Algae on sand?

wayner

wayner

Member
Hello I have a 75 gallon fish/live rock tank. I only have 2 fish in there. The problem im having is the algae thats growing on the rocks is starting to grow on my sand and I was wondering is this naturally supposed to happen ? Or is the sand suppose to stay white all the time?
 
levinjac

levinjac

Active Member
ya it happeneds oh hi did you get rid of the shark and flounder you said 2 fish so one died or u gave it away i dunno?
 
wayner

wayner

Member
i still have the flounder the damsel and im still waiting for the shark egg to hatch, hes still alive tho and growing, so im assuming this algae is healthy.... but aventually its going to all turn brown and look ugly :(
 
levinjac

levinjac

Active Member
CUC snails crabs starfish ect.. you dont need or i dont think you can have cuc with a shark and or flounder
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Your tank should have passed the brown diatom bloom stage, most new tanks get it, but with the flounder, it just may have taken longer to finally catch up. Google brown diatoms to view images to be certain that's what it is, but I'm fairly certain that is what's going on. Diatoms will eventually go away on their own 95% of the time, especially if you maintain good water quality and keep up with water changes. They eat all the silicates in the sand/substrate and then die off once their is no more silicats for them to eat. Keep in mind that if silicates are present in your water, such as when using tap water, they will constantly have something to eat and won't die off. If they do not die off in the next two weeks, order a Salifert Silicate test kit to test for it in your tank/water. They naturally occur in all new tanks, but do look gross while they are there. Some people GENTLY stir the sand which I don't recommend, some vaccuum them out (I do) and most just let them run their course.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by wayner http:///forum/thread/381360/algae-on-sand#post_3321258
but how do people keep who dont have fish that shift sand keep there sand white?
Siphoning/good clean up crew/maintaining excellent water conditions/proper flow
fishless tanks have less waste as well
Quote:
Originally Posted by levinjac http:///forum/thread/381360/algae-on-sand#post_3321257
you have a flunder that shifts sand so i wouldnt worry
I wouldn't say that. They eat the beneficial things in the sand as well. They eventually leave sand beds barren and can create more bad than good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by levinjac http:///forum/thread/381360/algae-on-sand#post_3321259
CUC snails crabs starfish ect.. you dont need or i dont think you can have cuc with a shark and or flounder
Not much of a CUC. I'm not good with CUC's for aggressive setups.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wayner http:///forum/thread/381360/algae-on-sand#post_3321264
so the founder will also try to eat the CUC is what your saying
Flounders eat EVERYTHING they can fit in their mouth.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Speaking of the shark egg, have you done any research on how you're going to go about enticing the freshly hatched shark to eat? Many baby sharks fail to eat for their owners and die.
 
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