diatom problem

[marvinsae]

right now i have 7 astrea snails, a brittle star, and a diamond watchman goby. im going to get more snails soon and a pair of cleaner shrimp. im guessing that its caused from my tank cycling? but i didnt go through a cycle...i've got a 250w mh pendant and a few power heads so im pretty sure the light quality is good along with the flow. i guess ill just have to wait it out?

[marvinsae]

damn now im really worried about my clam. it seems to be doing fine so far...it moved to the sand bed and within minutes he opened up when i acclimated him

[Myka]

How big is your tank? I would suggest you wait on the cleaner shrimp until your tank is 3-4 months old so they have enough to scavenge. A new tank, even with cured rock is still a "harsh" environment for critters until it has had a few months to age. I would suggest you move very slowly on adding critters for the first few months to avoid losing them. Even if your tank didn't show any signs of cycling, you could have inaccurate test kits, or you can call he diatoms new tank syndrome instead.

[marvinsae]

my tank is 65 gallons with a 40 gallon sump. alright well i will take it easy for now and wait a few months before adding anymore. i've been spending a lot of money on my tank so far so it'd be better for the tank, and wallet. as for the test kits i dont think they are inaccurate. what are the odds my ammonia and nitrate test kit being off?

[Madreefer]

Probably sick of hearing the negative stuff. But your goby just may starve to death as well. They eat organisms in your sand bed. With a tank that new there will not be enough in there and what is there, he has most likely already ate.

[naesco]

Originally Posted by marvinsae

damn now im really worried about my clam. it seems to be doing fine so far...it moved to the sand bed and within minutes he opened up when i acclimated him

Please also excuse my criticism.
Return the clam as it likely will not survive. Some fish, coral and inverts require well established tanks and that is why they are not labeled 'easy to care for"
Clams are not easy and are not for beginners. It is a good idea to ask here before you buy.
If your LFS did not tell you that change LFS.

[intarsiabox]

I think your goby should be fine provided that it eats prepared foods. My first fish was a yellow watchman goby and he survived all my mistakes and has moved from new tank to new tank without any problems. He won't even touch anything in the tank except the food that I feed him. He's actually kind of creepy because he knows that I'm the only one in the family that feeds him so he just sits there and stares at me for hours.