Big problems. My fault?

[MelodiB]

Hope someone can offer me some advice. I have a nano tank 15g. It will be a year old in August. Recently, I've started having all the "normal" problems with algae, etc. I test my water weekly and it's been stable. A few weeks ago, I decided my sand and rocks were looking really bad and did vacuum about 1/4 of the sand, took out half the rock work and cleaned it and the tank looked great. Until the next week.
I started another clean up but when i took the vacuum to the sand, this awful, grayish stuff filled the water column with particles that stuck to the legs and faces of the shrimp and crabs. Eventually it settled into a gray ash everywhere but now there is a bad outbreak of suspected dinos and cyano. I started a black out yesterday after a 50% change.

Any suggestions for getting everything clean and happy again? After the blackout, I'll do another water change but should I never vacuum the sand or stir again? Suggestions for additional clean up crew and/or nutrients I can add?
Current inhabitants :
1 narsarrius
1 red legged hermit
3 astra
2 turbo
1 peppermint shrimp
1 emerald crab
1 wheelers goby and pistol shrimp pair.

Thanks in advance. Any advice for what to do next is appreciated. BTW, what is the best option for cleaning up rock work outside the tank with a pistol having created a mansion underneath it all!

 

[CMMorgan]

Hope someone can offer me some advice. I have a nano tank 15g. It will be a year old in August. Recently, I've started having all the "normal" problems with algae, etc. I test my water weekly and it's been stable. A few weeks ago, I decided my sand and rocks were looking really bad and did vacuum about 1/4 of the sand, took out half the rock work and cleaned it and the tank looked great. Until the next week.
I started another clean up but when i took the vacuum to the sand, this awful, grayish stuff filled the water column with particles that stuck to the legs and faces of the shrimp and crabs. Eventually it settled into a gray ash everywhere but now there is a bad outbreak of suspected dinos and cyano. I started a black out yesterday after a 50% change.

Any suggestions for getting everything clean and happy again? After the blackout, I'll do another water change but should I never vacuum the sand or stir again? Suggestions for additional clean up crew and/or nutrients I can add?
Current inhabitants :
1 narsarrius
1 red legged hermit
3 astra
2 turbo
1 peppermint shrimp
1 emerald crab
1 wheelers goby and pistol shrimp pair.

Thanks in advance. Any advice for what to do next is appreciated. BTW, what is the best option for cleaning up rock work outside the tank with a pistol having created a mansion underneath it all!

You can scrub rockwork in the tank with a toothbrush and a siphon hose. What did you clean the rock out of the tank with? Could there be any contamination or could the grey ash just be algae die off?
Do you have pics? What are your parameters?

 

[MelodiB]

You can scrub rockwork in the tank with a toothbrush and a siphon hose. What did you clean the rock out of the tank with? Could there be any contamination or could the grey ash just be algae die off?
Do you have pics? What are your parameters?

I'll get some pics if I can. Tank currently covered. I took a peak and the strange webbed type algae is gone so hopefully this is working. Does algae die off typically stick to the poor critters?
I pulled the rock out and cleaned it with a toothbrush in a bucket of the tank water I removed during water change and rinsed in hot tap water then dipped in fresh saltwater before returning to tank.

I've had my head buried in these posts but have not been able to find anything like it and finished reading opinions about sand stirring vs not. Now wonder if stirring things up released something bad. Considering getting a UV but my tank is a small 15g. My parameters have had no unusual spikes.

I have so much to learn!

 

[CMMorgan]

I'll get some pics if I can. Tank currently covered. I took a peak and the strange webbed type algae is gone so hopefully this is working. Does algae die off typically stick to the poor critters?
I pulled the rock out and cleaned it with a toothbrush in a bucket of the tank water I removed during water change and rinsed in hot tap water then dipped in fresh saltwater before returning to tank.

I've had my head buried in these posts but have not been able to find anything like it and finished reading opinions about sand stirring vs not. Now wonder if stirring things up released something bad. Considering getting a UV but my tank is a small 15g. My parameters have had no unusual spikes.

I have so much to learn!

WE ARE ALL LEARNING! Don't beat yourself up. Everyday is just an opportunity to learn something new. In a reef tank, things stick to everything. Could it be webs?
I don't think the sand really did it. I'm glad it is clearing up.

 

[MelodiB]

WE ARE ALL LEARNING! Don't beat yourself up. Everyday is just an opportunity to learn something new. In a reef tank, things stick to everything. Could it be webs?
I don't think the sand really did it. I'm glad it is clearing up.

I don't think it's webs. I read something about a "worm" but I started with dry rock. Can hitchhikers come in on small coral frags? I watch my tank daily and have never seen anything but that doesn't matter LOL.
Going to move forward with the blackout until tomorrow. Then another water change only - maybe a gentle scrub inside tank and gentle rock siphon to remove as much as possible.
Going to take a sample of it to LFS and see what they say. So far though, everyone is ok. We've heard the pistol shrimp fire his claw a few times, so that means the peppermint shrimp is being obnoxious. Business as usual, only in the dark!
Thank you for the encouragement.