Poly filter turned pink

collegeman · 08/01/2011, 04:47 PM

The polyp filter that is in my hob filter turned pink the other day. What does it mean when they turn pink? I also thought my corals were starting to bleach but i think i have something in my water. The only thing i can think of is dust from sanding the walls that i replaced in another room. I did not think the dust would have made it into the room with my tank especially since the door was closed and the room where the tank is located is a good distance from the room i was working on.
The filter turned pink on weds. I changed the pad and did a 10% water change on thursday as maintenance. I also did around a 15% water change on saturday since i thought dust made it into the tank. I will also perform another water change today. The poly pad did not turn pink again after the initial one.
I will also do some water testing later. Please let me know what it means when the pad turns pink.

JAustin · 08/02/2011, 11:37 AM

They will turn pinkish red when absorbing iron. If you use GFO you will notice this with poly filters. Not sure if anything from sanding would turn it color but if you run GFO this may be your issue.

collegeman · 08/03/2011, 10:50 AM

Thanks, but i do not run any gfo. The last two poly pads did nit turn any color so i guess whatever was in the water is gone now.

disc1 · 08/03/2011, 11:50 AM

Are you talking about sanding drywall?

If so, I had a similar dust issue that I discussed with Randy in the Chem forum. For the most part it's not going to harm the tank, but it is still a good idea to keep as much of it out as you can. The gypsum in sheetrock is calcium sulfate, two ions present in large quantities in sea water. The only concern is if there are any treatments done to the sheet-rock, like a mold inhibitor or something.

I agree that the pink is most likely either iron or is biological in origin. Bacteria can come in a wide array of colors. The other things that might show up pink like that (manganese, cobalt, ...) are things that are on the super extreme end of unlikely to be in your tank water to any level capable of staining anything.

disc1 · 08/03/2011, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by collegeman

Thanks, but i do not run any gfo. The last two poly pads did nit turn any color so i guess whatever was in the water is gone now.

In that case I am definitely voting biological.

08/01/2011, 04:47 PM	#1
collegeman Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Clinton, Maryland Posts: 246	Poly filter turned pink The polyp filter that is in my hob filter turned pink the other day. What does it mean when they turn pink? I also thought my corals were starting to bleach but i think i have something in my water. The only thing i can think of is dust from sanding the walls that i replaced in another room. I did not think the dust would have made it into the room with my tank especially since the door was closed and the room where the tank is located is a good distance from the room i was working on. The filter turned pink on weds. I changed the pad and did a 10% water change on thursday as maintenance. I also did around a 15% water change on saturday since i thought dust made it into the tank. I will also perform another water change today. The poly pad did not turn pink again after the initial one. I will also do some water testing later. Please let me know what it means when the pad turns pink.

08/03/2011, 11:50 AM	#4
disc1 -RT * ln(k) Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Little Rock Posts: 9,705	Are you talking about sanding drywall? If so, I had a similar dust issue that I discussed with Randy in the Chem forum. For the most part it's not going to harm the tank, but it is still a good idea to keep as much of it out as you can. The gypsum in sheetrock is calcium sulfate, two ions present in large quantities in sea water. The only concern is if there are any treatments done to the sheet-rock, like a mold inhibitor or something. I agree that the pink is most likely either iron or is biological in origin. Bacteria can come in a wide array of colors. The other things that might show up pink like that (manganese, cobalt, ...) are things that are on the super extreme end of unlikely to be in your tank water to any level capable of staining anything. __________________ David Current Tank: Undergoing reconstruction...

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08/02/2011, 11:37 AM	#2
JAustin Acropora Nut Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 1,628	They will turn pinkish red when absorbing iron. If you use GFO you will notice this with poly filters. Not sure if anything from sanding would turn it color but if you run GFO this may be your issue.

08/03/2011, 10:50 AM	#3
collegeman Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Clinton, Maryland Posts: 246	Thanks, but i do not run any gfo. The last two poly pads did nit turn any color so i guess whatever was in the water is gone now.