hey guys i think i found my problem

[Tonyscoots84]

guys i think i found my problem to the brown crap algae on my rocks and some on the sand. the problem i think is the sand. i siphoned some out while doing a water change and it stunk. not as bad as some off you have stated like rotten eggs or a really dirty diaper but it stunk. so guys i guess tom. im changing out the sand to maybe a 2inch deep sand bed so at least my goby will be happy....

i think this happens when people use that crap in a bag from the lfs that they say is bio live sand. any recc. guys lay some recc. on me and help me out here....


also after every 10 or 15 gallons of made rodi i flush the system about 3 - 5 min. is that a good habbit to get into... or am i being to over dramatic cause i want the unit to last....

 

[nanoreefer22]

Damn thats a lot of flushing!! I flush once every so often. Probably after ever 50g's of water I make...or every 2 weeks. Whichever comes first.

 

[jhale]

I never heard how often you should flush the RO unit. I thought it was when production slowed down?

I guess it's better to flush it more often than less.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

thats what i think.... it did speed up production of water though. ive so far mad about 35 gallons or rodi water and only flushed it to intialize the 1st use... any ideas on the sand problem guys.

 

[jhale]

sorry Tony, I'm not a sand person, lol.

you should be careful when taking out the old sand though, you don't want to release too much of the bad stuff held in the sand bed.

 

[nanoreefer22]

sorry Tony, I'm not a sand person, lol.

One of the reasons he's he got one of the best tanks around

 

[Tonyscoots84]

this is what i have planned.

1st - take out 15 gallons of water and fill a 20 gallon tub.
2nd - take out live rock
3rd - take out fishies.
4th - take out another 5 gallons of water and put it into the tub.
5th - place the light skimmer and one powerhead in the tub.
6th - take out remaining water.
7th - wet dry vac the crap on the bottom. (sand and remaining water)
8th - take the tank and rinse the crap out of it making sure brown algae is all out and tank is clean.

now once all is set and done. i will fill up the 30 gallon tank with rodi water thats would be already mixed with saltwater and heated up to 80 degrees. (i will also use like 5 gallons of the old water to help kick start the tank. once everything settles i will be puttin the live rock back in the tank but it wont be directly on the floor. im going to make different levels with pvc and eggcrate. my time to get a little creative WHAT I DO BEST. lolz. once all live rock is in wait a little while then place the fishies back in slowely. i dont want to put them in all at once. then hopefully everything goes smoothly.

guys i no there should def. be enough bacteria and cycling agents in the live rock but what if i put a little of the sand i had in a mesh bag if you no what im talking about and put that in a hob filter just to help the tank for like a day or so..

if anyone has any opinions please feel free to post something here. thanks.


jhale has an awesome tank. hopefully i get the chance to hang with the big guns of reefing and drool ova his tank. lolz

 

[nanoreefer22]

Hmmpphh to lazy right now but i'll tell you, your rock will have enough to keep your tank running even with a 100% water change.

Don't worry about putting the bag of sand back in, its just gonna either mess up the filter or put mixed up "funk" back into your tank.

Lastly I'll be bac when I wake up but I pray to god your not doing this right now .

Nite bro.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

nah kris i am not that crazy. i actually just did a 5 gallon waterchange. ). that will be my thing for tom. nite so i dont get bored. then afta all is set and done im going out drinking. im gonna need a drink after the mess im gonna have tom. nite...

 

[Deanos]

guys i think i found my problem to the brown crap algae on my rocks and some on the sand. the problem i think is the sand. i siphoned some out while doing a water change and it stunk. not as bad as some off you have stated like rotten eggs or a really dirty diaper but it stunk. so guys i guess tom. im changing out the sand to maybe a 2inch deep sand bed so at least my goby will be happy....

Tony, I forgot how old this tank is, but a diatom algae bloom is one of the common steps, a maturing tank takes. Removing the sand, which by now, has been contributing positively to your biological filtration, will only prolong the maturation process of your tank. And let's now forget, that you plan on upgrading this tank to a 75g, further delaying progress.

 

[jhale]

nice call Dean, I did not think to ask that late at night.

yeah Tony, if your tank is new there are a few algae blooms it's going to go through.
the diatom's will be the least of your worries. wait till you get the hair algae, that's the best my tank skipped the diatom because I started with cured rock from an old tank. But I still went through hair algae and cyno. eventually if your husbandry is good the algae will disappear. it can be a frustrating battle so don't feel like you have to make it go away over night. Like Dean said it's all part of establishing a mature and healthy tank.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

yea true deanos. but see the problem is i siphoned out some of the sand and it smelled bad. thats why i wanted to get rid of the sand. im def. listening to you guys deanos and jhale but shouldnt there be enough bacteria and life in my live rock to kick start if i started over with BB. thanks again guys.

 

[jhale]

yes you will have all the bacteria you need in the rock to go BB right away.
there may be a mini-cycle, and your rock may continue to shed debris for six months to a year. but it's not a big deal just set up the flow to get the junk to the front of the tank to make siphoning it out easy.

 

[noodleman]

why not just leave that tank the way it is and start planing for the 75 and go BB on that?

 

[Tonyscoots84]

so in all should i just leave it and look at this eye sore or let the problem persist. which is def. the sand. which does stink alot.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

thats the whole thing i wanted to have the rock ready for when it goes in the 75 gallon. nice rock not rock with brown crap on it. lolz

 

[noodleman]

i say just leave it, its the natural process and just let time run its course. And besides when you get more rock for your 75 you'll have to go through another mini cycle

 

[Tonyscoots84]

here is a question. now you guys say leave the sand alone. but the sand is what is giving out all the bad stuff that is supplying the life of the brown crap on my rock. soo what im trying to say is you guys say its going through a cyle but is the cycle ever going to stop if the nutrients the sand bed is giving out keeps going.

 

[Deanos]

Your bad smelling sand is not the only problem causing a diatom bloom. As I stated, many new tanks experience this sort of bloom regardless if they have sand or not. I used bagged "live sand" when I started my 10g nearly two years and DID experience a diatom bloom. It has long since died away without me having to remove a grain of sand.

 

[masterswimmer]

so in all should i just leave it and look at this eye sore or let the problem persist. which is def. the sand. which does stink alot.

Tony, you're making an assumption that by removing the sandbed that the diatoms will just dissipate and go away. You're right, they will. But they will during the natural maturing of your tank also.

I have a SSB (about 2" - 2.5"), just to satisfy my pistol shrimp and yasha hase goby. However, the amount of life that exists in there is also amazing. I'm not sure if you've got any Nassarius snails in there, but I think you should try those before ditching the LS. From your posts it sounds like you've got a 30 gal. tank. I'd put 12 -15 Nassarius in there and watch them turn over your sandbed.

If you're still planning to go BB in the 30, you'll need to do some more planning for flow. Just removing the sand and replacing everything (even on pvc and eggcrate) still calls for thoughts of a closed loop. Jhale already mentioned this as well.

Good luck and think this through for longer than a few days. My problem is, I think these things through for six months :lol: before executing the plan.

Russ