Brown Algae/Diatom issue

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HawaiiPuff
Puffer Fry
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:50 pm
Location (country): USA

Brown Algae/Diatom issue

Post by HawaiiPuff »

Hi, I have a brown algae/diatom issue that I cant seem to get under control. I have a 20 gallon, fully cycled(5months) puffer only tank(3 Amazons, 2 Dwarfs). It’s a planted tank with sand substrate. I have a hang on back filter with charcoal sponge, seachem purifgen and phosguard as chemical filtration. I also got a UV filter which runs 8hrs a day along with my LED lights. I do weekly water changes up to 1/2 tank depending on the bloom. I carefully scrub the glass in a upward direction making sure not to stir it back into the water collumn. I also meticulously vacuum the sand substrate carefully from the top first, then i use the hose pinch technique for down below the sand. I minimize everything I can to prevent the diatoms from floating around and resettling. I also take out my plants and decorations every other week and use a peroxide/water mix to brush off the diatoms. I read that diatoms will stop once the tank cycles but it may take a few months. Well its been 5 months and it gets progressively worse. I dont over feed the puffers and remove any uneaten food after every feeding. I even started skipping 2 days to limit food waste for phosphates. I tried bumping up the seachem phosguard dosage to double the recommendation, but to no avail. Im out of ideas. Ive tried everything from limiting phosphates and silicates but nothing keeps the diatoms away. The only thing I havnt tried is switch to gravel and get rid of the sand because of silicates. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Mahalo🤙🏽
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Pufferpunk
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Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
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Re: Brown Algae/Diatom issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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