Sand bed detritus?

[MelbourneReefer]

Need some advice, I did a 25% water change yesterday and not even 24 hours later this is all over my sand bed. I had a red slime issue last month treated it and all is well now, but this came back literally not even 24 hours after a water change. I have two MP 40s on each end of my tank one set and pulse mode the other on constant, have it very low flow though due to my torch coral getting blown around in there, is it possible I don't have enough flow with that cause this to accumulate?

 

[cloak]

It might just be Diatoms as opposed to Cyanobacteria. Perhaps the water or the salt you used had an abundance of Silicates in it and this is the end result of that water change.

 

[MelbourneReefer]

It might just be Diatoms as opposed to Cyanobacteria. Perhaps the water or the salt you used had an abundance of Silicates in it and this is the end result of that water change.

Hmm Idk I used my rodi unit and coral pro salt

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I had issues with diatoms as well and then I started running Seachem Seagel and that helped out a lot. Seagel was mainly for the silicate issue since I live in an apartment and can't really set up an RODI system. I also try to siphon the sandbed every other water change on my Nano 20 and I believe that also helps. You can also lower your feeding amount, adjust your lights so that they aren't on as long every day, and add something like a sand sifting starfish, goby, conch snail, etc.

 

[MelbourneReefer]

I had issues with diatoms as well and then I started running Seachem Seagel and that helped out a lot. Seagel was mainly for the silicate issue since I live in an apartment and can't really set up an RODI system. I also try to siphon the sandbed every other water change on my Nano 20 and I believe that also helps. You can also lower your feeding amount, adjust your lights so that they aren't on as long every day, and add something like a sand sifting starfish, goby, conch snail, etc.

Yeah I wanted the diamondback Goby, but my LFS Were out of them, I vacuum my Sam bed every water change just didn't seem to have this issue or I didn't realize it as bad

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Yeah I wanted the diamondback Goby, but my LFS Were out of them, I vacuum my Sam bed every water change just didn't seem to have this issue or I didn't realize it as bad

Diamond, goldhead, tiger, and dragon/sleeper gobies all do a pretty good job. Just be careful with them because they are notorious jumpers.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

When you two are siphoning your sand, what are you doing? I'm having the same issue as OP, but at an even greater extent, and am afraid to siphon my sand because it all ends up in my bucket.

 

[brandon429]

in our huge sand rinse thread, we like to take apart tanks 100% and clean the sand all at once, then reassemble as a full skip cycle. the sand is so clean afterwards, you can reach in and grab some and drop test it-cloudless. That's the best way there is

for those unwilling to do the physical work for a total reset its true there are ways to clean them in parts but it will never beat the full monty runs we collect, the keepers are happy after the rebuild. This tank above doesn't need anything, that cross section of the bed looks sharp, not packed with waste, the growths on the bed are part of the reef and just looking for place to set up shop. They indicate health, not lack thereof since they're within low mass ranges. agreed it can be cyano or diatoms or mixed communities hard to ID without a scope pic.

for the OP's tank id do nothing but just keep guiding them out, as the tank matures they'll subside. For Tuffyyyy's tank, wanna do a rip cleaning and collect fixed sandbed number 134?

 

[MelbourneReefer]

I just use a gravel vacuum and make sure the sand doesn't go all the way up I pinch it off if it gets too much suction, I wonder if that has anything to do with my issue because I did a water change with the same water and salt on a smaller tank but did not vacuum the gravel and I have no outbreak

 

[cloak]

When you two are siphoning your sand, what are you doing? I'm having the same issue as OP, but at an even greater extent, and am afraid to siphon my sand because it all ends up in my bucket.

Instead of siphoning the sandbed you could just use your finger, a stick or a small powerhead and stir it up every now & then. (preferably right before a water change) You'll want to incorporate some sort of mechanical filter for a few hours to help polish the water for you too. You'll be removing a ton of crap while keeping the micro fauna in your sandbed intact. FWIW I usually do this to my entire sand bed once every month and here it is almost 9 years later and so far so good. It's amazing what can accumulate under those rocks sometimes. Yuck!

 

[Dominat0r]

If you are using a gravel filter and you are sucking up all your sand, try this. In your opposite hand, pinch the tubing slightly to reduce the flow and drop the sand back down. I pick up a bunch, let it reach to about the top (taking about a tea spoon per 5 gallons of sand total) and pinch the cable, let the heavy pieces drop back down, repeat all over your sand bed. I do this with every water change. I also take my power heads and move them around an hour or so before, also I use a turkey baster and blast my rocks to get whatever is on there mixed into the water column.

 

[Dominat0r]

If you are using a gravel filter and you are sucking up all your sand, try this. In your opposite hand, pinch the tubing slightly to reduce the flow and drop the sand back down. I pick up a bunch, let it reach to about the top (taking about a tea spoon per 5 gallons of sand total) and pinch the cable, let the heavy pieces drop back down, repeat all over your sand bed. I do this with every water change. I also take my power heads and move them around an hour or so before, also I use a turkey baster and blast my rocks to get whatever is on there mixed into the water column.

 

[tynewell1]

I have the same algae right now, I am doing a water change once every 2 weeks, as a wc resets the growth, got a diamond goby to sift the sand, I’m also actually letting my gha out compete it so afterwards all I gotta do is invest in turbos. I’m also dosing microbacteria daily to help kill it off, also hooked up a uv sterilizer. I’m seeing heavy improvements.