Brown Sand?

[marquet]

Why does my sand and LR turn brown 2-3 days after I clean the tank and glass? Have a 400w MH over a 150 gal tall. There are a clean up crew of 2 dz of: Turbos,bumble bee,margarita,baha snails and crabs. Thur.11-5-02 add 55# of LR, where as I know that will throw my tank into a cycle, but this is all the time.
When tested on Thur. for water par. everthing was were it was supposed to be (0) except for Nitrates (80). Feel like getting rid of MH.

 

[beth]

Is this a new tank? What are your phosphate readings? What type of substrate did you use? Give some tank info.
Diatoms are a common occurance with a new setup.

 

[marquet]

The tank has been setup since maybe August and LFS tested the phosphates and said they aren't to bad but 0.6 if I recall. sugar sized sand with deep sand bed 5"-6" running a sump w/bio balls and running carbon on the top of the sump as well as the bottom of the bio balls tray. vps skimmer
dogface puffer not helping by turning over snails

 

[marquet]

here is a pic

 

[beth]

What sandbed detritivores do you have in your tank? Do you have any other lighting besides the MHs? MH's are great but tanks usually need more color variance than what MH's can provide, like actinics.
Are you getting coraline algae? That pic makes things look pretty bleak.
What type of tank are you trying to set up? I can tell you that a puffer is not compatible with a DSB type system, as they will eat most of the animals you need to clean the bed. Also, bumble bee snails prey on other snails, and hermits also prey on snails. You need sand bed snails like fighting conchs, narrsarius and cerith snails, etc. You allso need a lot more LR for that tank. But I would suggest removing the predators: puffer, bumble bee, hermit crabs.

 

[marquet]

there are JBJ PC on the tank as well. I know I need more LR but can't get now, other bills. 24 Mexican turbos, 36 Margarita Snails, 36 Baja snails, 12 Bumble Bee, 12 Baha red Legged hermit,
The sand is Pure Caribbean Aragonite. I am going to change the carbon in the filter now and take out the Puffer and put in my 125gal fish only. I was trying to make the 150 a reef tank.

 

[marquet]

now my water looks like someone added chocolate milk in ther. very nasty. Should I take the fish out(2 perc. clowns,Salfin tang, Emporator Angel) They are swimming fine like it aint nobodys business. {if it ain't broke don't fix it???} Mixing new water today and going to do a water change while siphoning the sand bed. Put new carbon in the sump,while a poly fill pad on top of the bioballs.
THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[beth]

You do not have adequate export of nutrients, thus the high nitrates and the diatoms. What is your phosphate reading? What is your water source?
None of those snails spend much time in sand. Again, you need fighting conchs [2], narrsarius and cerith snails [about 25 combined]. For the rocks, torchus snails. What is your bristle worm population??
Don't syphon the sand. This is a DSB which needs a stable stand bed. Every time you move sand around you kill benefical nitrifying bacteria. If you can't stand looking at the diatoms, just lightly move the sand a bit.
Sounds like you have a wet/dry system??? Is that so? Bioballs are great for manufacturing nitrates! What's in the sump?

 

[beth]

I'm going to move this to the Reef Fourm, as your diatom problem is not really a disease. I think you'll get a lot of good advise there.
See you over there!

 

[sarge]

Beth, you mention that bio balls are great at producing nitrates, how do they do this? I have a wet/dry sump with bio balls, if I take them out do I put anything back in its place? My nitrates are 40 to 80ppm. Just added 4" sand and waiting for SWF to ship my live sand to top it off.

 

[marquet]

ARE u saying take out the bioballs? I won't siphon the sand since you're right about the DSB, have not seen bristle worms yet. Not understanding about not having adquate export of nutriens. I am using my tap water. But had test done on the water itself by people selling water units and when didn't need one surprising. Phosphates were a little high .8 and in the sump right now is a tower for the wet/dry system, heater, skimmer.

 

[beth]

Not enough LR, using tap water, w/d nitrite fractory, no infauna, here are your problems.
Test your tap water using a phosphate kit. You must cultivate sandbed creatures. Snails and worms that live in the sand. If you don't, then your sand bed will become stagnant. Do you see copepods in your tank [you should see them when the lights are off/using a flash light to look in].
The DSB system is a natural way of filtration--it should complete the nitrogen cycle so that you have no ammonia, no nitrites, no nitrates and no phosphates. It does not require a w/d which accumulates waste [nutrients] wo have a way to export [get rid of] the waste, except by you changing/cleaning the wd filter media frequently--which kinda defeats the purpose of the WD.
I sent you over to the reef forum so that you can get the learned opinions of knowledgable reefers with this not so uncommon problem. I'm sure they won't fail you in helping to resolve your problem.

 

[tcreef]

Marquet,
You added your rock a little over a month ago.....depending on the die off of the rock, cycling (stuff dying in a closed system) probably is occuring. If you are adding tap water anything like mine, you are just fueling the fire. If your mh bulb is new, I would rule out the light being the problem. I had bio-balls in my system for the first 4 years of my 75g, and unless your balls look like a solid mass of crap then they shouldn't be the problem. My guess.
Normal cycling. Sux..... we have all had it.
Bad Water. Invest in a R/O unit.
Have Patience.

 

[j21kickster]

1. scrape
2. waterchange
3. trochus snails
4. ro water
5.phosphate sponge (if needed)