Detritus all over sand bed please help!

commanderwho · Mar 11, 2021

Hello,
I have a waterbox 20 cube that just have a lot of detritus on the bottom of the tank. I have the light off today to hopefully help with the problem but it doesn’t seem to be.

there is also some brownish algae film growing on top of it.

I have been doing weekly 15 percent water change and there’s no fish in the tank as I’m going through fallow right now due to ich/brook.
Before the ich outbreak I did loose a royal gramma in the rock work and never found his body...not sure if that’s what’s causing all the detritus? It’s been 3 weeks since he vanished.

clean up crew : 2 cerith snails, 2 nassarius snails, 4 trochus snails, 1 tiger conch (just added 1 week ago) 4 hermit crabs.

I also used boyd chemi clean for Cyanobacteria and it seemed like that’s gone but the detritus is worse.

light is on 7 hours only and I do run a UV on the tank.
Any help or advice on clearing up would greatly appreciated it. Thanks!

Rubberfrog · Mar 11, 2021

That looks like a newerish tank.

commanderwho · Mar 11, 2021

Rubberfrog said:
That looks like a newerish tank.

Tank has been running for 6 months

Cory · Mar 11, 2021

Im not sure i see detritus but i can see possibly diatoms or dinoflagelets on the sand. Is that your concern?

commanderwho · Mar 12, 2021

Cory said:
Im not sure i see detritus but i can see possibly diatoms or dinoflagelets on the sand. Is that your concern?

Hello, yes that is my concern! I thought that was detritus this whole time lol

commanderwho · Mar 12, 2021

Cory said:
Im not sure i see detritus but i can see possibly diatoms or dinoflagelets on the sand. Is that your concern?

What’s the best way to get rid of it? I’m not even feeding the tank

Cory · Mar 12, 2021

commanderwho said:
What’s the best way to get rid of it? I’m not even feeding the tank

If its diatoms, its silicate feeding it. Could be your fresh water or the sand if its silca based. If its dinoflagellets, your best bet is a uv sterilizer. Microscope is the best way to id them. Since they are on the sand, it may be amphidium dinos which dont go in the water where uv can kill them. Some report success increasing no3 and po4 to get hair alge growth which competed with the dinos.