7 wk old sand bed showing brown???

[pura vida mi]

7 week old tank, with 2.5" fugi pink sandbed. 175lbs live rock.

*12 softies
*sailfin
*lawnmower
*pair of gold band maroons
*midas blenny

gravity .025 / ph 8.2 / nitrate 0 / nitraite 0 / ammonia 0 / calcium 360 / phosphate 0

Within the last 10 days, noticed that certain areas of sand bed have a rusty color, also in front class under sand layer, there are several areas that have rusty color and coraline colors.

Have lots of flow throughout tank with 2 Korlia's # 3's and 1 #1, with Mag 12 on split fanned return.

Anything to do to combat this? Don't want to stir up sand. Plan on getting a couple to sand sifting stars soon.

[Henry Bowman]

It's just part of the new tank syndrome. Diatoms etc. They will dissapate. Keep doing water changes weekly. You dont say how big your tank is....Starfish need / eat the food and fauna in the sand bed. Too many of them and they'll starve.

[XtremeFromHell]

if the tank is being cycled (since u said the sand is 7 weeks old) then i believe this to be diatoms... this happend to me as well although it happend around week 3, mine went away a bit and now is showing up again.. im no expert at this so i would like to know as well! but hope the little input i had helped a bit

[sailoracu2]

It's just part of the new tank syndrome. Diatoms etc. They will dissapate. Keep doing water changes weekly. You dont say how big your tank is....Starfish need / eat the food and fauna in the sand bed. Too many of them and they'll starve.

+ 1 If you add a large bio load after a tank has cycled it can start over again.

[TomCs]

Just a dumb question relating to diatoms, can silica leached from different types of LR contribute to diatom blooms after cycles?

[luamada]

I am so sorry for you to have so any things in a new tank. I think that you need to stop and pray that all will not die. I have only been in the hobby for 3 years, but one thing I have learned in the hard way. It is that you should not add anything live until the tank is old enough. I would say 6month at least, but i guess it will depend on how well you take care of it.
My husband was sick so see my empty tank and went to the store after my tank was 8 weeks and bught 4 new fishes. They all died. Please go slow. Waite because the fishes are too precious to risk.
The diatons will go away on it's own. I stir my send everyonce in awhile.
good luck and enjoy the hobby, but go slow.

[Henry Bowman]

Diatoms can feed off of silicates sometimes bound in Live Rock or most likely sand. Now that the system is set up, you are best off taking the advice posted above. When setting up a tank, any substrate should be soaked in RODI water for a few weeks to allow any phosphates or other undesireable chemichals to leach out. The RODI water is changed out a few times....

Wait as long as you can to add much of anything to the tank. My current tank sat with live rock in it, skimmer, heater and actinics running for 8 months before I added anything to it. The skimmer kept pulling junk out throughout this timeperiod. I also did weekly water changes throughout this timpe. This indicated (to me) that there was a great amount of junk and die-off occurning on my "cured" live rock. I have not had many issues with algae or other "new tank syndrome" issues (in this tank, I have moved a few times and set up over a dozen tanks, some mine, some for friends)

Many european tanks are started waiting a year (I have heard) before putting any livestock in them.

Now that I have rambled on.....best thing to do is wait out the diatoms and algae that will probably come along soon, keep the skimmer running and do water changes and hold off on adding anything for as long as possible. Your tank will run more stable and you will have better success in the long run.

[pura vida mi]

Thanks all for the counsel.

More info to help out - 175 lbs of live rock was from a 3 year old system, with lots of coraline. I cooked the rock with weekly water changes for another month, prior to set up. Coraline is growing very strong on "everything". Sand was LIVE fugi pink, tank is 90 gal bowfront. Have large refugium, with rubble box, chaeto, red mangroves with miracle mud base & live sand on top. Sump buddy 40 skimmer.

Tank did go thru cycle stages - full on diatoms - hair algae...the works. added clean up crew after 3.5 weeks - turbos, blue legs. Have tons of feather dusters on rock, pods are growing strong. Pineapple sponges as well. T5 lighting - 3@10K/3@blues/8 moons.

Only use RODI for water changes/top off. Livestock issue to date is a zoe eating nudi that I smashed to pieces last night. All eating well.

Brown area is limited to 2 places about 4" x 2". Does look a little like diatoms, however did not expect so in front glass sand bed.

Again thanks for the help.

[KillerReef]

7 week old tank, with 2.5" fugi pink sandbed. 175lbs live rock.

*12 softies
*sailfin
*lawnmower
*pair of gold band maroons
*midas blenny

gravity .025 / ph 8.2 / nitrate 0 / nitraite 0 / ammonia 0 / calcium 360 / phosphate 0

Within the last 10 days, noticed that certain areas of sand bed have a rusty color, also in front class under sand layer, there are several areas that have rusty color and coraline colors.

Have lots of flow throughout tank with 2 Korlia's # 3's and 1 #1, with Mag 12 on split fanned return.

Anything to do to combat this? Don't want to stir up sand. Plan on getting a couple to sand sifting stars soon.

first of all, that is a lot of fish for only 7 weeks old, but no changing that now w/o removing some which i am sure you are not willing to do...

your levels sounds fine and the diatoms are just a phase. Since you only have a 2.5" sandbed, you should stir the sand about once a month. I stir about 1/4 of my SSB every time i do a water change(10 gal. a week). that will keep it nice and fresh and white. also, if you don't already get your self a bunch of nassarius snails, they are the best thing out there for a sandbed. HTH

[TomCs]

Sorry about the hijacking here but im having similar battles with diatoms on my sandbed, it may have been related to me not washing out the sand properly when it was first introduced a year ago. Could i substitute a pair of sand sifting twinspot gobies for the nassarius snails?

[KillerReef]

sand sifting gobies are great. i would have suggested those with the nassarius to pura, but i think his problems are partially due to adding too much to fast....

I'm not sure the availability in Australia, but I am looking to get a bullet goby (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+206&pcatid=206). i just kind of like the way they look. main thing is to make sure you see whatever goby you get eat at the LFS as most of them can be difficult to get to eat prepared food. Good luck!!!

[TomCs]

Those bullet gobies are quite nice, for reasons unknown i always see them called chocolate gobies??? A reefer friend of mine has had one for a couple years now, lots of character.
Haha, yeh availablility over here = about zero, even through they're on our back door step ive been on the waiting list for these guys for better part of a year now. Not unheard of im sure but for a species of goby..:(.

[DC_40gallon]

It doesn't hurt to stir up the sand bed once a month. It keeps that stuff that settles on the floor. I would HIGHLY recommend getting 2 doze. Nassarious snails instead of starfish.

YouTube nassarious snails. The are called night of the living dead snails and you will see why lol.

[KillerReef]

It doesn't hurt to stir up the sand bed once a month. It keeps that stuff that settles on the floor. I would HIGHLY recommend getting 2 doze. Nassarious snails instead of starfish.

YouTube nassarious snails. The are called night of the living dead snails and you will see why lol.

yeah nassarius rock!!! but stay away from the ebay ones, you want nassarius vibex or tongan nassarius, good luck!!!

On the goby, never heard it called chocolate, have heard sleeper banded...

[pura vida mi]

Thanks again, have 8 nassarius snails. Killer, MOST of what I have read over the past 100 days, says to NOT stir your sandbed. You create nightmares.

Is that only true on mature tanks?

[KillerReef]

Thanks again, have 8 nassarius snails. Killer, MOST of what I have read over the past 100 days, says to NOT stir your sandbed. You create nightmares.

Is that only true on mature tanks?

yes, your tank is still very young and that mostly refers to DSBs(over 4" deep) a SSB like you have is not deep enough to give you the benefits of a DSB so not stirring it will only create a nitrate factory under you sand.

Just stir a small section 1/4 at a time and you should be fine, it will be a bit of a sandstorm for an hour or so but your filtration will clear it all up in no time. A lot of people use this also as a way to feed their corals by putting all that fish poop into the column for them to grab. Just make sure to blow them off after the water clears up. You will be amazed at how easy it is to keep your sand clean looking... HTH

BTW, i think i missed how big your tank is. dimensions?

[pura vida mi]

Thanks again. 90 gal bowfront 48"L x 18"wx 24"H

[KillerReef]

in that size tank, i would definitely triple the amount of nassarius you currently have. i also have a 90 48x21x21 and i have close to 50. that allows me to feed my anthias 2-3 times a days without having no3 or po4 issues...

[pura vida mi]

Great thanks, will get more. Wanted to add a sand sifting goby in the future as well.