DIATOMS. Please help determine the source.

woodyarmadillo

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Also worth noting that this rip clean won’t fix your problem but it’s going to give you a fresh start. These micro organisms are always competing with each other and for some reason your system is probably out of balance.
 

Troylee

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BTW... how do ya'll feel about going bare bottom after I do a rip clean? throw the sand away and just clean the tank like heck before i pour new water and animals/rock back in?
It’s easier to clean lol.. lots of people do it, I personally don’t like the look of it.. to each their own! I like wrasses also that sleep in the sand.. it’s not gonna hurt your bacteria population one way or the other as the rocks are mostly your biological filter.
 
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TopClamSkoo

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It’s easier to clean lol.. lots of people do it, I personally don’t like the look of it.. to each their own! I like wrasses also that sleep in the sand.. it’s not gonna hurt your bacteria population one way or the other as the rocks are mostly your biological filter.
Yeah i dont like it either but it is tempting since itll be easier to clean. i def love how sand looks...
 

Lavey29

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I sure don’t, but I needed all the help I can get as far as adding phosphate, which is the main reason. If I get to a point where they don’t drop anymore, I might start at that point.

I would also guess that a solid majority who feed frozen do not strain/rinse it first. The few that do, I can see why that wouldn’t add any phosphate, but I’ll bet most don’t
To me, its like buying a new fish that come in a bag full of someone else's tank water. Maybe its clean good tank water maybe not so much. If you order online who knows. Do you just dump that bag of water with the fish into your tank or do you net him out first? I see the same potential for problems using someone else's ice cubes of fish food which is why I try to sterilize them first with straining. Is it 100% guarantee that nothing invades my tank? nope, but better then nothing and if you look online you will see that is the recommended approach with frozen food.
 

mjw011689

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To me, its like buying a new fish that come in a bag full of someone else's tank water. Maybe its clean good tank water maybe not so much. If you order online who knows. Do you just dump that bag of water with the fish into your tank or do you net him out first? I see the same potential for problems using someone else's ice cubes of fish food which is why I try to sterilize them first with straining. Is it 100% guarantee that nothing invades my tank? nope, but better then nothing and if you look online you will see that is the recommended approach with frozen food.
Not trying to get this thread off topic, but please reference one single case where anyone has proven anything harmful came from a cube of frozen food, any brand. Legitimately harmful, I’m not talking about just high phosphate or nitrate. I personally have never worried about this in over 20 years and will continue to not worry about that.
 

woodyarmadillo

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Not trying to get this thread off topic, but please reference one single case where anyone has proven anything harmful came from a cube of frozen food, any brand. Legitimately harmful, I’m not talking about just high phosphate or nitrate. I personally have never worried about this in over 20 years and will continue to not worry about that.
I agree. I think keeping the hobby as simple as possible will be a lot less intimidating to beginners. If you want to strain your food, go ahead but telling a beginner that they will need to strain their food every night may be enough to make them back out.
 

Lavey29

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Not trying to get this thread off topic, but please reference one single case where anyone has proven anything harmful came from a cube of frozen food, any brand. Legitimately harmful, I’m not talking about just high phosphate or nitrate. I personally have never worried about this in over 20 years and will continue to not worry about that.
to each his own and I am not really sure how anyone could ever prove that a food cube was the source of their tank problem or not unless a lab test pointed that way. High phosphate or nitrates can obviously be related to over feeding. There are plenty of internet references that specify thawing and straining food and an equal number that say it is not necessary such as you. This is why everyone's tank is unique and they can choose what they feel works best for them. I have my preference and you have yours and we will end it at that.
 

Lavey29

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I agree. I think keeping the hobby as simple as possible will be a lot less intimidating to beginners. If you want to strain your food, go ahead but telling a beginner that they will need to strain their food every night may be enough to make them back out.
true it does add another 10 seconds to the feeding process and that is useful time in a busy day
 

Kellie in CA

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TopClamSkoo

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Lavey29

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What’s your process for straining? Do you have a designated RO/DI food rinse bottle and a straining cup that you wash after each feeding?
I have a plain plastic cup that I drop to cubes in along with small amount of tank water to thaw. Then I pour the contents of the cup into a small fine mesh fish net over my sink. Then just drop the net into the tank to disperse it. Few times a week I add a little garlic guard liquid to the thawing process to because I believe it helps fish immune systems. I do rinse cup clean after feeding
 

shadyraro

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When I changed tanks I left a couple inches of tank water in the old tank and rinsed my sand out, then scooped it and transferred it to the new tank. I had no issues at all and my tank has run fine since.
 

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