Is this Diatoms or something really nasty ?

[dobejazz]

Ok a little history of the tank 95 g corner pent tank w/ 45g sump plumbed to the basement sequence dart for the return pump.
10-28-05 tank was set up with live rock
12-09-05 added lights 2 x 96w PC and 2 x 65w pc and 60# of live sand and some hermits (not sure how many)
12-16-05 added fox face rabbit fish and 8 astrea snails
12-23-05 added sailfin tang and scopus tang
12-28-05 added tunze for flow
1-03-06 moved tunze to proper location
around 1-11 I began to see the rusty algae
now it is thicker and has bubbles on the surface
1st pic is from 1-11-06
2nd and 3rd pic are from 1-18-06

[three90s&125sump]

Both. Diatoms are really nasty. They will subside.

[three90s&125sump]

Oh the bubbles are just ...hmmm.... either O2 or Nitrogen gas. I can't remember.

[Doug1]

The pics look like diatoms, i dont remember seeing bubbles like that but its been a while since I had a tank in the start up stage like that

[ChrisPrusha]

I believe that fighting conchs like diatoms. Perhaps others can speak to this.

[reef_noob]

My fighting conch sucked my diatoms up like a vacuum. It's still going strong a year later too. In fact, I think the conch is the oldest resident in my tank.

[tdwyatt]

The bubbes are most likely oxygen bubbles, possibly from photoautotrophs in the sand as well as O2 generted by the diatoms/algae on the surface. I possibly is some nitrogen as well, but the gravel is so large that I don't think tht you'll see that level of N2 gas production for that depth of SB.

Ditto on recommendations for fighting conchs, would prolly be good to have some Holothurins and some nerites as well.


Siphon up as much of the algae without the sand as is possible, this will export the silicon nutrients trapped in the diatom's tests, exporting it from your tank aoong with whatever phosphate and nitrate are trapped as well. If the algae takes on the consistancy of brown snot with lots of bubbles, you have problems, as this would be most likely a type of non-symbiotic dinoflagellate bloom, and it is most often toxic. Not to worry, because it does not look like it in the photos, but I mention it just so you're aware of the pssibility.


HTH

[dobejazz]

Thanks Everyone!

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by tdwyatt

The bubbes are most likely oxygen bubbles, possibly from photoautotrophs in the sand as well as O2 generted by the diatoms/algae on the surface. I possibly is some nitrogen as well, but the gravel is so large that I don't think tht you'll see that level of N2 gas production for that depth of SB.

Ditto on recommendations for fighting conchs, would prolly be good to have some Holothurins and some nerites as well.


Siphon up as much of the algae without the sand as is possible, this will export the silicon nutrients trapped in the diatom's tests, exporting it from your tank aoong with whatever phosphate and nitrate are trapped as well. If the algae takes on the consistancy of brown snot with lots of bubbles, you have problems, as this would be most likely a type of non-symbiotic dinoflagellate bloom, and it is most often toxic. Not to worry, because it does not look like it in the photos, but I mention it just so you're aware of the pssibility.


HTH

Well Tom covered it(no pun intended!)