[AZvol]

Hey everyone! I'm sure everyone is sick of algae/diatoms questions, but I feel like this one is unique. I've had a diatom problem in a tank that is over a year old. I've done all the regular stuff...using RODI water, good tank maintenance, eliminated or minimized sources of phosphates and silicates, vacuumed gravel, scrubed rocks, etc, and it remains a problem.

Here's the unique part. When I fill up my (clean) Rubbermaid Slim Jim trash container with RODI water, I get a brown film on the walls of the container within a day or so. While it doesn't make much sense, I'm convinced that it's diatoms. I've washed the container with bleach and it still comes back. I have a TDS meter on my RO/DI system, and I know it's at zero. I also have a handheld TDS meter that reads zero. The only thing I add is the Seachem products for adding hardness. I have a small pump for circulating water, and I've run the bleach water through it.

If it's diatoms, then how? If it's not diatoms, then what is it? It's impressive how quickly it arrives, despite a bleached container.

Any help is appreciated. I tore down my saltwater tank over a year ago because I couldn't get rid of diatoms. Now I'm battling the same with freshwater. I have otocinclus cats that don't seem the least bit interested in it.

 

[JxnDvs]

I had the same issue when i used rodi water on my tanks. I would fill up a cooler with the rodi water and in a few days i would notice diatoms forming on the walls of the container. I also had a bad diatom issue in the tank as well and my ottos wont eat it either. Since then I have started to use tap water (not because of the diatoms in the rodi water) and I still have a diatom issue though it has gotten better slightly (probably not because I stopped using rodi water) and the ottos still wont eat it. My tank has only been up for about 6 weeks though so I hope the diatoms go away soon. And good luck on getting rid of those diatoms