Evil Diatoms

no it will not once u mix it there are dissolved solids

 

ok thanks

 

I was talking to the guy who works on them and he tested it and it was 4 is.that a good level :
And if not what is

 

4 tds is okay, better 0 as phosphates, silicates etc.. can be some of the first substances to sneak through, however, I doubt 4 is really a problem. I would tend to guess SushiGirl is correct and there are a lot of silicates in the sand or something. However, this shouldn't be an issue long term. In a sense, diatoms are more related to pods and snails than silicates. Silicates are a limiting nutrient, but pods and snails eat diatoms fast. Really what diatoms tells me is that you do not have many pods or snails.

Do you have a CUC? Did you add any live rock or sand from an established tank? You need to introduce pods somehow, but once they're there, they should go to town on the diatoms, snails can speed things along. I actually dose silicates to keep my pod and snail population going. I never see any diatoms though, they are consumed almost instantly. If they are not, really that simply means you don't have enough diatom predators yet. It is very unlikely that it means you have too much silica, although it could in extreme cases, but I wouldn't bet on it...

 

i do have a CUC I have 2 turbo snails, 5 Hermit Crabs, and 5 Nassarius Snail and the diatoms has been not so bad i think it is starting to clear up

 

what size tank do you have??

 

14g biocube

 

Well, the 5 Hermit Crabs, and 5 Nassarius Snails won't really help with diatoms. The turbos should, but even in a 14g, 2 will be slow. You could add some nerite, and or cerith snails, but the pods will finish it off eventually, I'm not sure I'd bother. Really diatoms, although ugly, do tend to out compete other algae for nutrients, and are easily manageable, so it's not like bad things are going to happen if they don't go away immediately....

 

ya true thanks i think changing where i get my saltwater has helped i have been told that at the place where i was geting saltwater they dont have a really good R/O system. the guy at the other place in town did not even know that he had a R/O system. thanks all of you for your help

 

As far as silicates go, this covers most of it:
Feature Article: Silica In Reef Aquariums — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Also, I probably would invest in a RO/DI at some point, long term the costs will be less and quality much higher.