I love a clean tank!!! any tips out there?

[addicted2]

I love a clean looking tank. I have a 75 gal. it's only 2 months old. it was very clean up until a week or two ago and I have seen a little more brown color on my sand as each day passes. I only use RO water (I have my own unit), I have an aqualight pro light with 2 150 MH in it that I run halides 8 hrs a day, I have a 20 gallon sump/refugium with chaeto-G1 ASM protein skimmer, and 2 Rio 800 PH in the tank. there is also a little green algae on the back glass that I let there because I have fish and snails that seem to love it. but the green is no where else. anyways, the brown drives me crazy! it's not slimy or anything just looks like brown spotted sand. I was wondering, is there any tricks I can do? I would like to do something before it gets bad. :help: oh, I also have about 15 snails, 10 nassarius snails and 20 hermits.
Here is a pic. hard to see what I'm talking about on the sand tho.
ANY suggestions will be appreciated. ***)

 

[reeffer]

Originally Posted by addicted2
I love a clean looking tank. I have a 75 gal. it's only 2 months old. it was very clean up until a week or two ago and I have seen a little more brown color on my sand as each day passes. I only use RO water (I have my own unit), I have an aqualight pro light with 2 150 MH in it that I run halides 8 hrs a day, I have a 20 gallon sump/refugium with chaeto-G1 ASM protein skimmer, and 2 Rio 800 PH in the tank. there is also a little green algae on the back glass that I let there because I have fish and snails that seem to love it. but the green is no where else. anyways, the brown drives me crazy! it's not slimy or anything just looks like brown spotted sand. I was wondering, is there any tricks I can do? I would like to do something before it gets bad. :help: oh, I also have about 15 snails, 10 nassarius snails and 20 hermits.
ANY suggestions will be appreciated. ***)
stay on top of your water changes

 

[earlybird]

Diatoms- all new tanks go through a bloom. It's a sign that everything is good and will go away on its own. Your snails will help the process. It's also essential to their diet.

 

[addicted2]

Originally Posted by reeffer
stay on top of your water changes

sounds good. I do a 5 gal change every weekend. is that enough? it's a convenient amount for me. 5 gallon bucket and all. easy to put into the sump then. is that the correct way? do it through your sump? I siphon from DT and put in in the sump?

 

[addicted2]

Originally Posted by earlybird
Diatoms- all new tanks go through a bloom. It's a sign that everything is good and will go away on its own. Your snails will help the process. It's also essential to their diet.
I really hate the diatom look tho. It will clear up on it's own? get white again?

 

[dejaco]

If you really want clean sand all the time - put in a Diamond watchman goby.
Amazing how ththey sift your sand all day!

 

[earlybird]

It should clear up. Do a search for "diatoms" and you'll see. EVERY new tank gets it and w/o help from snails and such it will eventually go away on its own. 5 gallon on a 75 is okay in my opinion but I plan on 5 in my 29 every week. If you can up it to 10 I think you'd be better off. You can siphon from you DT and add to sump no problem. You're on the right track. I'd love to see pictures of your tank.

 

[addicted2]

Originally Posted by earlybird
It should clear up. Do a search for "diatoms" and you'll see. EVERY new tank gets it and w/o help from snails and such it will eventually go away on its own. 5 gallon on a 75 is okay in my opinion but I plan on 5 in my 29 every week. If you can up it to 10 I think you'd be better off. You can siphon from you DT and add to sump no problem. You're on the right track. I'd love to see pictures of your tank.
thankyou. I will take some newer pics and post. I have had a 29 gal for over 15 years and have slowly moved the fish over after my new tank cycled. I loved my 29. unfortunately it finally started to leak around the bottom and it was time to put it to rest.

 

[earlybird]

Originally Posted by DeJaCo
If you really want clean sand all the time - put in a Diamond watchman goby.
Amazing how ththey sift your sand all day!
Be careful with sand sifters as they eat a lot of the beneficial bacteria and creatures in your sand. You may have to add sand over time to replace what they've eaten especially true of a shallow sand bed or smaller tank. I'm going to use nassarius snails to help with my sand.

 

[bluehippo3]

Diamond Goby