Substrate Help

[phastroh]

Ok so my tank params are on spot.

I got a SS Goby a few weeks ago maybe and whether it is coincidence or not the sand started getting discoloration on it.

At first it was just some but now it is widespread. The color of the sand takes on a greenish brownish tint but just barely. This is only where the clumps are. It is also clumpy to the point it has to be smashed up.

Nothing else in the tank seems to be having any issue. It is Fiji Pink sand

If I clean it or mix it up it seems like it is back the next day. This and the fact the Goby seems to like to dig around the rocks perimeter only makes it look worse.

I have read it was silicates and brown algae.

My glass if left for 3 days is not clean at all.

I only feed one cube for 14 fish a day and I do give them 1/2 to 1 seaweed sheet per day.

Maybe I should turn up my skimmer as it is pretty dry.

 

[yote]

The goby is probably stirring up some of the crude that build inside the sand bed. If thats the case,it'll eventually clear up as the goby stirs it.

 

[phastroh]

Well since I posted this I made some big chnages in the tank.

I had all 4 powerheads at or near the top of each side of the tank.

I moved one large one a little lower than mid way and pointed it so it deflects into the other sides corner, I also moved the smaller one on the same side into the spot where it was and pointed it to flow to the middle back openning of the rocks.

I then repointed the big one on the opposite side to blow more directly over my Acrros and the other big one next to it to get it to poit to the opposites ends corner.

I then have a Nano Korilia that site on the back wall and blows across the Acros and at the same time puts a wave through all the crossing powerheads.


Lastly I had all the returns kind of just coming out and blowing into the front glass. There are 2 2 pipes on each side so 4 all together. They each blow harder than my 2 small powerheads.

So I pointed the inside ones of each side to blow toward the middle lower of the front glass and the outside to point toward the front corners.

If you can picture it, there should be many many different streams now. I can now see all the corals moving in one way or another. The tank just seems more alive. I think I had my flow to predictable and it was getting stale.

Not sure what effect this will have but the sand I cleaned started looking like I described within a few hours.

Only time will tell. It is so weird how the Goby takes from around the rocks almost exclusively. What a douce haha. I am always plowing it back toward them.

I have my 40gal water change due this weekend so maybe it can help with the new flow. I change 40Gal every other week in my 220. It has a total water volume of roughly 230-240. It was 220 total with 75gal sump but I added a huge UV and a carbon reactor so that probably adds 10 gal maybe so say 230.

I was thinking of looking into new powerheads because I thought maybe I need more flow and then I thought how much.

I have now in the tank with the 4 main ones that are 3 x 1250 and 1 x 550 4300GPH moving. Seems like a ton but what say you?

I was thinking of getting maybe something badarse like one of the MP40's and use it in conjunction with these. Maybe that MP40 is too small for the 220Gal.

Maybe there is a cheaper alternative?

 

[phastroh]

I was just reading more and I am at about 20x the gallons of my tank.

I also wanted to note that I think I have now with the new settings achieved more of a round about flow which is good.

I actually aimed one of the 1250s toward the surface and now it is agitating real well but not like the water is spraying out haha just nice medium ripples and with the fan hitting it, it is nice.