SPS and Black Sand Experiences?

jda

Dogmatic Dinosaur
...so, my SPS tank was doing fine. I added a 24x24x12 frag tank to my 350G system and used a 30lb bag of black sand since I had it. Over the next three months, my SPS just started to get brown and even some of the more touchy ones (dragons and echinata) started to STN near the edges of the encrusting. After a week of thinking, I replaced the black sand with some regular. About a week later, and a water change, the SPS are back on the road to looking good again.

Anybody else hear/experience this? I am totally open to the fact that it was just me. This sand stuck to all of my magnets, so could it be elevated iron?

The montis, zoas and LPS that I had were all fine. I have looked online for black sand tanks, and most are mixed reefs with few, if any, SPS.
 
do not know if it is just the sand but I do not think it has any buffering capacity. I would use some crushed coral also
 
If the sand was interacting with your magnets, I wouldn't hesitate to think it was the cause.

+1

We dont know what other metals could be present as impurities within the magnetic particles.

When my Ecotech MP10 magnet split open afew years ago, I had the similar issues you are having now.

If there are magentic metals present in the sand...it makes me wonder what non magnetic materials are present that we dont know about...

FWIW my buddy has a tank with black sand...I think it is a TMC brand, he does have random STN issues, but I cannot say for certain it is the sand or something caused by him.
 
I don't remember where I got this stuff, but I have had it in a bag for years. It was a common brand, IIRC.

In any case, everything is coloring back up just fine now.

BTW - this was about 30 lbs in a 350G system with a 120G display (with sand), 58G satellite display (with sand), 125G sump and a few 30-40G fuges and stuff also with sand. This was not much.

If this was the issue, it is funny that the LPS, softies, macros, etc. show no issues whatsoever.
 
I don't remember where I got this stuff, but I have had it in a bag for years. It was a common brand, IIRC.

In any case, everything is coloring back up just fine now.

BTW - this was about 30 lbs in a 350G system with a 120G display (with sand), 58G satellite display (with sand), 125G sump and a few 30-40G fuges and stuff also with sand. This was not much.

If this was the issue, it is funny that the LPS, softies, macros, etc. show no issues whatsoever.

Sps are after all much more sensitive
 
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