Diatoms, Ghost shrimp and Moonlights, OH MY! (PICTURES!)

[melbell86]

So its been a little while since i have updated or been on the forums, school has kept me very busy! I took some pictures tonight of all the stuff going on with George and his tank.

1. the key largo rocks still look awesome, and im very pleased with the look of my tank now. But im pretty sure i am having an outbreak of diatoms! I talked to a girl at my LFS, and she said with new tanks this is a normal algal bloom, and i will probably get a green algae bloom sometime soon after the diatoms go away. Just wondering if the brown "crud" will clear up on its own.






2.I got a couple of large snails that i was told were ok in my low brackish to try and help . . . i dont remember the name of them it stated with an M. drats, anyways one is orange with some black diamond marks and one is olive green. I havent seen george harass them yet but im sure it has/will happen. I also got 3 more ghost shrimp, and george has eat them ALL accept for Plankton!!! Plankton is my ghost shrimp i got as food almost a month ago and george hasnt eaten him, and he still hasnt eaten him. I wonder if there is a romance going on




TRUE LOVE <3

3. I also purchased a water pump to get some current going through my tank. Here it is.



4. I also added moonlights, which i posted another thread about. I took one of the 7 light LED bars out because it was too bright. Here is the set up and what it looks like.

[jmiller]

I hate to tell you but the algae bloom could get a lot worse. I'm going through the same thing right now and mine is spreading to the sand also.

Your setup sure has come a long way since the beginning. Everything looks great.

[RTR]

Diatoms do tend to be worst in new setups, that much is true*. It is also true that diatoms are not the best competitors - the green algae tend to out-compete them in high light situations, with the diatoms persisting best in the lower-light areas where the greens cannot compete as well.

*Diatom growth is dependent o the soluble silicates in the water. This concentration is a function of your water supply. When most to all the water is new, those concentrations are logically maximized. Soluble silicates do not recycle in less than geologic time - thousands of years. Once incorporated into the "shells" (tests) of diatoms, it is locked for our lifetimes plus a lot of years. Each diatom must replace 1/2 its "shell" at every division, so is dependent on a fresh supply of sufficient soluble silicates to continue growing and reproducing.

Unfortunately, jmiller is also right in that the "bloom" you have in your pics is a very light one - much milder than I usually see in a new set-up. Even if that is all you will get (it is still concentration of soluble silicates dependent), it is trivial. But it can get worse easily, and then later be replaced in brighter areas by green algae.

In this country, EPA requires that all household get a water quality report. Unfortunately, soluble silicates are not among the required report items so far as i know, but our utility does give us info. You can bet that they have the data, even if they do not report it it to you (mine does). Most water utilities are among the very best of the government bureaucracies. They are generally delighted to have have consumers call them with questions - so do that - call the water company.bureau, whatever and ask what soluble silcate levels are in your water. If they are high, you will always see diatoms. If they are moderate it will not be so prevalent. If they are low it is unlikely to be an issue.

If there are high soluble silicates in your water, there are things which can be done, with some work, time, money, and hassle to lower or remove them. Only cross that bridge if you must.

HTH

Good pictures BTW, nice looking set-up!

[Pufferpunk]

I set up my ocellatus tank a week before I left on vacation. Came back 9 days later to a totally brown, stringy tank, end to end. The algae was about 6" long! There was algae even bubbled over the surface. Puffer didn't seem to mind... Scrubbed it all off, did a 50% WC & it doesn't seem to be coming back. I added 12 margarita sails over the weekend & the puffer hasn't attempted to eat any of them.

Your aquascaping looks fantastic!

[xrayjeeper83]

ive got a really nice dark brown bloom right now that is getting worse. just trying to wait it out. Doing my water changes and trying to clean the stuff off when i can

[mairdan13]

i'd like a ghost shrimp... are they suitable for BW?

I'm guessing that my F8's would eat it within mins of being introduced into the tank anyway....

[Pufferpunk]

Yup, YUM!!!

[mairdan13]

Yup, YUM!!!

lol!

[JRC3]

My F8 could care less about the ghost shrimp in his tank.

Here's a pic of one trying to get some of his snail. The shrimp was right in there grabbing at the snail before I could grab my camera.




Also, if your diatoms cloud your water I've found that more light clears it up. I've had times that I was away all day until late evening and the water would be brown and hazy...An hour or so with the lights on and the water would be crystal clear.

[mairdan13]

hmm.. so ghost shrimp do survive in brackish?

I think I may try introducing one, the puffers are young and will be more accustomed to frozen food (snails soon)

[melbell86]

thanks for all the replies guys! RTR thanks for the info. I purchased a small baggy to put into my filter, it has tiny tapioca sized white beads in it, and my LFS said it will help to remove some of the silicates which the diatoms love. I guess im kinda over the idea that im NEVER gonna get algae, because it happens to everyone and always will! Im gonna try to scrub it off my rocks next WC.

as for the ghost shrimp, i have very low end brackish 1.005-1.006 and the ghost shrimp dont seem to mind. Im a bit attached to plankton, the ghost shrimp in the picture, BUT im prepared for the day george decides to eat him

pufferpunk that is crazy that you got that much algae in a span of 9 days!

jmiller i feel like it stinks for us cause our rocks are pretty and white and now they are turning brown! i guess it kinda gives it a more natural look . . .

[melbell86]

JRC3 - my ghost shrimp and puffer were pulling a piece of white shrimp back and forth "sharing" it for about 10 minutes! Then i was thinking . . . isnt that cannibalism on the ghost shrimps part?

[bigfatfish]

I believe ghost shrimp *should* be kept in BW. Mine have done well with my 2 GSPs. I had about 30 or so originally (about 6 months ago), now I only have 5 left (which don't seem to attract the puffers attention)! They have been fine through the increase in BW & seem happy at the current 1.015. They are fab cleaners too!

[mairdan13]

great news...

i'm definately going to get one.. might get two actually, just in case...

[xrayjeeper83]

Ghost only breed in BW iirc