Should I remove live sand bed?

Discussion in 'Sand' started by jasond56, Oct 15, 2006.

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  1. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    Yes, good idea!!! A little stir every now and then either by using your hands or having some help with the cleaning crew dept. is all you need to do> This isn't like fresh or africans where it is adviseable to vacuum your gravel as detritus accumulates on the bottom of the tank(benthic area) most of the waste from saltwater fish etc. remains suspended in the water column(palegic area) therefore readilly available for removal by your skimmer.
     
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  3. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    The only other thing that I can suggest that you do (no more than once a year if needed) is rinse your bioballs in salt water. Only rinse one half of the bioballs then about 2-3 weeks later, rinse the other half. That being said, I would only suggest that you do this if you notice that your nitrate levels start to rise.

    As for the green substrate, is the tank receiving any direct or indirect sunlight during the day?
     
  4. jasond56

    jasond56 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    AmCarrig - Nope, no direct sunlight. You want to hear something weird? One day, my glass can have visible green patches, then the next day, when the lights come back on, it's gone! This especially happens on the sand bed, hence why I wanted to replace it with crushed coral. At first I thought it was my conch, but it's too much for him to clear in one night.
     
  5. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    Can you describe the algae that you're talking about? Does it grow in sheets and have a slimey appearance?
     
  6. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    Is the green covering algae ? It well could be lack water circulation and wrong lighting spectrum and maybe even to warm of temps ? What are the NO'3 and PO'4 levels when you test them ? what did you use the carriba sea aqua/live substrate ? The media is not the cause of your problem.. You using daylight type bulbs ? what is the Ca. and DK levels at also ? I'd add some reef grade carbon and stop doing water changes for awhile also .. People all think water changes are this magic bullet and if you are on a private or community well water system they ea can be a nail in the coffin..
     
  7. jasond56

    jasond56 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Amcarrig - It does seem to grow in sheets, small sheets. It scrapes right off and the fish love to eat it as it floats in the water. As far as "slimy", not so much.

    Tangster - My temps are in the low 70s, approx. 73-74 degrees. My lighting is as follows: CoralLife Combo acitinic/moon/10K (65 watt). Lights are on for approx. 5.5 hours a day. I wish I could keep them on longer, but I'm afraid THAT would add to algae outbursts. I'm sorry, at this moment I don't know where my levels are exactly. I don't know what NO'3, DK and NO'4 stands for. I can say my husbandry is good: weekly water changes, never over feed, dose with calcium, iodine and s&m twice weekly, only use RO water.

    I did use the Carib Sea aqua/live substrate.

    Do you still suggest I stop water changes? Should I add the reef grade carbon? I didn't know there was a difference in the carbon (reef vs. FOWLR)

    Thank you guys!!
     
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  9. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    OK NO3 is nitrates and PO4's are Phosphates and DK or DKH is carbonate hardness .. I have never had to stir a bottom media in my entire time in this hobby.. I think you need to check the Phosphates to see where you are also the nitrates and as for the bulbs ? is it very old ? Never been a fan of the P/C's myself When I was trying them I had several algae problems .. But Algae needs light heat and food also it dislikes high Calcium and alkalinity.

    Now you mentioned it seems to be in a sheet ? that makes me think it may be a combination of all the above and low circulation across the bottom.. is it a light yellow green looking stuff ? Also is this tank ever exposed to a open window or a near by table lamp that is on often ? Its not the bottom media causing this problem

    I was just sent the same agra/live and I used it in a 180 ..And gave a guy who had many algae and tank problems with his 55 to reset it up and it has never been a problem for me and even him the king of problems we found his problem..it was r/o d/i make up water and nitrites and Phosphates


    As for water changes ? you need to test it for TDS total dissolved solids and Phosphates and nitrates also.. with every water change you may be adding more problems . I would suggest that you test these parameters and go from there.. I think in here will you find the problem.. Oh is it city supplied water or a well source ????

    Oh also wanted to add you may want to get a couple of Maxie jet like 600 power head to keep the water and waste from stratifying on the bottom
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2006
  10. jasond56

    jasond56 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    I'm going to try and get my water tested on thursday. I'll make sure and ask specifically for phosphates and carbonate hardness besides the usual nitrates, nitrites and amonia. As far as PO4 is concerned, I just put a new PO4 sponge in the bottom tray of my Tide Pool filter. All water trickles through the filter media (stage 1) then bio-balls (stage 2) and through the PO4 sponge (stage 3) before getting into the sump for skimmer and return to tank. I thought the PO4 sponge used in conjunction with a good skimmer and RO water would check the algae.

    As far as the lights, they're approx. 6-months old. Probably a bit less actually. Does keeping the moon lights on over night induce algae growth?

    I've thought about the low bottom circulation before. You see, if I turn my existing outlet up any higher, it seems like its way too harsh for the fish. It actually throws substrate off the bottom wherever the current hits. I did it before and the fish looked miserable so I turned it down a bit. I only have a 37 gallon. Adding powerheads will take up already precious room.

    As far as testing the RO water, can a LFS sell "bad" water? Water filled with dissolved solids? I do not make my own, but buy it from my LFS.

    Don't get me wrong, the algae isn't horrid - I'm just so darn miticulous. I like bright white substrate (a little discoloration is okay) and crystal clear glass.

    Thanks for all your input.
     
  11. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    I would defintely test your r.o. water source. The LFS water could be bad and the owner might not even be aware of it. I doubt very much that moon lights induce algae growth. I run one myself and don't have algae issues. Also have a calcium test run on your tank water because without that reading, the alk test will not tell us much. These two elements work hand in hand and if one is off, if can affect the other.

    As for white sand and clean glass, this is something that no reef aquarist is able to maintain. You will always have algae growth but it can become unsightly if the growth is not controlled.
     
  12. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    I'd also ask the LFS person if he had a TDS meter on his system or a pocket one to test his water with ? It should read like 1 or maybe up to 3 ppm no more then 4 ppm , Most LFS also use D/I along with the R/O , I know the shop I'm involved with has a special system that over $6,000.00 was paid for and to maintain it cost over 100.00 a month but the water is so pure its unbelievable we set it up for the aqua-culturing systems . ( I also go the materials for contractor cost and I did the installation ): On the commercial level good water is real expensive.
    But I'll also add that since we did all who buy water all said their tanks are so mush less trouble from algae problems .. Just because you pay for it does not make it good water LOL many LFS have huge holding tanks and little Kent R.O and sometimes a D/I or two in the loop..
    As for the PO4/Phosphate removal ? thats another thing you need to keep on top of I use a beaded polymer and its says its good for 3 months LOL I change it out every few weeks to maybe a month at least but I test it every two weeks ..Nitrate's also feed them and if its a heavily fed F/O tank and you feed lots of frozen meat stuff then thats a huge cause of the NO3/nitrates and PO4/phosphates.. Also makes keeping the ca. and Dk/carbonates up to the proper range.
    I'll also add we had a little algae problem with a tank I set up last Dec.and the NO'3/nitrates where really high I made a coil denitrater and after it cured all the algae was gone with the Nitrates :) The the purple and pink corallines took there place..