TonyInVa December 2, 2009 Share December 2, 2009 (edited) I am having some issues with my tank. Brownish red stuff is showing up on sand. Greyish stuff showing up on live rock. The greyish stuf can be mostly blown off by a baster but some will stay. Nitrate 0 (just tested). Phosphates at 0.025ppm. Flow is 3x Tunze 6025, and return pump magdrive 9.5 going to a squid. Any ideas as to what the redish brown and greyish stuff is? What is causing it? How to get rid of it? http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/arb...ey/DSCN1339.jpg http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/arb...ey/DSCN1340.jpg http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/arb...ey/DSCN1341.jpg Edited December 2, 2009 by TonyInVa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan December 2, 2009 Share December 2, 2009 The reddish brown looks like cyano bacteria. I have no clue about the grayish stuff unless it's just die off because of the cyano? I'm curious to see what others have to say. I am having some issues with my tank. Brownish red stuff is showing up on sand. Greyish stuff showing up on live rock. The greyish stuf can be mostly blown off by a baster but some will stay. Nitrate 0 (just tested). Phosphates at 0.025ppm. Flow is 3x Tunze 6025, and return pump magdrive 9.5 going to a squid. Any ideas as to what the redish brown and greyish stuff is? What is causing it? How to get rid of it? http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/arb...ey/DSCN1339.jpg http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/arb...ey/DSCN1340.jpg http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i305/arb...ey/DSCN1341.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 2, 2009 Share December 2, 2009 Part of the cycle... the red stuff on the bottom is cyanobacteria. It's caused by low flow, excess nutrients, and improper lighting, or any number of other factors. It's feeding off of something in your tank, most likely detritus in your sandbed. If you can point some flow at the substrate that will help to alleviate the problem. You can also get some sand bed stirrers to move it around a bit and some snails will eat it as will some hermits. How old are your lights? The greyish stuff is nuisance algae with detritus stuck to it. Your tank is fairly new so both of these will fade in time when they use up whatever it is they are eating up. My suggestion is to vacuum it up and dump it out of the tank, blowing it around only spreads it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak December 2, 2009 Share December 2, 2009 When you add photos right click on the photo select copy image location then click on the little photo right below "Fonts" next to the little photo with a 2 in the corner and then hit paste. That way when you post the pics show up in the thread. By the way you're having an algal outbreak, there could be many causes, may be time to change your light bulbs, may be time to clean the skimmer, might be time to up date your flow/water circulation source for the tank or clean those pumps/power heads that you're using to circulate water, you might also have added too many fish lately for your skimmer to keep up with, or maybe you're feeding too much, your you need to cut back on your lighting. Start with those things let us know whats up with them and from there we can make diffrent, more, or specific suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa December 2, 2009 Author Share December 2, 2009 I have two Tunze 6025 pointing at the sand, one in each upper corner pointing down at the opposite lower corner. Have a sand sifting star and about 30 Nassarius snails. for the sand. I thought this would be enough. Thought that with Cyano I would have high nitrates and or phosphates. I am baffled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa December 2, 2009 Author Share December 2, 2009 Changed all bulbs in display tank October 27. I have not changed fuge bulbs in a long while, maybe about a year. In my fuge I have a ton of chaeto and 8 mangrove plants. Could the mangrove roots be stirring up my deep sand bed in the fuge and causing this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak December 2, 2009 Share December 2, 2009 Could the mangrove roots be stirring up my deep sand bed in the fuge and causing this? Really doubting it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa December 3, 2009 Author Share December 3, 2009 I will do lights out method. I have done several water changes in the last week. Will see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward December 3, 2009 Share December 3, 2009 The algae will feed off the phosphates as well. Hobby-grade phosphate kits are terribly inaccurate so your phosphates are probably much higher. Also consider a "net zero" nitrate environment - your fuge isn't using up all the nitrate, so the algae in your tank is using what's left over, but your test kit shows zero. Do some water changes, suck out as much as you can. It's all part of having a new tank and it will go away in time. My FOWLR tank had terrible cyano for probably 3-6 mos, I siphoned it out every couple weeks (big, thick mats of it), blew it off the rocks and scooped it out with nets, etc. and as the tank matured, it went away. Now I can even go months without a water change and although the hair algae and green haze on the glass will grow, no cyano or diatoms. Just stick with it, do water changes, remove as much as possible by hand and you'll get it under control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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