Diatoms? Yes, I messed up

So just a couple days ago I did my first WC and while I was doing that I thought I'd stir up the sand bed a little bit and see if I could clear out a couple spots of diatoms and then I thought well, why stop there. I stirred up a lot of sand bed and didn't think anything of it. UNTIL........ My better half calls me at the store yesterday saying my tank is brown.



Any suggestions on what to do? I've tried to do a little research in my down time but haven't come up with an solid answer and when I think I find something I find something that says quite the contrary. I stopped by the LFS on the way home and they said to ride it out.

I don't have a huge CUC.
20 snails - haven't needed anything because I haven't had anything for them to eat. I don't want to rush out and buy a ton of snails just to clean this up and then have them all die for lack of food.

Any help or ideas?

 

Ride it out is really all you can do. Reefcleaners.org states on it's site that they have some snails types that eat diatoms, myself I have never found anything that eats diatoms.

Small sandbed interventions at a time., Cheryl shakes finger at you.

 

Dwarf ceriths i got from reefcleaners did a number on my diatom stage. But I agree with Cheryl just wait it out instead of starving snails later.

 

I know, I know Ms. Cheryl. I learned my lesson and boy are my tenants paying for it now.

Thnx to both y'all. I feel the same about the snails. Y'all should be proud of me, I didn't run out and buy 20 different chemicals and started going rambo on everything.

I read that WC's were bad during a diatom outbreak but the LFS is telling me to go ahead and do it. Opinions?

 

All I can tell ya is that I changed my water every week during my initial cycle and diatom bloom and had no issues with diatoms increasing in severity. The only problem I have had with water changes causing an increase bloom is with Dino.

 

Interesting.

 

well that settles it. Another WC on Monday. Really feel bad for my little critters.

 

Your pets will be fine. FTR, not only are most algas harmless, but they're also beneficial in that they feed on the nutrients that would otherwise cause water quality issues.

 

learning everyday....

 

that's what makes the hobby great