Update on my problems with diatomes,
I've cut down on additives as suggested, the following has been the schedule
for the last month:
Kept Ca and Alk at around 450 ppm and 3 (10dKH) respectively.
1 ml of Iodide and 1 tsp Vital Gold in 7g of topoff water, lasting for about
one week.
I also cut down on feeding to about 1/2 the normal rations.
At first the diatome growth seemed to slow down a little, but after about 2
weeks grape caulerpa started
to show up everywhere, I now think of myself as a gardener trying to get rid
of an unusually stubborn weed.
Diatomes has gotten worse too.
I called the water company and got a report on the tap water, it's so good I
could probably throw my
RO in the thrash. At least no more worries about the water.
During the last week a patch of blue-green algae has been developing in a
back corner,
2 days ago it covered an area as big as my hand, yesterday it had almost
doubled!
I siphoned it all out, together with the chrushed coral it was growing on.
I've got about 1/2 - 3/4 inch of cc, it was hard to believe how much gunk
came out with the water,
I think that the cc is probably contributing to the problems, the grain size
is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch,
this acts like "sweeping the dust under the carpet" (Old swedish saying,
don't know if you have the same one).
During the first couple of months I worked through the cc with a siphon
every once in a while,
but until yesterday I haven't done this for several months, I thougt that
it was probably better not to disturb things.
The question now is, should I leave the cc in there and work it through with
a siphon regularly, or should I
slowly get rid of it?
If I get rid of it should I leave the tank with a bare bottom and wait for
corralines to cover it, or should I get a
substrate with a finer grain size?
I know that most of you would recommend aragonite and/or oolithic sand and
probably build a bed several inches
deep, the problem is that the only thing I can get here is coral sand.
I could order one bag of aragonite from the US but not much more, paying the
freight would really be a pain.
Btw. All animals are still doing fine.
/Fredrik
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