Do reefs have sand?

[rock_lobster]

delete

 

[Salty Carlo]

browning sand in a reef tank is normal and is called diatoms and are part of the cycle.They will go away on their own and there is no need to worry about it.

 

[saltyhog]

Every reef I've dived has had white sand. Surprisingly I've seen things we see in our tanks like cyano too.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

New tank syndrome and or nutrient issues... Mature tanks will have bleach white sand.

 

[Jose Mayo]

Just curious, never been snorkeling but it seems that many reef tanks I see have sand and it’s expected to be white in color. Beach sand is also white because of sun bleaching and massive amounts of constant weathering from waves that coral and algae couldn’t survive in. Beach fronts are probably lower nutrient than the reefs as well I would expect. Ive tried sand a few times and it’s always turned brown within a few weeks in my reefs. Makes me wonder if reefers are seeing this brown sand and thinking their nutrients are too high when in fact, is there even bleach white sand in any reef?

Yes, the reefs have sand derived from the erosion of the skeletons of the calcareous algae and haermatypic corals and also from the action of some of its inhabitants, especially the parrot fish, who literally eat stone corals and defecate sand, contributing to the formation of " aragonite "of the reefs, which is then kept white by other inhabitants, such as sea cucumbers, for example snails, starfish and other fish, as well as waves and strong marine currents that revolve the surface of the sand, preventing it from creating slime:

Regards