Why do I have Brown stuff on my sand?

[findingnemo2]

Yes, its me again with another question, thank goodness for this forum! I don't have brown stuff except in certain areas, could I need more water flow in these areas? After reading and reading, thats what I am thinking I need, I feel these are the dead areas of my tank thats getting the brown on the sand. Any suggestion as to how many power heads I would need for a 110 DT. Any wonderful brands out there? I do have a clean up crew also. Thanks all! Oh, And about the direction to put them once I have them, aim them where these dead areas are correct?

 

[saltyshogun]

I also get the small "dead spots" where algae will start to grow on the sand. If you don't have some sort of sand sifter critter you can stir up the sand weekly using a turkey baster. Just don't go over board stirring up the sand cause your water levels may jump around.

 

[saltn00b]

i almost choked - i thought the title of this thread was "Why do I have Brown stuff on my hand? "
LMAO
anyway if its a new tank, its most likely diatoms , a common phase for new tanks, it will likely get worse then dissappear and never come back.

 

[seamandrew]

I highly recommend investing in a brittle star (one of the easier to keep species), some crab, some nassarius snails, some nerite snails, and some hermit crabs. They should do a good job of stirring things up for you. Thank heavens for the pollution control team!

 

[b bauer]

add up all your devices that make flow (gph) then divide by your tank size yours being 110g.you should be around 20 or higher.welcome to the boards

 

[maxalmon]

Flow and a new tank almost sound like a bad sitcom

.
What type of lighting and how long are you running the lights?
.
This is usually part of new tank syndrom and will go away, if it doesn't, then you probably have a diatom issue......Or....It could be just a build up of tank gunk, that needs to be flushed out or skimmed off...Any way of posting pics?

 

[findingnemo2]

Well, I took care of it yesterday, for the time being, vac. my sand and did partial water change, very first by the way. Thanks everyone for the gre
at advice. I have lights on the way for this as I want this to be a reef tank. Have snails also. I hear crabs are not always safe for a reef, so, have not added any yet. I have tinsie tiny brittle stars that were hitch hiking on my live rock. Cheers!

 

[seamandrew]

Au contraire, mon-fraire,
You can get the tiny red-leg hermit crabs or blue-leg hermit crabs which are readily available in the industry. They're not only reef safe, it is recommended you have some (I prefer the blue ones). Other reef safe hermit crabs include the Polkatotted hermit, blue-knuckle hermit, and if you can find them, the coral hermit crabs.
Also, there are many small species of Crab that are indeed reef safe and make a striking addition to the tank. Look up Pom-Pom Crab (aka Boxer Crab), Coral Crabs, and Porcelain Crabs. I love the pop-pom crab as it carries two small anemones in it's claws which it uses for defense and for feeding.
Emerald Crabs and Sally lightfoot crabs are also classified as reef safe, but can be a potential threat to small fish.