What do you guys do???

Patriot54 · 01/23/2010, 04:36 PM

I'm having a problem dealling with an algae growing on my sand, I know its not hair algae. I feed once a day, I'm not an over feeder either, just have one coral beauty in a 29 gallon tank. I have an Eshopps PSK-75 HOB protein skimmer, and I run chemi pure, just not very effectivly, its just hanging in the water by a powerhead. So I was wondering how you guys deal with algae problems? Is there anything I should be doing or not be doing?

luther1200 · 01/23/2010, 04:49 PM

I got a Diamond Goby and my sand is spotless ever since.

ChadTheSpike · 01/23/2010, 04:51 PM

+1

spleify · 01/23/2010, 04:52 PM

What are your parameters? All of them.

What is your water change routine? Size and frequency.

hemi-cuda · 01/23/2010, 06:04 PM

What's your circulation like? How old and how deep is the sand? What kind of lights and how long are they on? I always gently stir the top 1/2'' to 1'' or so of my sand every time I do my bi-monthly water changes.

candeewolf · 01/23/2010, 06:16 PM

sand sifters do an amazing job of cleaning up algae on sand. The reason it can be difficult without a sand sifter is because very little water circulation is happening on the bottom, so lots of particles tend to stay there, and you get more algae. You can also stir the sand every couple days and that might work (especially with a small tank). If you do decide to get a sand sifter for that tank, make sure it eats prepared foods, as a 29 gal will not have enough substrate to feed a sand sifter by itself.

shellshocked · 01/23/2010, 07:51 PM

I feed every two days and my fish do great. In my experience overfeeding is one of the basic problems people face. Also I am not a fan of deep sand beds...I use just enough to cover the bottom but not enough to really trap detruis of do anything.

01/23/2010, 04:36 PM	#1
Patriot54 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 727	What do you guys do??? I'm having a problem dealling with an algae growing on my sand, I know its not hair algae. I feed once a day, I'm not an over feeder either, just have one coral beauty in a 29 gallon tank. I have an Eshopps PSK-75 HOB protein skimmer, and I run chemi pure, just not very effectivly, its just hanging in the water by a powerhead. So I was wondering how you guys deal with algae problems? Is there anything I should be doing or not be doing?

01/23/2010, 04:49 PM	#2
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	I got a Diamond Goby and my sand is spotless ever since. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

01/23/2010, 04:51 PM	#3
ChadTheSpike Reef Engineer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Washington DC Posts: 1,526 Blog Entries: 1	+1 __________________ ~Chad "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Current Tank Info: 195 gallons of fun

01/23/2010, 04:52 PM	#4
spleify Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 9,579	What are your parameters? All of them. What is your water change routine? Size and frequency. __________________ Make it a Great Day!!!! Current Tank Info: 60 gal SPS cube, with 25 gal refugium, 400W MH, DIY Lumenarc III, DIY skimmer, DIY stand and canopy. 40 breeder LPS with 40 gallon sump, DIY stand, 250W MH

01/23/2010, 06:04 PM	#5
hemi-cuda Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 52	What's your circulation like? How old and how deep is the sand? What kind of lights and how long are they on? I always gently stir the top 1/2'' to 1'' or so of my sand every time I do my bi-monthly water changes.

01/23/2010, 06:16 PM	#6
candeewolf Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 145	sand sifters do an amazing job of cleaning up algae on sand. The reason it can be difficult without a sand sifter is because very little water circulation is happening on the bottom, so lots of particles tend to stay there, and you get more algae. You can also stir the sand every couple days and that might work (especially with a small tank). If you do decide to get a sand sifter for that tank, make sure it eats prepared foods, as a 29 gal will not have enough substrate to feed a sand sifter by itself.

01/23/2010, 07:51 PM	#7
shellshocked Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 151	I feed every two days and my fish do great. In my experience overfeeding is one of the basic problems people face. Also I am not a fan of deep sand beds...I use just enough to cover the bottom but not enough to really trap detruis of do anything.