Could rusty sediment filter cause rusty looking sand?

[gfox]

Could rusty sediment filter cause rusty looking sand?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Could rusty sediment filter cause rusty looking sand?

Could be a sign of elevated silicates. Testing your water for them would be advisable if your having diatoms. A picture would help of your sand bed.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Could be a sign of elevated silicates. Testing your water for them would be advisable if your having diatoms. A picture would help of your sand bed.

Shouldn’t the carbon block and DI resins remove them? Wouldn’t a silicate show as a TDS?

 

[Yates273]

Same issue here is this a cause of silicates in water. I am currently running GFO. I have been using distilled water until now just installed an RODI. Holefully that will take care of problem.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Could rusty sediment filter cause rusty looking sand?

it is very common for sediment filters to discolor. that doesn’t mean it’s bad. you know it’s bad when your psi drops 10-20%, or replace every six months otherwise.

 

[gfox]

Could be a sign of elevated silicates. Testing your water for them would be advisable if your having diatoms. A picture would help of your sand bed.

I have never tested for silicates.Last test results were
PH-8.2
salintity-1.025
phosphate-.25
calcium-440
alk-10
nitrate-0

 

[theMeat]

Filters get discolored as they catch debris. Normal coarse of action.

Silicates are not bad as the once were thought to be. Just takes time for tank to adjust
Not saying your problem is silicates

Could be many things, like flow, nutrient spike now undetected. Or something as simple as now in winter with sun lower in sky, direct sunlight is making it to tank

 

[gfox]

Silicates are not bad as the once were thought to be. Just takes time for tank to adjust

Tank is 5 years old

 

[Flippers4pups]

Shouldn’t the carbon block and DI resins remove them? Wouldn’t a silicate show as a TDS?

Carbon blocks will remove some, as well as the DI resin, but if it's elevated, it will get by all of them. Local water supply companies add more silicate to their water supplies to reduce corrosion in the fall and winter months.

 

[theMeat]

Carbon blocks will remove some, as well as the DI resin, but if it's elevated, it will get by all of them. Local water supply companies add more silicate to their water supplies to reduce corrosion in the fall and winter months.

This is what i’v been told as well. Silicates are the smallest of contaminates, so they may make it past resin as well. Helps when you pack resin nice and tight

 

[gfox]

What could i do to fix this problem with the rusty sand?

 

[theMeat]

It’s not rusty, it’s bacterial

 

[CaptainOver]

Also check for dinos. I've had dinos set in when I had 0 nitrates...(I'm having to dose nitrates now to keep them above 0). There are many types of dinos, and not all of them form stringy clumps - some just look like a brownish powder on the sandbed - disappearing at night and coming back in the day. Best to look at your sand with a microscope (cheep ones are fine), or search the forums for dino IDs, as there are some other tests that can be done to identify.

 

[dwest]

Also check for dinos. I've had dinos set in when I had 0 nitrates...(I'm having to dose nitrates now to keep them above 0). There are many types of dinos, and not all of them form stringy clumps - some just look like a brownish powder on the sandbed - disappearing at night and coming back in the day. Best to look at your sand with a microscope (cheep ones are fine), or search the forums for dino IDs, as there are some other tests that can be done to identify.

Unfortunately I thought dinos are a possibility as well.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Post a picture of it so we can see what it could be.

 

[theMeat]

Dino’s aren’t bad, especially if you catch it quickly and raise nutrient levels

Get nitrates up to about 15 and wait till every last bit goes away. Then bring it back down but don’t go below 5

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

have you added anything new to your tank? rock, frags anything plastic? all of that can cause/spread silicates.

 

[gfox]

Nothing new.

 

[gfox]

See

Post a picture of it so we can see what it could be.

See what i can do tomorrow.

 

[gfox]

Trouble posting pics.The sand gets rusty looking if i don't stir the sand bed every couple of days.I posted my last test results earlier in the thread.Who makes the silicate test kits?