White ash... everywhere.

robert829 · Jun 9, 2014

Hey, folks. Hope you're all well.
So check it out. I think I'm having a problem with this fine, white particulate floating in my tank and settling on everything (see pics below). I've noticed it for maybe about the last week or so. The tank is only 6 wks old. It appears to generally float before the flow from the filters pushes it down, and then it settles on everything... I just don't know what it is or what to do about it... if anything.

Tank parameters:
FOWLR/S. 30 g High-Wall. Crushed coral substrate w/ sand-pockets for anemones. Dual chamber HOB 75 g filter. Aquatrance Octopus HOB skimmer. Maxi-Jet 400 powerhead.

Chems:
pH - 8.0 - 8.4
SG - 1.024
NH₃- 0 ppm
NO₂^-- 0.25 ppm
NO₃^- - 10 ppm
PO₄^3-- 0.125 ppm

Stock: 3 small snails, 1 very small velvet damsel, 2 small clarkiis, 2 long tip anemones (1 lrg, 1 sml), 1 emerald crab, 1 small coral banded shrimp, 1 small valentini puffer, 1 dwarf coral beauty angle, and 1 small scooter blennie.

The tank is fed 1-2x a day w/ flakes and pellets for the swimmers. Freeze-dried shrimps for the anemones, crab, and shrimp 1x a day. And 1-2 a week a open clam w/ the meat mostly removed for the puffer's teeth.

Any thoughts, explanations for advice would be greatly helpful. Thanks!!

Russellaqua · Jun 9, 2014

Is there any possibility that a powerhead or fish is kicking sand up into the water? You don't mention your Ca, Mg, or hardness, but I would think the life in the tank would be suffering if you were precipitating out minerals so I don't suspect that right away. Also, I noticed both your nitrite and phosphate readings are high. You can wind up with algae problems and harm your fish with the nitrites.

robert829 · Jun 9, 2014

Russellaqua said:
Is there any possibility that a powerhead or fish is kicking sand up into the water? You don't mention your Ca, Mg, or hardness, but I would think the life in the tank would be suffering if you were precipitating out minerals so I don't suspect that right away. Also, I noticed both your nitrite and phosphate readings are high. You can wind up with algae problems and harm your fish with the nitrites.

So, I just touched some of it, and it's definitely NOT sand. It's life a powdery... With the whole precipitate thought... coming from a biologist, what crazy rxn would be going on to cause a precipitate of this magnitude??? Precipitates are very hard rxns to come by in nature, and most come from ions losing their solute... i.e. salt creep. I gotta be honest, I'm floored and perplexed that you think this might be a precipitate of some sort.

And as for the chemistries... yeah, those are a little high b/c the huzz went a little crazy and bought the blennie, shrimp, crab, and puffer over the course of 3 days. I've got the skimmer workin on overdrive and replacing the water nightly to keep those down.

robert829 · Jun 9, 2014

robert829 said:
So, I just touched some of it, and it's definitely NOT sand. It's life a powdery... With the whole precipitate thought... coming from a biologist, what crazy rxn would be going on to cause a precipitate of this magnitude??? Precipitates are very hard rxns to come by in nature, and most come from ions losing their solute... i.e. salt creep. I gotta be honest, I'm floored and perplexed that you think this might be a precipitate of some sort.

And as for the chemistries... yeah, those are a little high b/c the huzz went a little crazy and bought the blennie, shrimp, crab, and puffer over the course of 3 days. I've got the skimmer workin on overdrive and replacing the water nightly to keep those down.

Oooops... ions losing their solvent.*

Pete polyp · Jun 9, 2014

It could be detritus

robert829 · Jun 9, 2014

That much? w/ that much filtration? Geeze.

Tahoe61 · Jun 9, 2014

Are you dosing Purple Up?

robert829 · Jun 9, 2014

Have no idea what that is... so no.

Pete polyp · Jun 9, 2014

Yeah, when I blow my rocks off with a turkey baster more than once a day it looks like a snowglobe

Tahoe61 · Jun 9, 2014

Well just wondering if Calcium is precipitating out of your solution.

What is that Precipitate in My Reef Aquarium? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Pete polyp · Jun 9, 2014

I wondered the same, but without a calcium and alkalinity parameter its hard to say.

I was guessing detritus due to the heavy feedings.

clownfitch · Jun 9, 2014

Sounds like calcium precipitant.

ethridge78 · Jun 9, 2014

It still looks like sand dust for me sure something isn't kicking it up at night or something. Good luck

robert829 · Jun 9, 2014

Alright, gang... here's what I've decided to do. For now, I am going to presume it's sand dust... but will get Mg+, Ca++, and OH- kits tomorrow. I'll keep y'all posted.

Cheers!

Ktm898 · Jun 10, 2014

Please let us know i have the same problem

Mmsetta · Jun 10, 2014

When you started your tank, did you rinse your sand? I know when I first started I did not and any motion at all would cause a huge sand storm in my tank. I had to remove my sand and rinse it and start over.