4 month old 12 gallon nano - Green Film and Purple Sand?

csryan309 · 04/09/2016, 12:55 PM

Hey Everyone!

I've always been interested in aquariums my whole life and finally got myself a small JBJ 12 gallon nano cube to begin my adventure into this awesome new hobby. Needless to say, it's been quite a journey and a huge learning experience.

I've come across this problem that I've had for the past month or so and can't quite seem to shake it off. I perform weekly 25% water changes and all of my parameters for my saltwater are fine.

I've attached some pictures, but as you can see... On one side of my tank, I have this green film-like substance on the glass. It's been there for about a month or so and it seems to be contained and not spreading.

Also, beneath the surface of my sand bed, the coloring of the sand is turning light purple and small air pockets keep forming. I usually move the sand around with my turkey baster to get rid of the air pockets and the purpleish sand.. but within 24 hours it reappears.

I hope you can help this newbie out!! Thank you in advance!

csryan309 · 04/09/2016, 04:21 PM

Bump...

I suppose I should have a better subject title.

bertoni · 04/10/2016, 11:54 AM

The film-like substance is a bit of algal growth, most likely, and some snails might keep it under control, but a fair number of people end up scraping the tank walls from time to time.

The growth in the sand is normal, and consists of various microbes, some likely anaerobic.

csryan309 · 04/30/2016, 11:25 AM

Thank you for your response, I appreciate it!

I tried scraping it with an algae magnet cleaner, but it doesn't seem to work well. The algae is hard and bumpy and is on the glass wall pretty well.. Can you recommend a cleaner/scraper that is safe for glass, or would some sort of brush work?

DavidGraves · 04/30/2016, 07:41 PM

Tunze care magnet. The small one will work wonders on that.

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DavidGraves · 04/30/2016, 07:42 PM

Or regular magic eraser

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04/09/2016, 12:55 PM	#1
csryan309 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 16	4 month old 12 gallon nano - Green Film and Purple Sand? Hey Everyone! I've always been interested in aquariums my whole life and finally got myself a small JBJ 12 gallon nano cube to begin my adventure into this awesome new hobby. Needless to say, it's been quite a journey and a huge learning experience. I've come across this problem that I've had for the past month or so and can't quite seem to shake it off. I perform weekly 25% water changes and all of my parameters for my saltwater are fine. I've attached some pictures, but as you can see... On one side of my tank, I have this green film-like substance on the glass. It's been there for about a month or so and it seems to be contained and not spreading. Also, beneath the surface of my sand bed, the coloring of the sand is turning light purple and small air pockets keep forming. I usually move the sand around with my turkey baster to get rid of the air pockets and the purpleish sand.. but within 24 hours it reappears. I hope you can help this newbie out!! Thank you in advance!

04/10/2016, 11:54 AM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The film-like substance is a bit of algal growth, most likely, and some snails might keep it under control, but a fair number of people end up scraping the tank walls from time to time. The growth in the sand is normal, and consists of various microbes, some likely anaerobic. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

04/09/2016, 04:21 PM	#2
csryan309 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 16	Bump... I suppose I should have a better subject title.

04/30/2016, 11:25 AM	#4
csryan309 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 16	Thank you for your response, I appreciate it! I tried scraping it with an algae magnet cleaner, but it doesn't seem to work well. The algae is hard and bumpy and is on the glass wall pretty well.. Can you recommend a cleaner/scraper that is safe for glass, or would some sort of brush work?

04/30/2016, 07:41 PM	#5
DavidGraves Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: St. Louis MO Posts: 125	Tunze care magnet. The small one will work wonders on that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

04/30/2016, 07:42 PM	#6
DavidGraves Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: St. Louis MO Posts: 125	Or regular magic eraser Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk