brett559
New member
Really struggling with one issue with my tank. About 3-4 months ago I started getting some brown algae on my sand bed. Never on my rock work - only on the sand. My rocks are full of coralline algae; my corals are doing well.
I've researched this problem a lot and tried the usual fixes:
1) LIGHTS - I run my LED lights for only 8 hours a day (6 hours of white/blue and 2 hours of only blue). I've tried the 3-day lights-out a few times. The sand looks amazing after the third day, but it always comes back.
2) WATER QUALITY - I run PhosGuard and my phosphates are close to zero. After trying ChemiClean two weeks ago (thinking it was maybe a brown cyano - it did nothing), I did probably a 75% water change, and it came back even with all new water! The water change was so big, my protein skimmer is only now starting to foam again. I do 10-gallon water changes (42g tank) every two weeks. Without fail. My tank is as clean as it's ever been these last two weeks, and it's as bad as it ever was. I use IO Reef Crystals.
3) RODI - I've had my Bulk Reef RO system for a little over a year (tank is about 16 months old). I had my water tested at my LFS a few months ago, and it tested fine. The TDS meter on the system (BRS brand) shows 0.
4) FLOW - I added two Hydor Koralia 565 pumps to the back of my tank. I also have an MP10 on the right side of the tank that I run in Reef Crest Mode. There's a lot of flow in the tank. Or at least, it seems like there is.
5) CUC - I have 2 emerald crabs, and a handful or Trochus snails. I bought about 4 nessarius snails; I probably have 2 or 3 left. For some reason Turbo snails don't live too long.
6) SAND MAINTENANCE - About 2-3 months ago I started using a gravel vacuum on my sand. I suck up the gunk, kink the hose, and let the sand fall back down. Tank looks amazing for a few days, then brown sand comes back.
So what is it?
Did disrupting the sandbed via the vacuum stir stuff up? (But wouldn't that HUGE water change have fixed it?)
I used dead rock from BRS. I've heard it can take a long time for the rock to truly cycle/cure. Is my rock leaching sediments? Is there a one-year ugly tank period?
Do I need more CUC? Some people would say to have 1 snail per gallon, but 40 snails? Really?!
Did I get a bad batch of salt mix?
I run my LED (Current Orbit Marine Pro) at 100% for the 6 hours they are on. Should I turn the intensity down? Less time than 6 hours (plus 2 hours of blue?)? Corals looks great, so I'm hesitant to mess with that.
Can LED lights go back like T5 bulbs?
My tank runs hot in the summer - 81-82 degrees. Tank runs 77-79 in the winter. Does temp have anything to do with it?
Or do I just need to be patient? I tore down my last tank over aiptasia and other issues. My tank is great. I love it. Fish and corals healthy. But this brown sand is getting me down. I'm tempted to just remove the sand and go BB, but I like sand.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!
I've researched this problem a lot and tried the usual fixes:
1) LIGHTS - I run my LED lights for only 8 hours a day (6 hours of white/blue and 2 hours of only blue). I've tried the 3-day lights-out a few times. The sand looks amazing after the third day, but it always comes back.
2) WATER QUALITY - I run PhosGuard and my phosphates are close to zero. After trying ChemiClean two weeks ago (thinking it was maybe a brown cyano - it did nothing), I did probably a 75% water change, and it came back even with all new water! The water change was so big, my protein skimmer is only now starting to foam again. I do 10-gallon water changes (42g tank) every two weeks. Without fail. My tank is as clean as it's ever been these last two weeks, and it's as bad as it ever was. I use IO Reef Crystals.
3) RODI - I've had my Bulk Reef RO system for a little over a year (tank is about 16 months old). I had my water tested at my LFS a few months ago, and it tested fine. The TDS meter on the system (BRS brand) shows 0.
4) FLOW - I added two Hydor Koralia 565 pumps to the back of my tank. I also have an MP10 on the right side of the tank that I run in Reef Crest Mode. There's a lot of flow in the tank. Or at least, it seems like there is.
5) CUC - I have 2 emerald crabs, and a handful or Trochus snails. I bought about 4 nessarius snails; I probably have 2 or 3 left. For some reason Turbo snails don't live too long.
6) SAND MAINTENANCE - About 2-3 months ago I started using a gravel vacuum on my sand. I suck up the gunk, kink the hose, and let the sand fall back down. Tank looks amazing for a few days, then brown sand comes back.
So what is it?
Did disrupting the sandbed via the vacuum stir stuff up? (But wouldn't that HUGE water change have fixed it?)
I used dead rock from BRS. I've heard it can take a long time for the rock to truly cycle/cure. Is my rock leaching sediments? Is there a one-year ugly tank period?
Do I need more CUC? Some people would say to have 1 snail per gallon, but 40 snails? Really?!
Did I get a bad batch of salt mix?
I run my LED (Current Orbit Marine Pro) at 100% for the 6 hours they are on. Should I turn the intensity down? Less time than 6 hours (plus 2 hours of blue?)? Corals looks great, so I'm hesitant to mess with that.
Can LED lights go back like T5 bulbs?
My tank runs hot in the summer - 81-82 degrees. Tank runs 77-79 in the winter. Does temp have anything to do with it?
Or do I just need to be patient? I tore down my last tank over aiptasia and other issues. My tank is great. I love it. Fish and corals healthy. But this brown sand is getting me down. I'm tempted to just remove the sand and go BB, but I like sand.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!
