed in it as well as within the canister filter. Tank has been up for a bit over 3 weeks or so now. 

Parameters:

• Temp: 78/79
• pH: 7.0
• Amm: 0.0ppm
• Nitrite: 1.0ppm
• Nitrate: 10ppm
• Kh: 3dkh

Tank Specs:

• 40B 
• Finnex 24/7 30" (set on 6 hour light cycle as of initial diatom outbreak)
• Inert substrate for tank
• Pots with Denerlle Plant Substrate in attempt to get mail ordered plants back to being healthy
• x3 osmocote tabs in the tank substrate near foreground and cut back on Niloc-G liquid dosing I was doing that previously worked for me for other tanks
• Regulated CO2 injection to an in tank Twinstar diffuser (running for 6.5 hours, hour before lights on, solenoid off a half hour prior to lights out)
• Eheim 2215 canister (going to upgrade this, but getting media cycled in it while the tank cycles)
  • Eheim Sponges
  • Eheim bio-media
  • Polyfill
• Eheim surface skimmer to add with circulation while tank is cycling
• Sicce Powerhead to add additional circulation above the substrate of the foreground plants
• Plants
  • Litorrella Uniflora
  • Ranunculus Innandatus
  • Crypt. Parva
  • Crypt. Balanse
  • Crypr. Retrospiralis
  • Bucephalandra Catherine 'Mini'
  • Bucephalandra Mini Green Godzilla
  • Anubias Frazeri

Plants that arrived well and more so the ones I got from locals are growing just fine. Seeing new shoots and growth. Foreground plants have diatom dusting and the substrate is starting to get some filamentatious diatoms (brown and stringy) not the typical hair algae. I've been doing weekly water changes (tanks been up for 3 weeks now) since planting, and I'm working on adding more plants. Liquid dosing is sparce because I don't have anything that is heavy feeding from the water column besides the buce and anubias which are mounted to be grown epiphitically. 

Here is a picture of the diatoms (on the L. Uniflora) and what I believe to be filamentous diatoms. The filamentaous stuff is on the substrate and on the Crypt leaves (not pictured.)

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by Tihshho

[Kurt Brutting]

For myself when dealing with diatoms what helps is adding fast growing floating plants and dosing extra beneficial bacteria like microbacter 7. I heard this trick from Lucas from LRB Aquatics. There is a lot of different beneficial bacteria products out there, but it definitely helped. 

[Tihshho]

I'm trying to avoide floaters in this tank. IME most floaters come with the one leaf of hidden duckweed, and then it turns into a mess. As for Microbacter7, I think I should have a bottle of it, I wonder if it's still good actually...