mangoed
New Member
Hi,
I recently moved house and, with the opportunity provided by the necessities of transportation, decided to change from a gravel to a sand substrate in my tropical, freshwater tank. Despite extensive daily attention, I never managed to overcome the proliferation of algae in my previous setup.
The new substrate is sharp sand covering a heating belt, 60lbs of Eco Complete and 20lbs of CaribSea White Marine Sand. There are currently no plants in the aquarium but I wanted to keep my options open for the future.
After about a week, the sand is turning brown due to a algal/bacterial/fungal infestation of some kind (see photo). I wonder if anyone is able to assist in diagnosing the problem and crucially what can be done to alleviate it. The same 'growth' is also appearing on the rocks and returns rapidly after cleaning.
Thanks.
-dan
I recently moved house and, with the opportunity provided by the necessities of transportation, decided to change from a gravel to a sand substrate in my tropical, freshwater tank. Despite extensive daily attention, I never managed to overcome the proliferation of algae in my previous setup.
The new substrate is sharp sand covering a heating belt, 60lbs of Eco Complete and 20lbs of CaribSea White Marine Sand. There are currently no plants in the aquarium but I wanted to keep my options open for the future.
After about a week, the sand is turning brown due to a algal/bacterial/fungal infestation of some kind (see photo). I wonder if anyone is able to assist in diagnosing the problem and crucially what can be done to alleviate it. The same 'growth' is also appearing on the rocks and returns rapidly after cleaning.
Thanks.
-dan
