Dirty sand bed, new tank

[Tin_can]

Hello can anyone suggest what can be done for dirty sand bed

I have setup bio cube for 3 weeks now and not sure where the dirt is coming from, I have attached picture with and without light

want to know if its due to new tank or I need to do anything

 

[Tin_can]

Update: I siphoned sand on Saturday 5/23 and the dirt is back in 2 to 3 days

 

[CoachDave]

Diatoms...normal for new tank....they’ll go away on their own when silica is taken up

 

[LxHowler]

Looks like diatoms. Give the tank time and they will disappear

 

[Tin_can]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Cell]

Time for some cuc!

 

[Tin_can]

Time for some cuc!

You meant sea cucumber ?

 

[Reefnman2]

You meant sea cucumber ?

Clean Up Crew

 

[Cell]

CUC = Clean up crew.

Snails, hermits, urchins, cucumbers, etc...

I'd recommend a few trochus snails for your glass and rock and some nassarius snails for the sandbed to start. I'm not a fan of hermits if corals are a priority. I regret stocking my tank with them and have slowly been waiting for the little thieves to die out.

 

[Tin_can]

CUC = Clean up crew.

Snails, hermits, urchins, cucumbers, etc...

I'd recommend a few trochus snails for your glass and rock and some nassarius snails for the sandbed to start. I'm not a fan of hermits if corals are a priority. I regret stocking my tank with them and have slowly been waiting for the little thieves to die out.

Thanks

 

[Tin_can]

Hello Experts tanks for advice all clean and clear now

 

[Tin_can]

No water change or siphon, just added clean up crew , now its 4 weeks exited to add corals

 

[DrufusReef]

CUC = Clean up crew.

Snails, hermits, urchins, cucumbers, etc...

I'd recommend a few trochus snails for your glass and rock and some nassarius snails for the sandbed to start. I'm not a fan of hermits if corals are a priority. I regret stocking my tank with them and have slowly been waiting for the little thieves to die out.

This is a great cleanup crew, but probably a little early for a 3-week old tank. Keep siphoning your sand every week or so. Weekly to Bi-weekly water changes will help too. This is a problem that every new tank has and the only full proof way to solve it is time. Be patient and it will work itself out

 

[Victor_C3]

No water change or siphon, just added clean up crew , now its 4 weeks exited to add corals

I’ve been out of the hobby for about a decade, but I’m guessing you’re not suggesting the tank would be ready for SPS that early, right?

I always thought it was prudent to at least make sure algae had cycled itself away and coralline was beginning to cover everything, or is that just old methodology that nobody follows anymore?

Thanks!

 

[DrufusReef]

I’ve been out of the hobby for about a decade, but I’m guessing you’re not suggesting the tank would be ready for SPS that early, right?

I always thought it was prudent to at least make sure algae had cycled itself away and coralline was beginning to cover everything, or is that just old methodology that nobody follows anymore?

Thanks!

You're post is so right. There are so many youtube videos showing a developed tank after 4 weeks but we never see how they got there or what happen after. In this hobby the most prudent method to anything is time.

 

[NS Mike D]

I don't have an answer, but I have been thinking and reading a lot on when to throw the switch. on one hand you want lights off to give the micro fauna sufficient time to develop and establish footholds to battle the ugly stuff from settling in, on the other hand turning on the lights and adding nutrient and space consuming corals is a big part of that battle. of course once you turn the lights on the ugly algae is off to the races as well.

not so much with live rock, but dry rock makes this a much harder decision.


your rock looks like you made good choices

 

[Tin_can]

I’ve been out of the hobby for about a decade, but I’m guessing you’re not suggesting the tank would be ready for SPS that early, right?

I always thought it was prudent to at least make sure algae had cycled itself away and coralline was beginning to cover everything, or is that just old methodology that nobody follows anymore?

Thanks!

I am having biocube 32, I dont think the lighting will allow me to SPS
I am planning to start with few star polyps and 1 or 2 more soft coral to start

 

[Tin_can]

This is a great cleanup crew, but probably a little early for a 3-week old tank. Keep siphoning your sand every week or so. Weekly to Bi-weekly water changes will help too. This is a problem that every new tank has and the only full proof way to solve it is time. Be patient and it will work itself out

I already added the clean up crew but on 20% of what recommended for 32 gallon as due to lack of fish and coral I am not feeding the tank anything
If I dont add any live fish for next 1 month or so do u think I need to feed something for the clean up crew to survive ?

 

[Tin_can]

I don't have an answer, but I have been thinking and reading a lot on when to throw the switch. on one hand you want lights off to give the micro fauna sufficient time to develop and establish footholds to battle the ugly stuff from settling in, on the other hand turning on the lights and adding nutrient and space consuming corals is a big part of that battle. of course once you turn the lights on the ugly algae is off to the races as well.

not so much with live rock, but dry rock makes this a much harder decision.


your rock looks like you made good choices

Thanks,
Hope the rocks stay like this, I have seen sometime the green algae took over and I am scared of it, I already got uv lights but yet to use it

 

[Manda0597]

I already added the clean up crew but on 20% of what recommended for 32 gallon as due to lack of fish and coral I am not feeding the tank anything
If I dont add any live fish for next 1 month or so do u think I need to feed something for the clean up crew to survive ?

I would throw in 2-3 Green Chromis. They’re like $5 so they’re cheap sacrificial fish. Once you out in livestock your tank will cycle again and usually cause an ammonia spike. Give them a week or so to add some bacteria and nutrients to the tank and if your parameters are good, start adding fish and coral.