Carib Sea Arag-ALive Fiji Pink Substrate?!
- Thread starter NanaReefer
- Start date
- Tagged users None
OP
OP
Cut me some slack then!! [emoji38][emoji2][emoji38][emoji2] Ya can't buy snails from DFS so there!
OP
OP
Ok reefers just finished up removing more sand. Switched up salt mix from RC to IO.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
OP
OP
Well it's now been 4 days since removing top layer of SB and 5g WC using IO salt mix.
Usually my SB would be completely covered in diatom looking "stuff" by now. As of today just a few tiny areas exist. I am elated to say the least!
So was it the Reef Crystals causing this issue all along? No other explanation. It is the only thing I've changed.
Usually my SB would be completely covered in diatom looking "stuff" by now. As of today just a few tiny areas exist. I am elated to say the least!
So was it the Reef Crystals causing this issue all along? No other explanation. It is the only thing I've changed.
brandon4432
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2015
- Messages
- 300
- Reaction score
- 98
Wow that's great! But didn't you remove some sand too? I remember some other reefers saying they had the problem until they removed sand and thinned out the bed. In my case i removed sand weekly for about a month and a half and then Installed a Kessil and my case vanished.
OP
OP
Yes I did remove about 2 cups from the surface. But alas I've spoken to soon. As of 3:30pm today it's back.
It took 4 days to show up and show up it did in full force ugh! [emoji31]
I will continue removing sand with every WC. The lights I can't do anything about ATM. But will be moving to Radions soon.
It took 4 days to show up and show up it did in full force ugh! [emoji31]
I will continue removing sand with every WC. The lights I can't do anything about ATM. But will be moving to Radions soon.
brandon4432
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2015
- Messages
- 300
- Reaction score
- 98
I feel your pain, so sorry to hear that. Fortunately mine still hasn't come back
OP
OP
Hey at least you've given me some hope [emoji38][emoji2]
007Bond
Active Member
4 days,...kind of thing can drive you nuts. your corals look good so I understand your frustration! you need to analyze everything that transpired in the time period. I'm still thinking lighting ,..just a thought,...ambient possible,...I know you ruled it out with low e glass, buy as a another option to cross off the list,...try blocking it (if you have any) from hitting your tank. I say this because I get some brown algae only at the one end of my 8' long tank which is 3' from a window. can you run only the blues on your leds for a few days,...see if any help. Should keep written daily record to figure what might have a positive impact. Anyhow wish I could give you the exact fix but in the hobby what works for one,...will not help for someone else 
...You'll get it
...You'll get it 
brandon4432
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2015
- Messages
- 300
- Reaction score
- 98
Yeah[emoji2] hopefully if you keep removing some sand slowly like I did it will resolve
I was afraid that wasn't it. I switched from RC to HW Reefer to IO and it hasn't helped mine at all. I didn't do the switch because of the diatoms but it certainly hasn't helped.
OP
OP
If the issue was just in one particular area, then I'd consider ambient light. But it's everywhere! Even behind the rock. I've also kept the shades closed for an entire week, made no difference.
I'm beginning to wonder if it is my lights combined with the sand itself. Who knows, I sure can't figure it out. <sigh>
I'm beginning to wonder if it is my lights combined with the sand itself. Who knows, I sure can't figure it out. <sigh>
OP
OP
Haha I'm just blogging at this point [emoji38]
OP
OP
Here's crazy for ya. My Royal Gramma loves digging and spitting pretty white sand all over my rock. Just for the heck of it instead of blowing it off right away (it's usually covering my Zoas) I just left it alone to see what would happen. Seriously within hours that pretty white sand turned dusty brown right before my eyes!!
Oh and another thing. Almost 2yrs old and my rock has NO Coralline growth on it at all. Coralline on the glass, overflow box & power head though. I've scraped it off the overflow box thinking it would help seed the rock. Nope.
Oh and another thing. Almost 2yrs old and my rock has NO Coralline growth on it at all. Coralline on the glass, overflow box & power head though. I've scraped it off the overflow box thinking it would help seed the rock. Nope.
.
The observation about your lights was interesting
I'm acclimating my system over to led/kessil for the first time and it's causing some brownish growth on my glass that I'm having to remove more often as the system adapts and I guide it back out of the tank. Since it's not a deep-seated invader in my system (in the rocks, deep within the bed etc) it can be guided out in time, about one month of acclimation I bet, found it neat that only the lighting had changed to cause it. I wasn't ever thinking it was my sand or water type.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/simple-nano.230757/#post-2694862
The observation about your lights was interesting
I'm acclimating my system over to led/kessil for the first time and it's causing some brownish growth on my glass that I'm having to remove more often as the system adapts and I guide it back out of the tank. Since it's not a deep-seated invader in my system (in the rocks, deep within the bed etc) it can be guided out in time, about one month of acclimation I bet, found it neat that only the lighting had changed to cause it. I wasn't ever thinking it was my sand or water type.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/simple-nano.230757/#post-2694862
Last edited:
cpllongjk
Active Member
Hi,
I used ReefCrystals about 4-5 years ago and had the same issue. Since RC, I've switched to IO and ESV Salt, and Tropic Marin Pro Reef. My favorite out of the lot is Tropic Marin Pro Reef. It's double the price of IO but has everything I want in the right proportion. ESV was just too expensive and time intensive to keep using with a larger tank. Now that I have a smaller tank and only 5 gallon water changes I may try again but for large applications its a pain. In my current build I ordered 200 gallons of IO only because of cost. I am trying to set up this tank and scraping everything together is expensive. I found a 200g box for around 43 dollars shipped. I think Tropic Marin was around 100 bucks.
Anyways, I think it is a combination of things happening. You will have to go through one thing at a time to find out which one it is.
Check:
ALK
SALINITY
RO TDS in (before DI) and out (after DI), how many DI filters you have?
Nitrates
Phosphates
Condition of Rock before you added it to tank? Dead Rock (cleaned?) Store bought Live Rock?
Water Flow
Lighting Schedule
How much are you feeding?
If its store bought cubes are you rinsing them first. "They add tons of nitrate and phosphate to your tank if you dont rinse"
This is where I would start.
I used ReefCrystals about 4-5 years ago and had the same issue. Since RC, I've switched to IO and ESV Salt, and Tropic Marin Pro Reef. My favorite out of the lot is Tropic Marin Pro Reef. It's double the price of IO but has everything I want in the right proportion. ESV was just too expensive and time intensive to keep using with a larger tank. Now that I have a smaller tank and only 5 gallon water changes I may try again but for large applications its a pain. In my current build I ordered 200 gallons of IO only because of cost. I am trying to set up this tank and scraping everything together is expensive. I found a 200g box for around 43 dollars shipped. I think Tropic Marin was around 100 bucks.
Anyways, I think it is a combination of things happening. You will have to go through one thing at a time to find out which one it is.
Check:
ALK
SALINITY
RO TDS in (before DI) and out (after DI), how many DI filters you have?
Nitrates
Phosphates
Condition of Rock before you added it to tank? Dead Rock (cleaned?) Store bought Live Rock?
Water Flow
Lighting Schedule
How much are you feeding?
If its store bought cubes are you rinsing them first. "They add tons of nitrate and phosphate to your tank if you dont rinse"
This is where I would start.
Similar threads
New Posts
-
-
What are your favorite nano fish? (20g stocking ideas!)- Latest: Townes_Van_Camp
-
-
