What is this?

[nitr8]

I have this really ugly brown stuff that grows on my sand bed and glass. A little on the rocks but not a lot or just isn't that noticeable. Any ideas what I'm dealing with and how to get rid of it? I suck it all out every couple days but it always comes back. Last time I vacuumed it out I did lights out for about 30 hours and two days later my sand bed was covered again. I'm pretty sure it's not cyano because that stuff is usually a redish/purple and I had that growing on top of the brown stuff. Vacuuming the cyano out seemed to do the trick but this brown stuff is driving my insane. Here are my test results.

SG: 1.026 (Milwaukee Digital Refractometer)
Temp: 80.4 (Apex probe)
Ammonia: 0 (Red Sea)
Nitrite: 0 (Hanna)
Phosphate: .03ppm (Hanna)
Phosphorous: 7ppb (Hanna)
pH: 8.02 (Apex probe)
Calcium: 451ppm (Hanna)
Alkalinity: 9.6dkh (Hanna)
Mag: 1360ppm (Red Sea)
Iron: 0 (Red Sea)
Potassium: 380 (Red Sea)
Iodine: .03 (Red Sea)

 

[Vorog]

How new is your tank?

 

[rogergolf66]

If it's a newish tank just diatoms and will go away in a few weeks.

 

[Vorog]

That's what I was thinking, looks like and sounds like what my tank is doing/going through right now too. I clean the glass everyday, and my starfish and crabs do a okay job at cleaning the sand. Thinking about getting a goby to sift some more sand lol

 

[aguila88psi]

Check your ro filters, may be too much silicates passing through

 

[rogergolf66]

Algea blenny is also helpfull.

 

[nitr8]

How new is your tank?

If it's a newish tank just diatoms and will go away in a few weeks.

The tank is about 7 months old and I've already been through ridiculous amounts of GHA, dinos, cyano and now possibly diatoms. What next?

That's what I was thinking, looks like and sounds like what my tank is doing/going through right now too. I clean the glass everyday, and my starfish and crabs do a okay job at cleaning the sand. Thinking about getting a goby to sift some more sand lol

I was thinking about a diamond goby or something too but i'm too afraid of my tank looking like a snow globe all the time. I have an 85x turnover rate. Every time the sand gets disturbed it takes hours for it to settle.

Check your ro filters, may be too much silicates passing through

TDS meter says 0 in my storage container. I also have inline TDS probes before and after DI. Before it's usually around 3 and after always 0. Would silicates register on a TDS meter?

Algea blenny is also helpfull.

I have 10 fish already in a 90 gallon and everyone seems to be getting along. Trying to avoid adding a territorial bully, if possible. Also, knock on wood, I have absolutely no algae in the tank. I supplement flakes for the tang daily. Would that suffice for an algae blenny?

Yasha Goby
Ocellaris
Yellow Tang (coming out soon, growing too fast)
Rayal Gramma
Blue green Chromis
Lyretail Anthias
Borbonius Anthias
Red Mandarin Dragonet
Ruby Red Dragonet
Bangaii Cardinal

 

[snake1]

I had something that looks like that when I put a diamond goby in he ate all of it in one night but im running bahama oolite much smaller grain then yours

 

[nitr8]

I had something that looks like that when I put a diamond goby in he ate all of it in one night but im running bahama oolite much smaller grain then yours

I used special grade reef sand.

 

[snake1]

I wasn't sure if the pieces are to big to sift some chunks look like the size of gravel....it looks really cool and natural .......I went pure oolite and the diamond sifts all day and all night the sand is pure white and the tank is not cloudy at all maybe he has cleaned the sand so much there is no more debris in the sand maybe your sand has some detritus and debris built up that when you stir it, it clouds up the tank.......I also have some nasarius snails too ...my friend had a diamond goby that didn't sift and eventually passed because his sand was more like natural sand with gravel sized chunks just food for thought

 

[Vorog]

I have Bimini pink sand, it's white with crushed shells (I don't see where the pink comes in). But I recently rearranged my rocks and corals. It made my tank cloudy for a few hours but settled quick. The biggest issue is I have particles floating around all the time, and micro bubbles. So I bought a big bio sponge to cut up and place in my filters and skimmer to help. If you have the room that may help catch some of the debris floating around on your tank.

 

[nitr8]

TDS meter says 0 in my storage container. I also have inline TDS probes before and after DI. Before it's usually around 3 and after always 0. Would silicates register on a TDS meter?

I just tested again

Before DI: 4
After DI: 0
RODI storage container: 0
Saltwater mixing barrel (pre salt): 3

Looks like my mixing barrel might be leaching something. I've had RODI water in it for about a week. I usually wait to add the salt until a couple days before I do the water change. Never thought to test the RODI in that barrel until now. Do you think that is anything to worry about or could it just be left over residue from the last batch? I wash it out with RODI water after each use though.

 

[snake1]

what kind of container

 

[nitr8]

what kind of container

Brute 30ish trash can for the mixing barrel. Food grade barrel for the RODI.

 

[snake1]

I use brutes I will have to check mine