Sticky Sand

[JSeymour]

Recently, my sand seems exceptionally sticky. When my fairy wrasse wakes up in the morning, it is covered. The firefish tend to have grains stuck to their anal fins. The tiger jawfish stays clean though. I figure it is from bacterial aggregations on the sand, but nitrates have not increased, nor has my feeding schedual.

My parameters today (Salifert):
Temp - 83F
Calcium - 470 ppm
Alkalinity - 8.8 dKH
pH - 8.1
Nitrate - ~0 ppm
Specific Gravity - 1.0235

I don't have a Mg test, but tested it last week, 1350 ppm.

I feed twice a day and two or three of the following, f/t mysis, f/d plankton, f/t Formula I and II, and f/t/d scallops. All food is gone after ~30 seconds.

The only sifters I have are 4 tonga Nassarus sp. and a queen conch. Anything I can do to stop this? I'm tired of sandy fish.

 

[bertoni]

What sand product is being used, and how fine is are the grains?

Well, for an 83g tank with a fine sand bed, a sand-sifting cucumber might help. Some of them are toxic enough to cause problems if they die, though, so I'd pick a tiger tail or similar animals.

 

[JSeymour]

The substrate is a mixture of everything from standard crushed coral to CaribSea Aragalive Fiji Pink "extra fine". Most of it is the Fiji Pink. The smallest is about 1mm, these are the ones causing me problems.

I'll look into a sand-mopping cuke but picturing a living "turd" crawling around...

A lfs has a Tamaria stria, Purple Linckia, they've had for a few months, would that work?

 

[bertoni]

I wouldn't put a cucumber into a tank with that substrate. I think it's too coarse. I don't think the Tamaria are reef-safe, or even will live well in one of our tanks.

Moved to NTTH for more views.

 

[drummereef]

Not really sand related, but any reason why you don't keep your salinity 1.026?

 

[magdelan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10223382#post10223382 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
Not really sand related, but any reason why you don't keep your salinity 1.026?

I was going to ask the same thing. Also, isn't 83 degrees a bit high for a reef? 78 is ideal. My tank is at 84 right now due to the summer heat and I'm freaking out!!! :eek1:

 

[JSeymour]

I The only reason I keep it low is for alkalinity and pH. If I do full strength, my calcium precipitates, to <350 ppm. I don't use RO/DI and our water is hard and alkaline.

It might not even be a Tamaria sp. as identification can be so difficult. It is actually being kept in a 5' x 5' x 18" frag tank with a blue linckia that he's had for years, ~14". It looks like it's been growing. I just heard they eat bacterial detrius/aggregations, and though, "Hmmmm..."

So any other options?

 

[bertoni]

I target 82 F as the base temperature for my tanks, so 83 F sounds reasonable.

I think the diet of Tamaria and most starfish tends to be unknown:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/toonen.htm