Why does my sand go brown?

[Saaqib_Ansari]

My old tank did this too and I had it for a year it would suddenly go brown and if not turned over would go a darrrrk brown and if you moved it it would come off like dust.

my new tank is starting to do the same thing not sure if u can make it out in the pic. Why does it do that?

 

[Billldg]

How often do you clean your sand bed. It kinda looks like detritus. It could also just be the bacteria in the sand reacting to the light.

 

[sp1187]

what's in the sand bed? (worms?)
hows the flow across the sand bed?

 

[Saaqib_Ansari]

How often do you clean your sand bed. It kinda looks like detritus. It could also just be the bacteria in the sand reacting to the light.

It’s not detritus because I clean the bed every week , and I have a dead spot where detritus builds up, also I’m pretty sure it’s the light because for 3 weeks it was okay and I recently up’d my lights and bought it closer to the tank

 

[Saaqib_Ansari]

what's in the sand bed? (worms?)
hows the flow across the sand bed?

God knows what’s in my sand bro honestly I’ve seen all sorts running around on there I have few hermit crabs and nassarius snails but other that that no flow.

 

[Billldg]

If you clean you sand bed as you say then I doubt its detritus. It could just be the bacteria in the sand reacting to the light.

 

[anth]

Most likely its diatoms, give it a little google.