sand not looking so hot=(

[happy_valley]

hiya folks,

i was wondering what suggestion you folks have to help me handle a lil situation thats starting.

my tank has been up for about 6 mnths and was doing well, until i started to get green (im assuming) algae all over the sand and long purple hair algae on one rock. everything tests perfect as normal but this has really started to make my tank looks nasty...driving me crazy.

a lil bout my tank my 2 koralia 1's face towards the front as does the stock returen pump total of 3 pumps, 35lbs live rock, chemi pure elite bag changed every two months, kent marine nano supplement a&b, kent calciums supplement aswell, supod with 10k xm on for 10hrs a day then moonlights and 2 gal water change once a week. at this point no fish just some corals. oh and cleaning crew is plenty for my bc 29 gal.

i just dont know what i should do...suggestions please


thanx a ton,


happy_valley

[reefman13]

If you haven't got any already, get some Nassuris snails, I have 6 of them (the extra large Tongan ones) and I would not trade them for a million dollars (if I did, I would use the million $$$ to go buy more;)).

They are fantastic when it comes to the care of the sand. They bury themselves and take care of all the detris and crap that sits down there.

[Saltwaterstart]

It seems like you're off to a good start actually. You chose corals over fish, and you have all the right equipment.

For starters, what are your water parameters? If you have a nitrate or a phosphorus reading, you will be getting a lot of purple and greens (or hair algae for the hairy stuff, and cyanobacteria for the slimy stuff).

If it is absolutely urgent and is a huge problem, turn off your lights for 3 days, allowing no light to get into your system. Then, turn on your acintic lights for 1 day, and then back to a regular schedule. It won't harm your corals, but it will get rid of a good portion of the algae. I'd also recommend some filter media changes, and the purchase of phosban.

That's about all I can think of until I get your water parameters.

[Illuminati]

What water source are you using? If it's a home RO/DI machine when were the filters last replaced? Have a TDS meter?

[happy_valley]

thank you so much for your responses=-)

not a huge problem i just hate looking at that start of some green funk on the sand and the 3 lil spots of purple hair starting.

i gotta get a couple more of the sand sifters because i only have 2=( thought thtat would be okay!

my test kit says that i have got 0 and 0 for nitrate nitrite and ammonia! same its been the same unless they're not correct. i will post a pic asap of tank but having camera issues, but my aquascape is in kind of a horse shoe shape which i absolutely love. I just dont know if im not getting enough flow through the bottom. Maybe my water flow is skipping off of the top secton of the rocks and hitting lower section with too much flow. i thought it was enought but maybe i need more downward direct flow. i dont really notice any dead spots when particles are floating around but that doesnt mean everything.

i use ro/di water that reads 4 ppm so i figured that was pretty good.

my rock has tons of green, pink and red i just didnt know what steps to take to care of the situation because its driving me crazy! hahaha


thanx a lot folks=)

happy_valley

[happy_valley]

silly me i almost forgot to mention to say i just upped my lights from 8hrs to 10 hrs...is that enough to cause this bloom?!?!?

[zack85]

sounds like diatoms - normal in a newer tank. it will balance itself, but sand-sifting snails might help...

check this out for tips
http://nanoreef.co.uk/index.php/2005/11/

[fishquaria]

What is the sand you're using? This maybe due to silicates being leached into the water. Are you using silica sand? Generally this should clear up in time. Water changes will help.