Live sand.. unsung hero?

Nikko · Jan 29, 2017

So, i was finally fed up with my hair algae infestation yesterday, and tore my whole tank apart and wire brushed the heck out of my live rock until there was no more sign of that muck. In my haste and lack of foresight, I left all my cleaned rocks out for a few hours before putting them in bins of freshwater and concerned they are now probably dead rock. By doing this, I've obviously eliminated the force that stops ammonia and nitrite in my DT. My tank is currently populated by 8 corals, a combination of softies and lps, and about 15 inverts. My water parameters are perfect as I would expect at this point in time. Running a skimmer as well. My question is, is there a possibility that the live sand I originally purchased that caused a diatom bloom, could help keep those levels where they need to be, given my bio-load should be very low based on the corals and handful of CUC members I have? Or am I up the proverbial poop creek without a paddle?

saltyphish · Jan 29, 2017

No fish? The sand will definitely have beneficial bacteria within it as long as its stayed in saltwater, but be on the watch out for anything leeching from the once liverock. If leaving the rock out of water didn't do it in the freshwater definitely killed all the living organisms in it. I have srubbed my liverock many of times to remove algae but plastic bristles wouldn't want a metal bristle to come loose and lodge itself in rock only to rust and ruin a tank. But always used saltwater to soak and rinse it. Also i keep the water at 78 degrees.

tutmatt3 · Jan 29, 2017

How long has your tank been set up and how long have you experienced the diatom bloom?
Mine currently started kicking in this week (tank up 1.5 months now), and I'm just going to let it fufill it's course. They'll go away once their primary food source is out of the water (silicates?) is what I've heard.

Looking from the posts (including the bad-butt ultimate guide stickied), it looks like it will hit at min of 3x algae phases before things settle out.

If your rock were only out for a few hours, then you'll prob be fine. You may have lost some, but they'll come back.
As I recall reading: the nitrifying bacteria are the first to come to the tank, and last to leave. Heard that they can last 24x hours out of water before considered dieing, but I'll let the pros chime in here.
All I can do is offer insight from what I've read, nothing I've experiences.

But don't worry, if there are a few left, they'll multiple and repopulate in no time!

Didn't see a mention, any fish in the tank?

Edit: As as salty mentioned, you put in freshwater? I got no knowledge in that aspect now :x

Nikko · Jan 29, 2017

saltyphish said:
No fish? The sand will definitely have beneficial bacteria within it as long as its stayed in saltwater, but be on the watch out for anything leeching from the once liverock. If leaving the rock out of water didn't do it in the freshwater definitely killed all the living organisms in it. I have srubbed my liverock many of times to remove algae but plastic bristles wouldn't want a metal bristle to come loose and lodge itself in rock only to rust and ruin a tank. But always used saltwater to soak and rinse it. Also i keep the water at 78 degrees.

Good call on the wire brush, didn't even occur to me

I will do my best to check on that potential issue... Would there be any issue if I moved all the dead rock into saltwater at 78 degrees or so as you suggested, and reintroduce it into my tank in a week or so to have the beneficial bacteria bring it back to life? Sorry - still new to the hobby and having the one step forward two steps back thing going, but learning a lot and trying not to make the same mistake twice..

Nikko · Jan 29, 2017

tutmatt3 said:
How long has your tank been set up and how long have you experienced the diatom bloom?
Mine currently started kicking in this week (tank up 1.5 months now), and I'm just going to let it fufill it's course. They'll go away once their primary food source is out of the water (silicates?) is what I've heard.

Looking from the posts (including the bad-*** ultimate guide stickied), it looks like it will hit at min of 3x algae phases before things settle out.

If your rock were only out for a few hours, then you'll prob be fine. You may have lost some, but they'll come back.
As I recall reading: the nitrifying bacteria are the first to come to the tank, and last to leave. Heard that they can last 24x hours out of water before considered dieing, but I'll let the pros chime in here.
All I can do is offer insight from what I've read, nothing I've experiences.

But don't worry, if there are a few left, they'll multiple and repopulate in no time!

Didn't see a mention, any fish in the tank?

Edit: As as salty mentioned, you put in freshwater? I got no knowledge in that aspect now :x

I had a diatom bloom maybe 2 weeks after my tank cycled and I introduced a few fish and corals. It went away quickly and completely within 4-5 days, I would definitely hold out, it should be ok. Rereading my post, i can see how it appears it may be an issue i'm having now though... No fish in the tank - makes things a little easier because I understand corals (most) are a little more resilient than fish (most) when it comes to changing dynamics in the tank. Thanks for the feedback!