Clumpy sand for 2 months now.

fasteddie99 · 01/09/2009, 03:45 PM

My sand started getting a film on it about 2 months ago and I noticed that when the lights were off with just the LED moonlights on, the bottom had little (I will try my best to describe here) slimey, greyish, stringers attatched to the sand just waving around from the current. I do weekly water changes at which time I vacuum as much out as I can, removing some sand while doing so. In between water changes I reach in with my hand and stir up the sand to try to keep it at a minimum. But then after 2 days, the sand starts to clump up and these little clear stringies show up under the moon again. I run carbon and phosphate media in a HOB filter. All of my numbers are good and have no problem keeping livestock. The tank just hit 6 months old on the first on January.

I dont know what else to do, anyone have suggestions? Am I doing wrong by stirring up my sand?

Here is a quick rundown of the setup

55gal
216 watts T-5
HOB Coralite skimmer
Maxi jet 1200
Koralia 3

3 damsels
2 clowns
2 cleaner shrimp
2 turbos
3 nassarius
about 6 blue legged hermits

I feed once a day @ half cube of mysis

If I missed anything, just let me know. Any idea?

schristi69 · 01/09/2009, 03:55 PM

Leave your sand alone. Get some snails or other critters to do that. Each time you stir it up by hand you are releasing the gunk in your sand bed into the water and causing a bacteria bloom. Get a conch, some cerith or more nassarius snails. Anything that burrows and stirs up your sand. They will keep it from clumping and help keep it clean. If you insist on stirring up your sand, do it first and THEN do your water change. Then leave your sand bed alone.

01/09/2009, 03:45 PM	#1
fasteddie99 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,028	Clumpy sand for 2 months now. My sand started getting a film on it about 2 months ago and I noticed that when the lights were off with just the LED moonlights on, the bottom had little (I will try my best to describe here) slimey, greyish, stringers attatched to the sand just waving around from the current. I do weekly water changes at which time I vacuum as much out as I can, removing some sand while doing so. In between water changes I reach in with my hand and stir up the sand to try to keep it at a minimum. But then after 2 days, the sand starts to clump up and these little clear stringies show up under the moon again. I run carbon and phosphate media in a HOB filter. All of my numbers are good and have no problem keeping livestock. The tank just hit 6 months old on the first on January. I dont know what else to do, anyone have suggestions? Am I doing wrong by stirring up my sand? Here is a quick rundown of the setup 55gal 216 watts T-5 HOB Coralite skimmer Maxi jet 1200 Koralia 3 3 damsels 2 clowns 2 cleaner shrimp 2 turbos 3 nassarius about 6 blue legged hermits I feed once a day @ half cube of mysis If I missed anything, just let me know. Any idea?

01/09/2009, 03:55 PM	#2
schristi69 Master of Space and Time Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 1,340	Leave your sand alone. Get some snails or other critters to do that. Each time you stir it up by hand you are releasing the gunk in your sand bed into the water and causing a bacteria bloom. Get a conch, some cerith or more nassarius snails. Anything that burrows and stirs up your sand. They will keep it from clumping and help keep it clean. If you insist on stirring up your sand, do it first and THEN do your water change. Then leave your sand bed alone. __________________ "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Lord Acton Current Tank Info: None, nada, gone