dsoz Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 What is this brown stuff all over my tank??? Oh ya- it is diatoms! (voice in head) Don't worry it is completely "normal" it will probably clear up in a few weeks, and get replaces with green hair algae, bubble algae and all sorts of other nasties. YAY! My tank is "normal".(clap) even if I'm not. (nutty) Does anyone want to share in the diatom fun? dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNoel Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 My tank is going on 3 1/2 months now. I had the diatom bloom. It only lasted a couple of weeks max. I may have been lucky, I got some killer rock from a LFS. Some one brought in some rock that was covered in corraline and I even got a mushroom and as small green starfish ( I see him every couple of weeks). The diatoms will pass, I am just getting some string now but it isn't too bad. Good Luck. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 You are science teacher so ya gotta take it to the lab and look at it under a scope. Not as big a coral but still beautiful on a microscopic level!! Enjoy your reef in its infancy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 I have been so busy that I didn't even think about looking at it under the 'scope. Too bad that the kids are already on spring break. I have to be there tomorrow (3/22) for Parent-Teacher conferences. I could take in a sample... dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 You are science teacher so ya gotta take it to the lab and look at it under a scope. Not as big a coral but still beautiful on a microscopic level!! Enjoy your reef in its infancy!! I took tidalsculpin's advice and took a sample to work and did some fancy scope work with the diatoms. Not being a diatom expert, I cannot identify them. If any of you can, let me know. All pictures are with a 10x ocular, and a 10x objective (the 40x is garbage). Through a flexcam, then a projection device, then a photo taken with my digicam. Pics are not great, but they will do. normal stained with methylene blue stained with iodine Enjoy the pics, especially the other science geeks that are here dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Check out this DIATOM SEM link. They are prettier under a 100,000 dollar scope I guess. http://science.exeter.edu/jekstrom/DT/Pan.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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