180g Starphire A.G.E on its way!

[tbone28]

OK, since I didn't get any responses on the reef chemistry forum, can someone tell me how to keep my sandbed clean?

Here's my original post:

I'm pretty sure it's not cyano. I've had it before, and this doesn't look like it. It's not slimy, either. It just looks like I have a dirty sandbed. Can someone ID it and offer a solution?

Tank specs:
180g
-Weekly 30g water changes with sand vacuuming of entire sand bed
-PO4 0.01 (Hannah). Not sure if my rock is holding excess phosphates? I do have to wipe down my glass every 2-3 days of algae film
-pH 8.3-8.4
- Ca 460, Alk 8, Mg 1550-1600
-Flow: (6) Tunzes - (2) 6205, (2) 6105, (1) each 6045 and 6025
-Skimmer: BK SM250

After the water change, the sand bed stays white for a couple days, then progressively gets darker over the rest of the week.

 

[Maximus]

I have a 100% guaranteed cure for your cyano/algae on your sand bed. Do you want to know what it is? Wait for it. Here it comes...









BB baby!!!

 

[mpoletti]

I have a 100% guaranteed cure for your cyano/algae on your sand bed. Do you want to know what it is? Wait for it. Here it comes...









BB baby!!!

The only reason you like BB is because its easier for your annual tank tear downs :uzi: :lol2:

 

[Maximus]

Btw, if you have to wipe down your glass every 2-3 days, your phosphates are not .01. Which test kit are you using?

 

[Maximus]

The only reason you like BB is because its easier for your annual tank tear downs :uzi: :lol2:

Annual? Come on dude, give me more credit than that. Every two years is more like it!!

 

[Maximus]

I just thought of something else. Perhaps you need a better skimmer? May I suggest an ATB? Seriously, it's probably due to your fish load and all your excess nutrients (I'm sure you feed a lot). Do you run GFO? Do you have a refugium set up with macroalgae?

 

[tbone28]

I have a 100% guaranteed cure for your cyano/algae on your sand bed. Do you want to know what it is? Wait for it. Here it comes...









BB baby!!!

Nope, NEVER. That's the cheap way out

The only reason you like BB is because its easier for your annual tank tear downs :uzi: :lol2:

:lmao:

Btw, if you have to wipe down your glass every 2-3 days, your phosphates are not .01. Which test kit are you using?

Hannah. It was 0.01 when I posted the original thread. 0.03 yesterday. I know my PO4 levels don't make sense when I'm wiping down my glass every 2-3 days, which is why I asked if my rock is holding phosphate, thus keeping the levels down, but releasing enough to dirty up my glass?

 

[mpoletti]

Annual? Come on dude, give me more credit than that. Every two years is more like it!!

How long was the elos up again ? :lol:

Btw, if you have to wipe down your glass every 2-3 days, your phosphates are not .01. Which test kit are you using?

2-3 days is not that bad. I would be more worried about the precipitation and the sand clumping

 

[tbone28]

I just thought of something else. Perhaps you need a better skimmer? May I suggest an ATB? Seriously, it's probably due to your fish load and all your excess nutrients (I'm sure you feed a lot). Do you run GFO? Do you have a refugium set up with macroalgae?

ATB? Nah, I like dry floors :wavehand: What's funny...over on the reef chemistry forum, the guy recommenend that I replace "my skimmer with a better one" :lmao: You guys came to mind immediately!

excess fish load? Man, I have more fish that I want! And yes, I do feed a lot. Do I have to cut down? As is, my fish already think it's time to eat everytime they see me!

 

[tbone28]

2-3 days is not that bad. I would be more worried about the precipitation and the sand clumping

Educate me, Mr. Poletti. Where do you see precipitation? What causes that and the sand clumping? And why is this worrisome?

 

[mpoletti]

excess fish load? Man, I have more fish that I want! And yes, I do feed a lot. Do I have to cut down? As is, my fish already think it's time to eat everytime they see me!

I feed twice a day and that may be over feeding the way I like to feed

 

[mpoletti]

Educate me, Mr. Poletti. Where do you see precipitation? What causes that and the sand clumping? And why is this worrisome?

The sand clumping is a form precipitation I remember speaking briefly about this when I was over. Its not fun when the sand hardens and attaches itself to the rock.

There is two known types of "clumping". A bacterial type where the clumping can be "smooshed" between your fingers and is slimy. And the calcium carbonate deposition "clumping/precipitation" where the sand binds itself and starts to form "rock-like" patterns. Its not something that you need to worry about as its not going to kill the tank, its just an eye sore that requires a lot of manual labor to correct. How old is your sandbed? Do you have higher levels of PH?

 

[tbone28]

The sand clumping is a form precipitation I remember speaking briefly about this when I was over. Its not fun when the sand hardens and attaches itself to the rock.

There is two known types of "clumping". A bacterial type where the clumping can be "smooshed" between your fingers and is slimy. And the calcium carbonate deposition "clumping/precipitation" where the sand binds itself and starts to form "rock-like" patterns. Its not something that you need to worry about as its not going to kill the tank, its just an eye sore that requires a lot of manual labor to correct. How old is your sandbed? Do you have higher levels of PH?

Yes, we did talk about it briefly, and the only thing I took from it was that, because my clumping was rock-like, I had nothing to worry about. It is an eye sore, though, because the clumping has clumped in the ugly brown crap...and I have no plans to remove all my rock in order to chip off the clumps.

The sandbed is OG...dates back to when I first setup the tank. I've never replaced it. And yes, my pH does run on the higher side. Usually around 8.4. Not sure why or how it gets so high. I don't dose kalk. What does the higher pH do?

Here's my plan: Once I can figure out how to prevent my sandbed from turning brown, I will slowly vacuum out all the sand with each water change, and once it's BB, I will add in a new sandbed. I don't want to add new sand now, if it's just going to turn brown on me right away.

 

[mpoletti]

For some reason, the elevated PH level just speeds up the process of the precipitation. I just have to ask to make sure, but when is the last time you replaced yoru probes and recalibrated?

Other than that, your plan sounds spot on :thumbsup:

 

[tbone28]

For some reason, the elevated PH level just speeds up the process of the precipitation. I just have to ask to make sure, but when is the last time you replaced yoru probes and recalibrated?

Other than that, your plan sounds spot on :thumbsup:

My plan may be spot on, but this plan has been in place the last couple of years :lmao: Didn't really care too much about it since my interest in the tank wasn't completely there, but now that it's back, I'd like to resolve it.

I don't have a pH monitor. I test using a Tropic Marin test kit.

 

[DanW]

I get that whenever I add new sand but it eventually goes away. I agree with Seng, it's probably because of the high bio load. Have you tired a tiger tail cuc? I have two (was one that split) and he does a fine job of cleaning the sand and leaves little white sand pellets wherever he's been. Maybe a goby but their a PIA.

 

[tbone28]

I get that whenever I add new sand but it eventually goes away. I agree with Seng, it’s probably because of the high bio load. Have you tired a tiger tail cuc? I have two (was one that split) and he does a fine job of cleaning the sand and leaves little white sand pellets wherever he’s been. Maybe a goby but their a PIA.

I'm wondering if my brown sand bed is due to (or partly due to) a lack of a clean-up crew. I *used* to have snails, crabs, a sand-sifting star, a cuc, and gobies at different times thoughout this tank's life. Sand was a lot cleaner back then. I never replaced anything as they died.

But, I did not think that a clean-up crew could have such a dramatic difference in regards to keeping a sandbed clean?

The high bioload is going to change. Tbone likes his fish. If anything, my bioload is only going to go up :lol:

 

[DanW]

I'd add a clean up crew and see what happens. Between the tiger tail's sand pellets, narcissus snails turning the sand and ceriths/nerites my sand stays pretty clean.

 

[tbone28]

I'll give that a try again.

 

[tbone28]

I'd add a clean up crew and see what happens. Between the tiger tail's sand pellets, narcissus snails turning the sand and ceriths/nerites my sand stays pretty clean.

Dan, where did you order your clean up crew?