Do you clean your sand?
- Thread starter fisherson
- Start date
mikeyjer
Active Member
Originally Posted by fisherson
Does anyone actually do anything to there sand or just let it be? I never cleaned my sand in anyway or moved it around...should i be? I always figured it was supposed to be left alone but was just wondering....
If your sandbed is live and have creatures to sift it around then there's no need to clean your sandbed. I don't and look how pretty my sandbed is...It was ugly for awhile until I got some Nassarius and Cerith snails to clean it up... :happyfish
Does anyone actually do anything to there sand or just let it be? I never cleaned my sand in anyway or moved it around...should i be? I always figured it was supposed to be left alone but was just wondering....
If your sandbed is live and have creatures to sift it around then there's no need to clean your sandbed. I don't and look how pretty my sandbed is...It was ugly for awhile until I got some Nassarius and Cerith snails to clean it up... :happyfish
trainfever
Active Member
What is that line in the middle of your sand in the front along the glass? I have that also and was told that it is cyanobacteria which is bad. I was also told that is was bacteria colonies which is good. I dont know what to believe.
T
thomas712
Guest
Originally Posted by trainfever
What is that line in the middle of your sand in the front along the glass? I have that also and was told that it is cyanobacteria which is bad. I was also told that is was bacteria colonies which is good. I dont know what to believe.
This is fairly normal for any sand bed that is above the plastic line, or even below for that matter.
It could be:
1. The bacteria that you speak of that helps to process nitrates, these usually show up as dark ~ even black colonies of bacteria. These are areas of low or no oxygen known as anoxic regions.
2. Since it is an exposed area to light then you could very well have algae colonies as well, this too is normal. These can start out green or even red, and sometimes wind up very dark as they eventually get starved out.
This is one reason a good cleanup crew will have nassarious snails, chitons, or even a fighting conch, as well as a healthy population of pods and worms.
Thomas
What is that line in the middle of your sand in the front along the glass? I have that also and was told that it is cyanobacteria which is bad. I was also told that is was bacteria colonies which is good. I dont know what to believe.
This is fairly normal for any sand bed that is above the plastic line, or even below for that matter.
It could be:
1. The bacteria that you speak of that helps to process nitrates, these usually show up as dark ~ even black colonies of bacteria. These are areas of low or no oxygen known as anoxic regions.
2. Since it is an exposed area to light then you could very well have algae colonies as well, this too is normal. These can start out green or even red, and sometimes wind up very dark as they eventually get starved out.
This is one reason a good cleanup crew will have nassarious snails, chitons, or even a fighting conch, as well as a healthy population of pods and worms.
Thomas
fedukeford
Active Member
when its looking extra dirty, i just stir it around a little bit, but since i got a couple pounds of Garf Grunge, it has looked cleaner
mikeyjer
Active Member
Originally Posted by Thomas712
This is fairly normal for any sand bed that is above the plastic line, or even below for that matter.
It could be:
1. The bacteria that you speak of that helps to process nitrates, these usually show up as dark ~ even black colonies of bacteria. These are areas of low or no oxygen known as anoxic regions.
2. Since it is an exposed area to light then you could very well have algae colonies as well, this too is normal. These can start out green or even red, and sometimes wind up very dark as they eventually get starved out.
This is one reason a good cleanup crew will have nassarious snails, chitons, or even a fighting conch, as well as a healthy population of pods and worms.
Thomas
It's algae like you said. I have clean up crews, I couldn't clean that part off cause my magnet scrubber couldn't do it, I'm gonna get a scrub pad to do so. And yes I have anoxic bacteria in my sandbed plus worms etc. :happyfish
This is fairly normal for any sand bed that is above the plastic line, or even below for that matter.
It could be:
1. The bacteria that you speak of that helps to process nitrates, these usually show up as dark ~ even black colonies of bacteria. These are areas of low or no oxygen known as anoxic regions.
2. Since it is an exposed area to light then you could very well have algae colonies as well, this too is normal. These can start out green or even red, and sometimes wind up very dark as they eventually get starved out.
This is one reason a good cleanup crew will have nassarious snails, chitons, or even a fighting conch, as well as a healthy population of pods and worms.
Thomas
It's algae like you said. I have clean up crews, I couldn't clean that part off cause my magnet scrubber couldn't do it, I'm gonna get a scrub pad to do so. And yes I have anoxic bacteria in my sandbed plus worms etc. :happyfish