How do you keep your sand looking good?

[twenty12]

I have a new tank (2 months now) and my glass and sand look bad about every three days or so. I clean my glass with a mag float. But how do you keep your sand looking clean? I have a diatom like and green algae growth that gets bad during the day, reduces at night, and over the week gets really bad. Then I do my weekly water change which stirs it up for the next week.
What do you recommend to help keep my sand base looking good? Sand sifting fish or starfish? Is it the sign of another problem (all my readings are solid and have been for over a month)?
Thanks.

 

[h2ocrazy]

It may be your lighting period.
I have about 30-40 snails, about 20 hermits, 1 sea hare(free hitchhiker), and 2 urchins, so I barely see any algae other than the one rock they don't want to clean.

 

[twenty12]

I have a 29 gallon. Right now I am running a cuc of 3 crabs and about 12 snails. I plan on getting another 3 or so this weekend. So maybe a bigger cuc is the issue. I also wondered about a blenny or some sand sifting fish.

 

[lsu]

I would not recommend a sand sifter for a 29 gal. They'll eat your microfauna faster than it can recover. Nass. snails would be a better option.

 

[waterlogged]

What type of water do you use?

 

[flricordia]

I like having pistol shrimp and goby-preferably Tiger pistol. It is very active and helps keep the SB stirred. Really needs a DSB.
But it could be that you are either running your lights too long, have excess organics, phosphates, silicates, lighting spectrum failure (old bulbs, wrong par) or any other number of things such as stocking too quickly before tank fully cycled. It is best to fix the cause before adding any more livestock that could actually add to the problem with more organics.

 

[t316]

You said readings are good. What is the exact reading on the Phosphates?

 

[draconis321]

It could be a certain type of bacteria I had the same thing except it was red
there is a chemical for it ask your local pet store

 

[1journeyman]

Brisk water flow across your sand, plenty of micro critters from quality live rock and live sand (not the bagged crap), proper fish (no sand "sifters") and a variety of cleaning crew (Nass snails, Ceriths, Turbos.)

 

[twenty12]

Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5
Phosphates: 0
Salinity: 1.025
I run stock lighting from 10am to 8 pm.
I create my own RO/DI water. I test it with a TDS meter and it reads zero.
There is some ambient outside light, but nothing direct.
I do water changes weekly of about 5 gallons.
Live stock of cuc mentioned, and only other inhabitants are peppermint shrimp and a firefish.
Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/2492535
You said readings are good. What is the exact reading on the Phosphates?

 

[twenty12]

I have 3 nass, 5 ceriths, 5 trochus, and 2 turbos.
1 blue leg, 1 zebra, and 2 red reef crabs.
As far as stocking too quick, I did not stock the fish or shrimp untill 3 weeks after the cycle completed (due to high nitrates). I did a water changes, and once the nitrates were low enough then i added the fish.
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
http:///forum/post/2492673
Brisk water flow across your sand, plenty of micro critters from quality live rock and live sand (not the bagged crap), proper fish (no sand "sifters") and a variety of cleaning crew (Nass snails, Ceriths, Turbos.)

 

[allenk]

I feel your pain. I had that same question for a long time. I kept seeing pictures of tanks with pristine sand beds while mine was constantly discolored by diatoms (brown) and cyano (reddish). I tested for silica and phosphates. I did water changes, I tested my nitrates. Eventually, it went away on its own. The only thing I really did differently was that I increased my water flow with additional power heads, and I fed the tank less often. I also think that there was possibly stuff in the sand I used that was feeding the problem, but I don't know for sure.
In short, part of your problem is just the natural cycle of getting the tank aged. Brown diatoms are part of the normal cycle and will go away on their own. If you have patches of cyanobacteria, you need to increase your water flow and make sure you are not overfeeding which can add excess nutrients including phosphates to the water.
For the record, all I have for equipment is a protein skimmer, two MJ-400 power heads with the propellor mods, a thermometer, and 2 x 175 MH and 2 X 96 watt actinic power compacts. I have had other equipment in the past, but this combination of items has given me a stable system with plenty of flow. I haven't had a problem with cyano or diatoms since FWIW. I have about 90 lbs of fiji rock in a 55 gallon tank and do 20% water changes every 1-2 weeks.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by allenk
http:///forum/post/2493142
I feel your pain. I had that same question for a long time. I kept seeing pictures of tanks with pristine sand beds while mine was constantly discolored by diatoms (brown) and cyano (reddish). I tested for silica and phosphates. I did water changes, I tested my nitrates. Eventually, it went away on its own. The only thing I really did differently was that I increased my water flow with additional power heads, and I fed the tank less often. I also think that there was possibly stuff in the sand I used that was feeding the problem, but I don't know for sure.
In short, part of your problem is just the natural cycle of getting the tank aged. Brown diatoms are part of the normal cycle and will go away on their own. If you have patches of cyanobacteria, you need to increase your water flow and make sure you are not overfeeding which can add excess nutrients including phosphates to the water.
For the record, all I have for equipment is a protein skimmer, two MJ-400 power heads with the propellor mods, a thermometer, and 2 x 175 MH and 2 X 96 watt actinic power compacts. I have had other equipment in the past, but this combination of items has given me a stable system with plenty of flow. I haven't had a problem with cyano or diatoms since FWIW. I have about 90 lbs of fiji rock in a 55 gallon tank and do 20% water changes every 1-2 weeks.

Just curiosity, what are you running for a CUC?

 

[suzy]

I really love a yellow headed sleeper goby for nice, clean white sand. But, he will bury anything on the substrate and irritate anything low in the tank. It's a priority to me, though. I like my sand to look good...
But, they are jumpers. Cover the tank if anything can spook him.