Brown on my live sand?? PICS

bix · 08/21/2010, 08:53 AM

Hey everybody, I have some brown spots growing on my sand and not sure if it is a problem or what I can do about it?

I added 100lbs of live rock from a local established tank on June 26, then added another 50lbs of base rock and 100lbs of live sand on July 1.

I put some live shrimp in near the start of August and let the ammonia build up and then come back down and then the nitrates went up to about 20. I did a water change and put 3 damsels in there.

The damsels are doing fine, eating and hiding in the rock mostly, but I'm not sure why my sand is showing brown spots?

According to my test kit my ammonia and nitrites are 0 and my nitrates are around 5-10.

Any help is appreciated!!

thebkramer · 08/21/2010, 09:01 AM

That looks like the normal "newbie" tank diatoms. It should go away all on its own. Next you will more than likely see a huge algae bloom.. which is normal

Now might be the time to get yourself a CUC.. What kind of Damsels do you have?
You might want to consider bringing them back to LFS as damsels get very aggressive and will become a major PITA later on down the road

Palting · 08/21/2010, 09:29 AM

Yup, that methinks is the start of a diatom bloom. It will cover not just your substrate, but your rocks and walls. It can look cool if you think it looks like gold, then it starts to turn crap brown as the green algae take over. All part of the cycling.

bix · 08/21/2010, 10:26 AM

Cleanup crew won't be a go because I want a dogface puffer and picasso trigger down the road.

Just went to the LFS and picked up a sand goby and the dogface puffer I wanted.

Goby is going into the DT and puffer is going into the QT.. He put some mild medication in the goby's bag and he said they were pretty tolerant to disease so I'm going to keep the puffer separated for a month or so.

He said that as long as I get the trigger/puffer small they won't bother the goby, is that true??

philosophile · 08/21/2010, 10:35 AM

You can either wait for the diatom bloom to pass, which will take some time. Getting rid of the brown stuff is a bit of a chore, but a turkey baster and good flow will help. If you are so inclined, you can get some cerith snails. They'll eat the diatoms, and then when you get your puffer, they can be a housewarming snack.

Jstdv8 · 08/21/2010, 12:05 PM

I let it grow crazy and then one day it was just gone. Tank looked like a jungle of brown right before it all went away. took about 3 weeks. I don't think it hurts anything it just doenst look pretty

joeychitwood · 08/21/2010, 01:03 PM

Keep watching your water parameters and maintaining good water quality. This diatom bloom is a normal part of cycling and will eventually pass. You can vacuum up many of them with a siphon during a water change.

bix · 08/21/2010, 01:19 PM

Sand goby has already put a good dent in the brown

Any other thoughts on having a sand goby with 3 domino damsels, a dogface puffer, and picasso trigger?

Almenmarine · 08/21/2010, 02:40 PM

Fighting conch. Best thing ever created

joeychitwood · 08/21/2010, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bix

Any other thoughts on having a sand goby with 3 domino damsels, a dogface puffer, and picasso trigger?

It will clear on its own eventually if your water is of good quality. Puffers and triggers are messy eaters which produce a lot of crap in a tank. Keep an eye on your parameters and have a good clean-up crew to handle the bioload.

bix · 08/21/2010, 06:59 PM

Thanks for the advice!

Any other thoughts on the fish combination? Will the goby get harassed?

08/21/2010, 09:01 AM	#2
thebkramer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 3,198	That looks like the normal "newbie" tank diatoms. It should go away all on its own. Next you will more than likely see a huge algae bloom.. which is normal Now might be the time to get yourself a CUC.. What kind of Damsels do you have? You might want to consider bringing them back to LFS as damsels get very aggressive and will become a major PITA later on down the road __________________ Rhonda There is NO such things as Dumb Questions!! There are However.. Dumb Answers!!! ;) ____________ Current Tank Info: 55g reef....Current Orbit SunPaq Lights, HOB Eshopps, HOB AquaClear 110, 2-1400 Koralia Powerheads & 1 Nano Koralia, 40+ lbs LR, 2" LS

08/21/2010, 09:29 AM	#3
Palting Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,912	Yup, that methinks is the start of a diatom bloom. It will cover not just your substrate, but your rocks and walls. It can look cool if you think it looks like gold, then it starts to turn crap brown as the green algae take over. All part of the cycling. __________________ Anything I post is just an opinion. One of many in this hobby. Believe and follow at your own risk of rapid and complete annihilation of all life in your tank :) Current Tank Info: Incept 3/2010, 150 RR, 50g sump, 20g fuge, 150w 15K MH x3, T5 actinics x8, moonlight LED x6, 1400gph return, Koralia 1400 x4, 300 g skimmer, 4 tangs, 2 mandarins, 2 perc, 6 line, 3 cardinals, 2 firefish, SPS, LPS, zoas, palys, shrooms, clam

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08/21/2010, 10:26 AM	#4
bix Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 88	Cleanup crew won't be a go because I want a dogface puffer and picasso trigger down the road. Just went to the LFS and picked up a sand goby and the dogface puffer I wanted. Goby is going into the DT and puffer is going into the QT.. He put some mild medication in the goby's bag and he said they were pretty tolerant to disease so I'm going to keep the puffer separated for a month or so. He said that as long as I get the trigger/puffer small they won't bother the goby, is that true??

08/21/2010, 10:35 AM	#5
philosophile Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,149	You can either wait for the diatom bloom to pass, which will take some time. Getting rid of the brown stuff is a bit of a chore, but a turkey baster and good flow will help. If you are so inclined, you can get some cerith snails. They'll eat the diatoms, and then when you get your puffer, they can be a housewarming snack.

08/21/2010, 12:05 PM	#6
Jstdv8 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wasilla, Alaska Posts: 1,420	I let it grow crazy and then one day it was just gone. Tank looked like a jungle of brown right before it all went away. took about 3 weeks. I don't think it hurts anything it just doenst look pretty

08/21/2010, 01:03 PM	#7
joeychitwood Schrödinger's Mod Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,488	Keep watching your water parameters and maintaining good water quality. This diatom bloom is a normal part of cycling and will eventually pass. You can vacuum up many of them with a siphon during a water change.

08/21/2010, 01:19 PM	#8
bix Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 88	Sand goby has already put a good dent in the brown Any other thoughts on having a sand goby with 3 domino damsels, a dogface puffer, and picasso trigger?

08/21/2010, 02:40 PM	#9
Almenmarine Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 154	Fighting conch. Best thing ever created

08/21/2010, 06:59 PM	#11
bix Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 88	Thanks for the advice! Any other thoughts on the fish combination? Will the goby get harassed?