growth on sand...is it bad?

[dixiechicken82]

So we've had our 55 gal tank running for about 6 weeks. There are 3 damsels, 2 lil' hermits, a tiny star, 1 snail, and a banded coral shrimp. Oh and there's a few live rock...well 2 "base rock" and 1 live rock if that matters. After having the shrimp for a week & a half it molted and yesterday one of the hermits changed shells...so thats good right?!

Anyway, yesterday I noticed a darker patch on the sand. I looked really close today and I saw lil' hairs coming up from the sand.....so is it algae? Is it bad? Do we need to do something to get rid of it? My husband wants to go buy a fish today, but I wanted to make sure this stuff isnt bad before he did that. I'd love to have more crustaceans and snails. Can anyone tell me the better ones to have (especially since we are beginners)? And will they take care of the sand growth?

 

[chkltcow]

What color is it? If it looks like red slime, it's probably Cyanobacteria. It forms in areas where there's not enough water flow.

 

[parker313]

Where in GA are you?

I was thinking the same thing, if it was red. If it's sand colored, just a little darker, maybe diatoms, except it doesn't usually really look "hairy"......

 

[dixiechicken82]

I'm in Columbus,Ga

Well its a little darker than the sand. Maybe a brownish color with just a hint of green. I guess its not really "hairy". Just lil things sticking up here and there so I thought of lil hairs.....but no its not furry or anything! I swear it all just popped up over night! I check the tank several times a day and I never noticed that patch before.

 

[chkltcow]

Spaghetti worms, perhaps?

http/www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/picture_p...terebellid.html

 

[dixiechicken82]

thanks for that pic.....definitely not that! Wish I had a digital camera so I could show ya'll!

 

[parker313]

I'm in Columbus,Ga

Well its a little darker than the sand. Maybe a brownish color with just a hint of green. I guess its not really "hairy". Just lil things sticking up here and there so I thought of lil hairs.....but no its not furry or anything! I swear it all just popped up over night! I check the tank several times a day and I never noticed that patch before.

Ahh, all the way across the state!

If it's brownish with hints of green, my guess would be diatoms. Perfectly normal in new tanks and not harmful to fish. Your cleanup crew will help with it and it will go away on its own

 

[dixiechicken82]

Are my two tiny hermits and snail enough of a "clean up crew"?? I thought one of those sand sifter blennies might help, but I hear they make big holes everywhere. I dont think my husband would like it making sand dunes! It's his tank so he gets the final say so on what goes in it.

 

[parker313]

This would be a good time to "up" your cleanup crew. Eventually you're going to want at least an invert per gallon - that's a lot of snails and hermits

The diatom bloom should go away both on its own and with the help of some cleanup crew, but can be a constant issue if you're using any tap water at all in your tank.

 

[Navarre]

Parker is right, cleanup crew usually go in at 1 per gallon of tank. 55 gallons= 55 snails/hermits.

I would not recomend that you mix hermits unless you know what you are doing. If the redlegs are available then get these as they are not very aggressive and are reef safe. Make sure you provide plenty of shells of differnt sizes for them. Some people get blue leg hermits and while these hermits are probably better cleaners and more active, they are also much more aggressive and will readily kill redlegs of equal size for their shells. They will also rip snails oout of their homes for the shells too

Now snails come in different shapes and sizes. Astrea, Turbo trochus snails will all grow quite large but they are very industrious and great at removing algae. Cerith snails are very good for keeping the sand clean as these creatures burrow under the sand and keep it well turned over (better than a blenny that makes dunes imo).

A healthy mixture of both hermits and snails will give the tank its best possible start. Snails can clean rocks and glass, most snails wont touch the sand unless they are ceriths. Hermits will clean sand and rock but obviously not glass.


Lastly, im pretty certain the colour you are describing on the sand is diatoms. It usually makes a sort of brownish dust like covering across the rocks/sand. This is completely natural and indicates the tank is taking the correct course of maturation.

 

[dixiechicken82]

Thanks so much for the advice! That's exactly what I needed to know. And the cerith snail (alternative to the blenny) is great info! He was happy to hear it.