YeetPopper Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My tank cycled about a month ago, but I got lights about a 2 weeks ago. I run them 8 hours a day. The other day, diatoms started popping up on the rocks. Today, I noticed some on the sand bed. What can I do to get rid of them? I have 4 emerald crabs, a brittle star, a peppermint shrimp, and a cleaner shrimp. Should I add a snail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 They'll just go away once the silicates in your system get used up from the sand addition. I know that my fighting conch eats diatoms. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 +1 what Ty said. You'll have to have lots of patience w/ a new tank as it will go thru several algae phases. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Yep it's the new sand I think, I just put new sand in my tank when I did my upgrade. The diatoms last about a month then go away. I have a conch that eats anything on the sand bed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Normal part of the cycle. I wouldn't worry about it. Every tank gets diatoms to some degree. Increasing flow will ensure they get sucked into your filtration and don't settle. Brittle Stars are known to eat diatoms and it doesn't sound like you have much in the tank for him to eat other than that. You can also suck them out of the tank with a siphon. IMO your clean up crew is too large already and I wouldn't add more. Peppermint and Cleaner Shrimp are both hunters and are not considered a part of a clean up crew. They will scavenge but don't expect them to do anything noticeable. Emerald Crabs will scavenge whatever they can find if they have to. Most people don't get them unless they have an algae problem. They have been known to attack fish and other inverts when they get hungry, so if you see damage then start to catch them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaFan Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Yeah I'm dealing with diatoms at the moment as well... My tank is about 4-5 months old. I noticed a new diatom bloom when I added mud to my sump. Nice late introduction of silicates :-) I may have to go grab a conch to gobble them up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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