Brown sand bed.

[Jarhead-CO]

So I have been dealing with brown "algea" on my sand bed for almost a year now I have done blackouts now I cant cover my tank but I've kept the lights off for up to a week. I've run red slime remover nothing has worked. This tank has been up for about 3 years. My nitrates are between 40-50. Ph is 7.8. Salinity is 1.025 and that's all I can test for right now between my son just being born and having to take unpaid leave from work I'm a little strapped at the moment. I would like to get a uv filter when I can but is there anything natural I can try untill I'm able to get other things.

 

[Hemmdog]

Have you siphoned the sand bed? It looks like diatoms. You’re not using tap water are you?

 

[InCodWeTrust]

Do you have any sand sifters in your tank? I had a lot of algae growing on my sand bed but with the help of my diamond goby and a couple of Nassarius snails, the algae disappeared.

 

[Jarhead-CO]

Have you siphoned the sand bed? It looks like diatoms. You’re not using tap water are you?

Yes I siphoned it multiple times I bought a diamond watchman goby to turn my sand bed awhile ago but he went carpet surfing (which was sad cause he was awesome) but even the sand that he would turn over would be brown in 2 days. I only use distilled water that I buy my filters for my rodi went bad and need replaced so right now I'm buying distilled water from the store.

 

[Jarhead-CO]

Do you have any sand sifters in your tank? I had a lot of algae growing on my sand bed but with the help of my diamond goby and a couple of Nassarius snails, the algae disappeared.

I have the Hawaiian black sand and it's to coarse for Nassarius snails but I am always looking for a sand sifter that can deal with coarser sand.

 

[Hemmdog]

Yes I siphoned it multiple times I bought a diamond watchman goby to turn my sand bed awhile ago but he went carpet surfing (which was sad cause he was awesome) but even the sand that he would turn over would be brown in 2 days. I only use distilled water that I buy my filters for my rodi went bad and need replaced so right now I'm buying distilled water from the store.

Oh ok. If that’s Tahitian moon sand, it’s magnetic, meaning it’s composition includes heavy metals. If you’ve had the tank that long the “black sand” could very well be oxidizing(rusting). I would look into a triton ICP test to see what’s in your water potentially.

 

[Jarhead-CO]

Oh ok. If that’s Tahitian moon sand, it’s magnetic, meaning it’s composition includes heavy metals. If you’ve had the tank that long the “black sand” could very well be oxidizing(rusting). I would look into a triton ICP test to see what’s in your water potentially.

I'll order one of those when I can but could be a few weeks. The sand is magnetic even though it was the black arag Hawaiian sand not the tahitian moon but my other tank is running the same sand but only for about a year and a half and I dont have this problem in that tank.