sand turning black???

[Guest x2minusblndfold]

Alright, I dont know if this is a problem or not, or what i desided to do was the wronge thing, but when I started my reef, I desided to use sand from Cape Cod(MA) Beach. At the time i thought it was a good idea, but now..the sand is turning black...not on top but underneath. I thought about buying live sand and taking the cape cod sand out..but is the black sand fixable? is it a possibility that i ruined my reef?? or am i just over exagerating?

[Guest DANMOQUIN]

It should be ok if your corals are fine. That may be why you are having problems with your LTA though. Does the sand on top turn black or is it just like maybe black rocks?

[michaelg]

those are regions of hydrogen sulfide accumulation as a result of anoxia.  Find some live sand from an established tank that has worms and bugs in it and add it to the top layer of the tank.  Possibly consider getting a sea cucumber (do your research here- tiger tails are good, the super colorfuly ones are real risky due to their toxins) as they mix sand as well.

[pez]

Some amount of anoxic areas are unavoidable (under rocks, etc), but large bands can be controlled - the more living animals you have in the sand, the more the sand will be aerated.  Thus, fewer/smaller anoxic areas.  FWIW, small anoxic areas are good, as denitrification happens there.  However, large areas will probably eventually release HS2 into your tank, which is generally a bad thing.

 

I'm sure some of our members will donate some LS to your cause, or you can get some from Dr. Mac at the next meeting (if you ask him for it in advance).

 

-Tom