phuture1
Reefing newb
hi guys. i was wondering if you guys could help me out here. whenever i put my lights on, my sand starts to turn brown within 45min. or so. its makeing me nuts. any advice?:frustrat:
brown stuff.
- Thread starter phuture1
- Start date
ndepratt
Equipment Junkie
stop using tap water. What you are seeing are called diatoms. They feed on the silica present in your water. They will eventually consume all the silica... but everytime you do a water change you're going to get a small outburst of it if you continue using you current water.
If you're using RO, change your filter media.
If you're using RO, change your filter media.
phuture1
Reefing newb
i'm useing ro/di water. and no filter. thats why i,m baffeled.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Your tank is relatively new, correct? If so, you're going to get diatom outbreaks over the first 6 months or so (at least), no matter what you do. It's a natural part of your tank maturing. And there's really not much you can do about it but wait it out :(
What kind of substrate did you use? Some people use play sand that they buy at any old store, which is silica based. Some people say using a silica bases substrate leads to constant diatom problems, while others disagree. The jury seems to be out on this one, but it's a consideration if you used regular old sand instead of aragonite sand.
What kind of substrate did you use? Some people use play sand that they buy at any old store, which is silica based. Some people say using a silica bases substrate leads to constant diatom problems, while others disagree. The jury seems to be out on this one, but it's a consideration if you used regular old sand instead of aragonite sand.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Your tank is relatively new, correct? If so, you're going to get diatom outbreaks over the first 6 months or so (at least), no matter what you do. It's a natural part of your tank maturing. And there's really not much you can do about it but wait it out :(
What kind of substrate did you use? Some people use play sand that they buy at any old store, which is silica based. Some people say using a silica bases substrate leads to constant diatom problems, while others disagree. The jury seems to be out on this one, but it's a consideration if you used regular old sand instead of aragonite sand.
What kind of substrate did you use? Some people use play sand that they buy at any old store, which is silica based. Some people say using a silica bases substrate leads to constant diatom problems, while others disagree. The jury seems to be out on this one, but it's a consideration if you used regular old sand instead of aragonite sand.
ndepratt
Equipment Junkie
darn.... went out a limb there.... FAIL.
yeah we could use a bit more info on the tank, like Biff said. Also a bit of info on how old your RO/DI is, and what kind of lighting you're using and how old.
yote
In Memoriam
Have you checked the TDS coming out of your RO/DI?
mng777777
Shark Wrangler Wannabe
+1 Yote, sadly not all RODI is created equally. and for the record, I started with about 60 lbs of aragonite but quickly realized I underestimated how much I needed. In a desperate attempt to keep my tank build on track, I recalled a 100lb bag of play sand I had in the garage and went for it. I only did the homework after to realize that a lot of folks advise against the play sand. I am glad to report that I have been trouble free. Perhaps its because mine is mixed though...
phuture1
Reefing newb
i got my ro/di from pure water club. it is a 7 stage. i've been running it for about two months. i didn't test it for tds. should i? i have 2 t8 10000k 15w bulbs that are 3 months old. i did use white silica sand as my substrate. the diatoms are also on my rock but not on the inside of my glass. is this normal in a young tank? once again i appreciate all the help.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Your problem may be the silica sand. It's my opinion that only aragonite sand should be used in saltwater tanks. Diatoms feed off of silica, and you've basically given them a free for all buffet of their food. As I said before, some people disagree with this; this is my opinion.
sen5241b
Reef enthusiast
I have the same problem.
I have a new 10G and have brown diatoms all over. I use RO and have approx. 15 lbs of LR. Cerith and Nerite snails eat brown diatoms but not fast enough. Nitrates are at about 20 ppm.
I have a new 10G and have brown diatoms all over. I use RO and have approx. 15 lbs of LR. Cerith and Nerite snails eat brown diatoms but not fast enough. Nitrates are at about 20 ppm.
mng777777
Shark Wrangler Wannabe
I'd stick with biff on this one! It's probably your sand. You may be able to siphon a large amount if it out and then use pvc to replace it with aragonite. BEFORE you do though, how long has the system been up and running and how many fish do you have? I ask because if there's too much detritus built up in the sand you could cause a nitrate spike by stirring up the sand. You may be better off just adding new sand over the top so the silica is burried. good luck with this problem
phuture1
Reefing newb
i only have 3 fish, 2 domino dams. and a tomatoe clown. nitrates are really good. who knows.... i'm actually looking to set up a bigger tank soon so for now it stays as is, i guess. i'll keep everyone posted on my upgrade. thanks again for the help guys.
sen5241b
Reef enthusiast
If you take a magnifying glass and look in a mature tank you will see many very small creatures of all sorts. There are many more creatures too small to see and many of them eat brown diatoms. As you bring in snails, live sand and live rock, these kinds of creature will gradually populate your tank and begin eating the brown diatoms.
