Ugly Sand!!!

[ryanhayes9]

I once HAD to top off with tap water.... well niw im regreting it.....
there is hair algae and cyano on the sandbed. I have tried nassaurius snails, red slime removerand more hermits but it just gets worse. I was going to get a type of sand sifting star to get it clean but im not sure..... what should i do? I cant reduce lights n e more as i have corals. i have
roughly 18 hermits
4 turbo snails
8 nassaurius snails
if i got like 30 more hermits would that help? I have been wanting a starfish like a brittle star..... maybe its time?

 

[imurnamine]

Put that fat steak-eating Dalmatian in there. He will clean it up in no time.
Heh... well... Is this your older tank or is this a new one...?

 

[chipmaker]

I have my doubts if it wa just top off water from one time and not really the feed yur feeding and the amount your feeding. Lights have no effect on cyano. What is your bio load? What do yu feed. How often do yu feed? Do a water change, pul out and scrub any hair algae of liverock if possible, or else cut it close as you can, syphon out red algae with a air hose or turkey baster, thendo another change of water. I wold also reduce the amount of food and the frequency you feed. Its not gonna kill anyhting to go a few days without food until some of that "excessive nutrient source is used up"

 

[ryanhayes9]

i have
1 false perc
1 sixline
1 pygmy angel
1 ywg
in a 55. i feed once a day at night. i do supplement my reef in it every 2 dyas with coral something. ill try every 5 days.
any creatures that can help?
imurnamine
its a tank of about 6 months

 

[michaeltx]

what foods are you feeding some have phophates in them for some stupid reason. also hpw big of a top off did you do with tap water?
Mike

 

[ryanhayes9]

i feed Bio blend marine staple diet. i read the ingredients and i says it contains dicalcium phosphate

it says 1.1% max of phosphorus

it was about a 4 gallon top off although now i think its the food. im gonna get a sand sifting star today..... they dont get rid of good things right?
should i get a red linkia or a brittle starfish for my sandbed?

 

[peckhead]

i have some pelets that i feed to the fish sometimes...it says it has 0.6 - 0.9% phosphorus in it....that causes algae?

 

[michaeltx]

it can yes its not digested by the fish so it comes out in there waste and goes into the system. and can build up into the tank causing algae. I prefer to use foods that are phophorous and phosphate free. I also like homemade foods for this reason.,
Mike

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by MichaelTX
it can yes its not digested by the fish so it comes out in there waste and goes into the system. and can build up into the tank causing algae. I prefer to use foods that are phophorous and phosphate free. I also like homemade foods for this reason.,
Mike
Ditto to that Mike.
I had a really bad outbreak of green hair algae a while back. I ended up cutting back on feedings, light, and whenever I did my weekly water change, I picked off as much of the cr*p as I possibly could. It finally, FINALLY went away entirely and I haven't seen hide nor hair of it since. Persistence...that's all I can suggest. As far as the cyano, I can't really comment...never had it, well, not yet **knock on wood!!**

Good luck to you on getting rid of that stuff.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[badoleross]

Maracyn for freshwater will get rid of Cyno in 2-3 days. Add 1 tablet per 10 gallons of water. Crush the tablets up before adding them to the tank. I just cleared out a 220 that was covered in the stuff.

 

[renogaw]

hoping you didnt get a sand sifter star.
i'm surprised red slime remover didnt work... it worked like a charm for me and everyone else who said they used it. did you turn off your skimmer?
if you put in some chemicals you will kill off all your bacteria in your tank, which is what myracin is supposed to do, but that includes beneficial bacteria as well. the sand sifter will eat things you don't want eaten out of your sand.
with your corals, its going to be tough to turn off your lights for a couple days, but that's the best way to kill everything you're dealing with along with water changes and changing your food.