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09/02/2009, 12:08 PM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 194
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Sand hard and clumpy, Why?
My sand over time has turned to a hard clumpy mess I dont know why. KH-10, Ca 450,Mag 1300,Im running a calcium reactor,Flow is good I just dont understand, Thanks
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09/02/2009, 01:25 PM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 194
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Anyone have any ideas
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09/02/2009, 01:32 PM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Brick
Posts: 985
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What kind of sand is it?
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09/02/2009, 01:39 PM
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#4 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 4,689
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Probably cyano or something just clumping it up. Have you thought about getting a diamond back goby or another sand "digging" species to help keep the sand clear?
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Ryan |
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09/02/2009, 02:15 PM
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#5 |
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Retired Rebel Reefer
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Triad NC
Posts: 1,902
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Mine does that in my fuge I think it's the snails causing it.
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Alan "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. " Sir Winston Churchill praising those young RAF pilots. August 20th 1940 Click on my name for drop down list and select "Visit EnglishRebels Home Page" for my build thread. Current Tank Info: 60x30x24 200G AO custom glass tank, basement equipment room, 30G and 55G Fuges, LifeReef sump & 30" skimmer. |
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09/02/2009, 02:18 PM
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#6 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Brick
Posts: 985
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Some sands that people buy from like home depot or the play sand or what ever that crap is will turn into something like cement- Also if you dont have alot of little critters and something aerating your sand it will get packed and hard. If there are no tiny tunnels from pods the sand becomes to packed.
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09/02/2009, 02:24 PM
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#7 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Vacaville California
Posts: 2,613
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i see you have a calcium reactor. has the PH of your display tank every dropped into the 6.* range of ph ??? that would cause your substrate to harden
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09/02/2009, 02:25 PM
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#8 |
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RC Mod
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 17,732
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You need more life moving through the sand to break it up. Some sands are more prone to this than others, as john mentioned, but a healthy sandbed will make up for a lot of that. Sand sifting gobies, nassarius snails, and the like can do a very nice job of breaking it up.
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Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -Douglas Adams Current Tank Info: 14g, 29g nano reefs |
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09/02/2009, 04:27 PM
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#9 |
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Sciencing Daily
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,560
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dwarf cerith snails are the bomb for keeping the sand stirred. I have about 100 of them (they are really tiny) in my 40breeder, they spend all day in the sand bed and all night on the rocks and glass. they can get into crevises that the larger snails and crabs can't. worth looking into.
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Joshua "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: multiple nano's sprinkled around the house |
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