I got my diatom bloom today!

[markkazdad]

In both the 10g and 2g I have brown stuff on the sand. I was starting to get worried it wasn't going to happen.

Diatoms and xenia in one day! w00t!

:bounce:

 

[kmaintl]

:angel: you must be cycling your new tank.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Have you tested for ammonia and nitrate? If your ammonia level is zero and the nitrate level is increasing, you can start adding a cleanup crew slowly.

Astraea snails clean diatom off rocks nicely although they need to be kept upright. If they land upside down, they cannot turn themselves up and expire quickly. They don't bulldoze small rocks or plugs of coral frags like larger Turbo snails can, though. A few nassarius snails can keep your sand bed looking clean and white.

Havind some movements in your tank makes it a lot of fun.

Personally, I do not put hermit crabs because they tend to eat snails (not just to rob their shells) although many people love the small blue-legged hermit crabs. Another thing that I don't put in my tank is a sand sifting starfish (which evetually starves to death) or a sand sifting goby like a sleeper goby (who make such a mess turning the substrate and burying corals on the sand bed.) It's just my personal preference based on my or other people's experience.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Congrats!

 

[nhago]

Personally, I do not put hermit crabs because they tend to eat snails (not just to rob their shells) although many people love the small blue-legged hermit crabs. Another thing that I don't put in my tank is a sand sifting starfish (which evetually starves to death) or a sand sifting goby like a sleeper goby (who make such a mess turning the substrate and burying corals on the sand bed.) It's just my personal preference based on my or other people's experience.

I have to agree with Tomoko on both counts! I can't count how many snails have been killed by my crabs.. I started out adding about a 50/50 ration between snails and crab and as they die, i have only added more snails. i still see some crabs eventually, but I have 95% snails now.

Also, I do have a diamond goby and it every time i look to the tank, there are sand particles all over it... It doesn't bother me to the point of wanting to take it out of the tank, but it doesn't go unnoticed either!!