What is it and how do I make it go away!!!!?

Laura and Jim will be hosting the May meeting this Saturday the 12th and it will be the usual of food, drinks, raffle and fun.
 
Doors will be open at 6:00 pm for social talk and the meeting will start at 7:00.  Parking gets a little tight and the city says you can't park on 4th but there is a parking lot a block away.   Meeting is usually held in the backyard so feel free to bring your favorite lawn chair, weather permitting of course.

If you need address/directions, contact a club member.

Best if you park at Mini Mall (where the spaghetti establishment use to be)
 
You will get to see his new frag tank set up in the making.
 
Hope to see you there!

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[luvnsalt]

OKAY!!! I seem to be having a small issue....looks like a brown film on my sand. What is it and why does it go away when I turn off my lights? I have tested my water and all is ok....but the brown crud is kind of an eye sore. Help please.

[The Apprentice]

Hi LuvinSalt I am no expert but i do have a sand bed in all three of my tanks I don't remember how old your tank is and what flow you have, What lights you have But it sounds like you may be Having some Cynobacteria growing, How high are your Nitrates? Do you have any sand sifting Snails?,Gobies, Staghorn crabs? All will stir the sand and help keep it anerobic free and help reduce the Cynobacteria...Hope this helps...Jeff

OKAY!!! I seem to be having a small issue....looks like a brown film on my sand. What is it and why does it go away when I turn off my lights? I have tested my water and all is ok....but the brown crud is kind of an eye sore. Help please.

[psa]

Sounds like diatoms to me.  They're brown, silicate-dependent organisms that reproduce very rapidly in new tanks.  Each time I've set up a new tank with sand I've gone through a phase with diatoms.  I usually get them after the tank appears to be fully cycled (i.e. all nitrogen tests are 0) and they last for about a month.  They are very light sensitive and you can see them wax and wane with the light cycles.  They should vacume out pretty easily and they'll clear up on their own if there's no other mitigating factors.

Of course, I haven't seen your tank so it could be something else entirely.  

[Yellotang]

Diatoms and or cynobacteria. Completely normal for new tanks. < 1year.
Syphone out the brown stuff every day. Increase water flow near the area of origin. It will go away.

Again, this is completely normal.

[luvnsalt]

Thanks guys. I don't think it is the Cyano- my friend BShane had that and his discription is different then what I am seeing. How do you siphon it out without sucking all the sand up? At $30 bucks a bag....I would rather keep what I have, ya know??? :lol: Apprentice, my nitrates are great. All my tests come out good. If it is normal I won't panic....but it is ugly. :cry:

[Yellotang]

use tubing. But only pass it over the top of it. It will suck into it.
BTW Cyno comes in multiple colors. Like Crayola Crayons.

[luvnsalt]

Multiple colors? great. :evil: I will win this battle. I will...Iwill.... Thanks.

[mikeydog]

I had the exact same thing on my tank.  I have a sand bed and looks horrible.  But it will pass.  I hate vaccuming because you waste the sand.  Get a sand sifting star or some of those serith snales.  They will mix up the sand and it wont be as noticable..

[The Apprentice]

I have had some trouble with Diatoms and or cynobacteria and Hair Algee. Sherri wanted a Nudibrauch and we saw this at Amazon Bay. Mike the owner said they were Reef safe and I haven't had any trouble with this Guy and he does the work of 10 Snails just eats the cynobacteria like candy. Again Luvnsalt this is a natural way to clean it up JMHO...Jeff

Diatoms and or cynobacteria. Completely normal for new tanks. < 1year.
Syphone out the brown stuff every day. Increase water flow near the area of origin. It will go away.

Again, this is completely normal.

[Ed]

I agree with Mike.   You could use some animals to stir your sand.   I also think a power head just above the sand would slow this down.    I am guessing though.   Its been a while since I had this issue.

[angelscrx]

Amazon Bay has some awesome sand sifting snails.  They are about 1.5" long and they burrow down and you never see them again but you see their trails like plows in the sand.  I have two and they keep the sand stirred really well.

[luvnsalt]

Ok guys!!!! I'm on it! Off to Amazon Bay I go...tomorrow. :lol:

[BSHANE651]

hey apprentice dou you know what kind of nudibranch it was that you purchased??

[The Apprentice]

i have one sea hare  that ate all the cyno and hair algea in my tank.  i liked it so much that i bought one for my brother in law cause he has hair algea so bad in his tank. i have his sea hare in my refuguim at the moment and it has cleaned all the cyno and slime  in the refuguim. looks so clean makes it look like i had just set it up yesterday it is so clean looking.   i also have a lettuce nuidbranch but it does nothing compared to the sea hare. plus the sea hare cleans the glass much better than snails.   bought them at amazon bay. hope this helps. jeff

[Ed]

I have not seen a Sea Hare for a long time.  Those are cool.  They go on the rare list and you can not buy them.   Its been a couple of years since I saw one.