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Is this Rhizo or Diatoms?

3K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  StillLearning 
#1 ·
It doesn't look very brown at all although this tank is newly setup.
PH 6.2
KH and GH around 4-5
Dosing EI with pressurized co2.
27 watt fluorescent over 5.5 gallon.

I fear it is rhizo - it has also been making some of the leaves of the HC go grey and fall off, and even whole stems are just being held in place by the algae now.
It started off just on the substrate but as the HC grew in thick the algae moved up onto the HC.

Sorry for making a new thread, I've searched high and low all over google and on this forum and can't make a positive ID with my own eyes after seing countless pictures of Rhizo that looked to me like Diatoms and Diatoms which to me looked like Rhizo. :confused:



Will try to get more pictures with my macro lens in a minute.
 
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#4 ·
I'm aware of your typical brown film of diatoms, however there is another species of diatom that grows in strings.
This page shows the two prominent species of Diatom
I am concerned that I have the stringy Synedra species.

I really hope it's hair algae but I am not used to hair algae smothering plants this quickly or aggressively, I have to back flush my filter every other day to keep it running smoothly because of how much of this stuff it sucks up after i brush it off my HC.
 
#6 ·
Diatoms are apparently caused by silicates, so if it is smothering some plants and you want it gone immediately, a silicate remover would help you.
I believe that they will go away, in time.
Oto's eat Diplonesis Diatoms but I don't know if they eat Synedra.
Also if you are removing the Diatoms from the tank and they keep growing back, they are depleting the Silicates, this is why they eventually just go away on their own.
 
#7 ·
I been removing them daily to try and fight it as much as possible. I'm going to have to stop and pick up a silicate remover cause this is the only algae that has been a pain for me so far in months.

I have some fat Oto's in there now but it would seem like it I would remove it as much as possible and then it would bounce right back. Thanks again.
 
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