Different kind of diatom?

[chooz]

Many of you here said oto likes to eat diatom, or the brown stuff sticking on glass. I have 2 otos for 6 months now and they seem to eat cucumber only. The diatom on the glass seems to be getting more and more each day.

My otos only stick to the plants and the outlet head only. They don't seem to want to stick onto the glass.

Anyway, the diatoms on the glass seems to be different from those I used to get. Even with scraping, they can't be wiped away easily. Any they form funny geometrical shapes, like when you splashed water on wall. Why?

[Desewer]

do you have photos of your diatoms? usually diatoms will disappear after introducing algae eaters e.g. shrimps into the tank.

[beetroot]

i think nerite snails will do a good job with those. that's for my case.

[chooz]

I can't get a proper photo of those "splash droplet" or slanted "tear drop" shaped diatom stain on the glass.

But while I was trying to take the photos, one of the otos "shitted" while sticking onto the glass. And I saw the shit stained onto the glass in the "slanted tear drop" fashion due to the push of the water circulation in the tank. Amazing!

But why are the oto shit such a powerful and strong stain? I can't rub it away with rough tissue paper using my own hand. Anyone has this problem with their otos?

[StanChung]

LOL, I've never seen that but otos do eat brown algae. Brown algae cause is blamed on high silicates. Takes some time but it will suddenly disappear about the same time GSA appears.

[felix_fx2]

Wha, your oto's shit also so powerful. I've not experienced that with mine.
Could it be due to their cucumber diet? my oto's very naughty refuse to eat from the front glass.

I KNOW! THEY MUST BE SHY!!

[chooz]

LOL, I've never seen that but otos do eat brown algae. Brown algae cause is blamed on high silicates. Takes some time but it will suddenly disappear about the same time GSA appears.

I have had the tank for more than 1 year before I added in those otos. Before the otos time, the diatom was easily remove by gentle wiping. After the otos arrived 4 months ago, those brown stain are now almost impossible to scrub away. Other occupants of the tank remained the same throughout the last 1 year.

So I don't think there is a spike in silicates. Unless the oto shits are high in silicates

If this goes on any longer, I will have to decommission the tank, it is getting quite unsightedly.