Sand Bed Algae Solutions?

[savetheocean]

Im looking for some ideas to help fix my sand bed. I tried maxing out the flow, feeding less, and blackouts but none worked ENOUGH. Sorry I can't get a picture ATM.

Would a sand sifting goby work? I already have a watchman goby that never comes out and I don't believe you can have two. Any inverts? My rocks aren't glued together so I don't want something making the rocks shift.

Off topic question, I have never once fed my watchman goby but I do know he's alive. Im worried about his nutrition. Anyone know anything about that?

 

[savetheocean]

This is green algae that will stay on even if I turn it. Its not the kind of algae that I can suck out during a wc either.

 

[brandon429]

we have never been beaten by a tank here, not once:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445


That doesn't mean your algae issues can't be driven by bad topoff water, or direct sunlight, or too heavy feeding but we show that after you run those methods, you certainly wont have any algae on the sand, and by your sandbed now being impossible to cloud, you have removed at least that portion of algae fuel.

any sandbed that is invaded with cyano, or algae, cannot pass a drop test in that thread.
making the sandbed be able to pass a drop test will fix the issue, unless the algae is caused elsewhere.

post your tank pics

check out the nano tank rebuilds on the very last page./

 

[NicLongman]

we have never been beaten by a tank here, not once:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445


That doesn't mean your algae issues can't be driven by bad topoff water, or direct sunlight, or too heavy feeding but we show that after you run those methods, you certainly wont have any algae on the sand, and by your sandbed now being impossible to cloud, you have removed at least that portion of algae fuel.

any sandbed that is invaded with cyano, or algae, cannot pass a drop test in that thread.
making the sandbed be able to pass a drop test will fix the issue, unless the algae is caused elsewhere.

post your tank pics

check out the nano tank rebuilds on the very last page./

Drop test ?

 

[TinyChocobo]

Drop test ?

Same question - without reading the whole other linked thread yet .

If I had to guess - being able to pick up the sand and drop it in the tank back to the bottom without it clouding the water?

 

[savetheocean]

Oh no. It would fail the drop test and if I do it enough it would clown the whole tank.

Same question - without reading the whole other linked thread yet .

If I had to guess - being able to pick up the sand and drop it in the tank back to the bottom without it clouding the water?

 

[TinyChocobo]

Oh no. It would fail the drop test and if I do it enough it would clown the whole tank.

It's worth noting that I am just guessing - I am not sure if my guess is right. I think we need to read that other thread unless @brandon429 wants to clue us in .

 

[brandon429]

totally agreed

its a ten pager of headaches heh but check that first page, its my little 12 yr old tank passing that test ha!!

*am saying that any tank that can pass that test wont be invaded, but strangely enough many uninvaded tanks can't pass the test

it just means that by either adept skill, or luck, or a combo, they can store the fuel for invasions inside the sand and still not be invaded, that's a fine ideal.

most normal people=any cloudy sandbed means you'll eventually post about a cyano or algae challenge that wont go away.

 

[TinyChocobo]

Yeah I always always always clean my sand until the water runs clear before I start up a tank - but I've never used 'live sand'.

It's a huge pain in the butt to do - but does result in a much cleaner start-up. I can't say whether or not it has prevented anything though. My last tank could pass the 'drop test' but had Cyano a time or two - although I never really had algae issues beyond from too much direct sunlight.

 

[savetheocean]

The worst part of the whole thing is that when I first added all the live sand there was so much silt that a lot of it is just sitting in the sump now.. Slowly taking it out when I clean the sump.

 

[TinyChocobo]

The worst part of the whole thing is that when I first added all the live sand there was so much silt that a lot of it is just sitting in the sump now.. Slowly taking it out when I clean the sump.

I would get a small pump like the Cobalt E-X-T Pump and some 1/2 hose and suck it out and into a filter sock you hold into the sump. This way you don't waste water/have to do a change but can get the silt out of there.

 

[savetheocean]

I would get a small pump like the Cobalt E-X-T Pump and some 1/2 hose and suck it out and into a filter sock you hold into the sump. This way you don't waste water/have to do a change but can get the silt out of there.

I think I will over the weekend.

 

[brandon429]

Agreed on the silting that you mentioned that's how we open the thread, starting free of it

We think the silt is a high fraction silicates feed for early diatoms though early diatoms aren't a huge deal, merely starting in an ideal state.

Choco
The real fun part of that thread is where we rinse live sand beds that are aged with full reefs on top, and put the whole thing back together without the waste portion

we are rinsing live beds not just the ones at the start. We made a thread over breaking one of the most hard fast Reef rules that ever started... which is don't disturb an old deep sand bed, or even the new one regardless of how much waste is in it

People make it seem like the few worms and pods that may be incidentally in the bed are worth the entire tank being invaded with cyanobacteria, so they won't touch a thing


After a rip cleaning or even a sand bed replacement the animals migrate down from the Rocks back into the sand bed I have pictures of it happening in the thread, in my tank

 

[savetheocean]

Agreed on the silting that you mentioned that's how we open the thread, starting free of it

We think the silt is a high fraction silicates feed for early diatoms though early diatoms aren't a huge deal, merely starting in an ideal state.

Choco
The real fun part of that thread is where we rinse live sand beds that are aged with full reefs on top, and put the whole thing back together without the waste portion

we are rinsing live beds not just the ones at the start. We made a thread over breaking one of the most hard fast Reef rules that ever started... which is don't disturb an old deep sand bed, or even the new one regardless of how much waste is in it

I may be moving the tank soon. I think I am going to either just buy new sand or rinse my own.