Diatoms

rrkss

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May 7, 2006
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Tom I was wondering if you know what induces diatoms. It has always puzzled me that new tanks get a massive diatom bloom shortly after the nitrogen cycle has completed and then a month later, you don't even see one diatom. Is it a buildup of organics prior the the heterotrophic bacteria in the substrate fully establishing themselves or is something else the trigger?
 

Tom Barr

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Jan 23, 2005
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Re: Diatoms

Diatoms are weird.

They tend to grow in profusion/bloom when you have a large amount of nutirents and moderate to low light.

They are not really a nuisance algae so few find the need toknow their inducing causes for our tanks, a few otto's takes care of it and we never see then again.

They are still there and growing, we just do not see them. Tubellaria and many cylindrical species live on leaves or the substrate. I see them in the samples of gravel and leaves all the time.

I found nearly 100 species alonen one sample site in Florida on plant leaves and substrates.

Regards,
Tom Barr