Brown Dust
- Thread starter fosser
- Start date
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by fosser http:///t/394932/brown-dust#post_3515451
Tank is 6 months old, I use RO water and top off with RO water.
Also...do you have a power head aimed at the rock to keep it clear? You can also blast the rock with a turkey baster (mark it fish only) when you do a water change. Algae collecting on the glass is normal and we use a mag float once or twice a day to keep the front and sides of the glass clean. I get brown algae because the seahorse tank has cold water, and the green algae would grow on my reef , because that tank water was very warm. What temperature is your tank set at?
Originally Posted by fosser http:///t/394932/brown-dust#post_3515451
Tank is 6 months old, I use RO water and top off with RO water.
Also...do you have a power head aimed at the rock to keep it clear? You can also blast the rock with a turkey baster (mark it fish only) when you do a water change. Algae collecting on the glass is normal and we use a mag float once or twice a day to keep the front and sides of the glass clean. I get brown algae because the seahorse tank has cold water, and the green algae would grow on my reef , because that tank water was very warm. What temperature is your tank set at?
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by fosser http:///t/394932/brown-dust#post_3515528
I have a power head aimed at the front glass. I do use a Baster during water changes and my temp is around 82. The brown algae is collecting on the CC an the glass. I have to clean the glass daily now because of it.
Cleaning the glass daily is normal, brown, green and Coraline algae collects on the front glass...so it's okay if you have to clean it daily with a mag float. Whatever you do, DO NOT add anything to the water to kill algae. Saltwater tanks have lots of snails, tiny critters living in the live rock, and the fauna in the sand, they all depend on the algae to live, and if you treat the water to prevent algae...you do lots of damage to the mini Eco system you have going.
Originally Posted by fosser http:///t/394932/brown-dust#post_3515528
I have a power head aimed at the front glass. I do use a Baster during water changes and my temp is around 82. The brown algae is collecting on the CC an the glass. I have to clean the glass daily now because of it.
Cleaning the glass daily is normal, brown, green and Coraline algae collects on the front glass...so it's okay if you have to clean it daily with a mag float. Whatever you do, DO NOT add anything to the water to kill algae. Saltwater tanks have lots of snails, tiny critters living in the live rock, and the fauna in the sand, they all depend on the algae to live, and if you treat the water to prevent algae...you do lots of damage to the mini Eco system you have going.
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by fosser http:///t/394932/brown-dust#post_3515533
I have not treated it for algae. I was just concerned about my CC going all brown. Looks dirty.
That's a common complaint people have about Crushed coral substrates. It's so coarse that the CUC can't keep it clean like they can the sand. Most people that have CC have to vacuum it each time they do the water changes...otherwise, as you have discovered, it looks like crap.
Originally Posted by fosser http:///t/394932/brown-dust#post_3515533
I have not treated it for algae. I was just concerned about my CC going all brown. Looks dirty.
That's a common complaint people have about Crushed coral substrates. It's so coarse that the CUC can't keep it clean like they can the sand. Most people that have CC have to vacuum it each time they do the water changes...otherwise, as you have discovered, it looks like crap.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
I like crushed coral and never really had any major problems with it. It's good to vacuum it out once every three months or so - you can't just let it sit and accumulate nutrients. In fact, one time I used a 1.5" layer of crushed coral on the bottom of the tank and then put about 4" of live sand on top of that... it created your basic plenum system without the PVC pipes (Jaubert system, if your interested) the anaerobic zones in the deeper substrate was able to effectively break down waste. That doesn't mean that you don't have to occasionally maintain your sandbed by adding new live sand and other microinverts to help keep the sandbed from becoming stagnant. Obviously it is better if you do a deep sand bed in a separate aquarium/container such as a refugium.