Tap/aquarium water high in Silicate. What to do now?

[MrWestCoast]

I've been struggling with diatoms in my 20gal that has been running for about 5 months now. Brown stuff caked  up on my plants that I have to physically scrub off every 2-3 days. I am using  Metricide 14 (it definitely helps some). Tank only has a few nerite snails and a bunch of plants. My hardscape is made up of petrified wood rocks (which is probably adding to the issue since they are made of silica) and a few pieces of driftwood. I have a Hygger light (26w) that runs for 7 hours at 80% intensity.

So I finally decided to purchase a silicate test kit (seachem) and test my tap water and the aquarium water. I did the normal range test on my tap and it comes out to 7 mg/L, my aquarium water comes out to 8 mg/L.

What would be the best way to battle this issue? Smaller water changes? Buy some sort of media pad that will absorb silicate?

 

Ammonia - 0

Nitrite - 0

Nitrates - under 10

[Brian]

I guess one way to gain control of silicate in tap water is with a reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system. Many reef-keepers use RO/DI water to mix saltwater and freshwater top-offs.  I’ve never tested my own water.  And have really thought about it.  Now I’m wondering if a carbon block filter would work…. Maybe a inline carbon filter on the supply line?

[nabokovfan87]

You can try the 5G Zero water filtration systems.

[Wrencher_Scott]

On 6/14/2022 at 1:33 PM, MrWestCoast said:

I've been struggling with diatoms in my 20gal that has been running for about 5 months now. Brown stuff caked  up on my plants that I have to physically scrub off every 2-3 days. I am using  Metricide 14 (it definitely helps some). Tank only has a few nerite snails and a bunch of plants. My hardscape is made up of petrified wood rocks (which is probably adding to the issue since they are made of silica) and a few pieces of driftwood. I have a Hygger light (26w) that runs for 7 hours at 80% intensity.

So I finally decided to purchase a silicate test kit (seachem) and test my tap water and the aquarium water. I did the normal range test on my tap and it comes out to 7 mg/L, my aquarium water comes out to 8 mg/L.

What would be the best way to battle this issue? Smaller water changes? Buy some sort of media pad that will absorb silicate?

 

Ammonia - 0

Nitrite - 0

Nitrates - under 10

First try to ride it out. On a new tank it happens and then it gets better. 

Hillsteam Loaches and Bristle Nose Plecos love brown algae too. I can vouch for them because I have one of each. 

The reason I chose them is also because they don't get very big like a common Pleco.  

Also, you can get plants, they compete for the nutrients like phosphate and silica. Anubias is very easy to keep. 

I don't know about that light you have but if it has lots of blue diatoms love that. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by Wrencher_Scott

[MrWestCoast]

I have a Hygger LED light. I lowered the blue to 5% and the rest is at 80%. The tank is planted. I have a couple of anubias, a lot of rotala plants, a few java fern plants and some random plants here and there.

I do wonder why the tank water tests higher in silicates than the tap water. Does anyone know if petrified wood leaches silica into the water? I could not find any info on this. I also forget to mention I'm running lava rock in my internal filter. I think lava rock too has silica in it.

[Wrencher_Scott]

On 6/14/2022 at 5:59 PM, MrWestCoast said:

I have a Hygger LED light. I lowered the blue to 5% and the rest is at 80%. The tank is planted. I have a couple of anubias, a lot of rotala plants, a few java fern plants and some random plants here and there.

I do wonder why the tank water tests higher in silicates than the tap water. Does anyone know if petrified wood leaches silica into the water? I could not find any info on this. I also forget to mention I'm running lava rock in my internal filter. I think lava rock too has silica in it.

Silica won't "leach" out of rocks. Well, very very slowly. I can't imagine any in wood. Anything from a rock would be gone with water changes way before it built up. 

Seriously, I would not go down the rabbit hole of silica and brown algae. I have read and found out myself that the brown algae will go away on it's own. Not completely of course but substantially.  Your tank is very new and it happens to new tanks at first. I would just get some algae eaters and turn down the lights. Give it a few months and I bet it will be MUCH better. 

I have anubius and it does really well. No fertilizers and over a 30 inch deep tank. I run my Aquasky light with zero blue, 25% white and about 10% red and green. It's on about 8-9 hrs a day. Of course your light could be very different but just an example. My tank is by no means dark either, it's pretty well lit.  

My son played with blue lights once and the brown went crazy with it. 

Lava rock is not a very good biofilter by the way. Just when it gets good and full of good bacteria all it's nooks and crannies get plugged up, we need water flow for good biofiltering and water just doesn't go thru it.  30 ppi foam is the way to go.