Brown stuff on sand bed

[chasesng]

Came back from 2 week vacation and found (among other things) a thin coating of lite brown "stuff" over 30-50% of the sand bed. Much of it is so light that you can see threw it.

Unclear to me what this is? Can i assume its some kind of algae? Vacation related issues have been largely resolved with exception of this brown stuff.

Interested if anyone familiar with this substance, its impact, and its removability. Thanks.

 

[stresco]

Sounds like a Diatom Bloom. AKA New Tank Syndrome. How old is the tank?

 

[Craig]

post your water test results

 

[chasesng]

75 gal tank in question is only about 2 mos old but the bulk of its contents ... rocks, sand, fish, cleaner crew,.....are from my original 40 gal tank which was about 6 mos old.

its a shallow bed reef tank

temp 76
sal 1.0245
phos less than .03ppm
nitrate...close to 0
alk .... 6.5 (in processs of raising)

 

[tomzpc]

Sounds like a Diatom Bloom. AKA New Tank Syndrome. How old is the tank?

What Steve said. It's a diatom bloom and it is to be expected in a tank that has only been running for 2-3 months.

 

[SaltWaterN00b]

I started my tank in March and nearly everything was covered in it for about 2 months, but it just went away on its own and havent seen it since

 

[Chris5]

Def a product of new tank sydrome, but from what i have experienced is the lack of lighting penetrating the bottom of the tank usually (old PC bulbs etc...) cause it more frequently than anything besides new tank syndrome..it becomes a pain after awhile, since i have switched over to MH lights i havent seen it come back..this was after 2 yrs with PC & and T5's.....could also be a product from phosphates, even small levels can create diatom and cyano outbreaks..try changing your bulbs if old, using some carbon, and or cleaning the sand of it and see if it comes back....are you dosing with anything? to much product could also be a suspect or over feeding...(to much nutrients introduced into the tank)...sounds like though in your case since you found it after vacation that maybe your lights were on to long, did you run timers? anything over 10hrs could be a problem.....

 

[kdrayo]

it's ugly stuff but it will clear up soon

 

[stresco]

Get a bunch of Nasurith (SP) snails in there or a sand sifting star to keep the sand bed churning. It wont cure it, but it will help.

 

[ezee]

chasesng,

Came back from 2 week vacation and found (among other things) a thin coating of lite brown "stuff" over 30-50% of the sand bed. Much of it is so light that you can see threw it.

Unclear to me what this is? Can i assume its some kind of algae? Vacation related issues have been largely resolved with exception of this brown stuff.

Interested if anyone familiar with this substance, its impact, and its removability. Thanks.

I thought it was diatoms too until I read the part about it being see through. If it is dustlike or particulate it is probably diatoms, if it is a thin coating of slime or gel then it would be cyano. Either way you are fine, just watch your water params for nitrates and phosphates.

E