HELP Black pieces apprearing in Crushed coral substrate HELP

[aquablizz]

definitely white/tan inside.... encrusted for sure...

 

[aquablizz]

want to thank everyone for your input... I'll just have to keep an eye on things and if it gets out of hand, might be time for a new substrate after all these years,,,,, don't want to go there yet.. LOL

 

[jenkinscrew2578]

Interesting, I was thinking it was pieces of carbon escaping a bag/reactor. Wonder if you have like spot behind or under your reef that a shrimp/crab is bringing them out from a hole somewhere? Just some thoughts. Let us know when you find an answer!

 

[aquablizz]

never thought of that,,, I'll keep an eye out.. maybe someone's creating trouble LOL

 

[Rybren]

Do you have a magnifying glass, or better yet, a jeweler's loup? It would be interesting to look at it under magnification.

 

[WetWhistle]

Looking at that picture it looks like media that is from an anaerobic area with lack of O2 or some kind of bacterial growth. If you look at the pieces it is not encrusting on them but growing through them. It looks like to me if you left media in a canister and forgot to clean it. I bet something is digging up from under your rocks or lower in your bed and bringing it to the surface. If your tank is 15 the bed is getting old and will show signs of age like that. Any compacting in the substrate?

 

[aquablizz]

No compacting that I have noticed.. Whenever I did a water change I have always stirred up the substrate and never noticed anything out of the norm...

I'll be watching very closely over the next few days but it just might be time to bite the bullet and switch out the substrate..

 

[WetWhistle]

Definitely keep an eye open.

If you do need to remove the bed I do it in portions. My bed it 25 years old and I am in the process of removing and swapping out as it is breaking down. I take out small portions every day of substrate in order to reduce any issues or damage from disturbing it. I pull the substrate forward and remove portions that are in the front. I would run carbon and some filter socks\filter floss when removing and do small water changes every few days. If you don't have many corals a larger water change to reduce nutrient build up after removal will work to.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Definitely keep an eye open.

If you do need to remove the bed I do it in portions. My bed it 25 years old and I am in the process of removing and swapping out as it is breaking down. I take out small portions every day of substrate in order to reduce any issues or damage from disturbing it. I pull the substrate forward and remove portions that are in the front. I would run carbon and some filter socks\filter floss when removing and do small water changes every few days. If you don't have many corals a larger water change to reduce nutrient build up after removal will work to.

wow. 25 years. Not sure I could even comprehend that age for a tank. hopefully someday.

 

[WetWhistle]

I have had to move the tank twice now and any time I moved it I just left the substrate in. My recent setup after I had to move the tank I just left the substrate in because it was still healthy and rebuilt the rock face. But now it is so broken down in spots that it is going mucky in parts and hard like a rock in other so I started removing. It is not so bad to remove because when I set my tanks up I make sure as little substrate is below the rock structure as possible. To help avoid compaction and nutrient issues. The majority of my substrate is accessible so I can help maintain it properly. Hence why it lasted so long. Proper substrate placement is key to long term usage.

My DT has been used for so long I am looking at finally replacing it as I am not sure how long the tank seals actually hold. I worry that it will give way and spill everything onto my floor. The silicone still looks great with no bubbles so I assume I have a few years at least left out of it. But it has been used for 25+ years now so I worry. Still looks new as I only use new razer blades on the glass to clean it. Only one scratch where a rock fell on it.

 

[moditor]

Any egg smell? Usually when stuff like this turns black it is sulfurs. I have not seen it in upper layers of substrate in a healthy bed but I have in lower areas of substrate with no flow or a canister filter that was unhooked and the media was left in and died off. Turning black. Is substrate getting kicked up from under a rock? That had lack of flow... Or it could be carbon. Old substrate can do this as well if it has been used a long time but this is rare.

Is there a way to remove the sulfur? I know this is an ancient post but this stuff showed up on my brackish crab tank