HELP ! I Think I was Sold Silca Based Sand ! Pic Inside

[spllouder]

WEll if you read my Build thred i bought 30 pounds of live sand off of ebay . from fijiman and it looks like play sand when i got it because it looks to perfect fine sand all them same size and looked sort of sharp edgeded .

so i have been fighting some and alot of Red Slime build up on the sand , i tried removing it and it will grow right back . and now it turn the sand into pltes of slime . like the slime made the very top layer of sand cump toghter and make a hard disc .

after one day u removed some slime/sand and put some sand i removed in a cup with straight white vinager and NO REACTION at all not one bubble or fizz ??????

did i get RIPED OF ? How do i remove this sand ??? it looks so ugly now . it used to be white now its brown and red and turning green and black in places under the slime when removed !!

heres a Current Full Tank Shot . you can see it all over the sand .

 

[FishGeek]

Is it a new tank?? If so then the slime and brown algae are normal and will go away in time. It could also be do to high phosphates.

 

[ram man]

More flow, buy some Nas. snails to stir the sand, and suck up what ever you can. Also more water changes never hurt anybody. I had this happen whith my first nano, a 6 gallon eclipse. I just had to wait it out. Tanks go through alot of different stages, and this just happens to be one of them.

 

[spllouder]

Yes its a new tank . I have 12 cerith snails 5 Nass. and 3 turbos and the serpent star i have . thats fine

but what about when i tested the sand ? It did not pass the vinager test .

its feels sharp too . i hate he way this sand looks . it looks so fine and perfect like beach sand or play sand .

 

[Mushroomman]

pretty much any live sand is a rip off in my eyes. given time any sand will turn live from whats livin on the liverock.

what are your parameters? sometimes algae can be caused by many things

 

[spllouder]

amn , no2 , no3 = zero

cal= 400

s/g 1.024

temp 79,1

 

[Lorna]

It isn't that silca sand is bad, it is just that it doesn't have the buffering capacity that aragonite sand has as aragonite is calcium based and will disolve with the high alkalinity in seawater. The sand you have is fine and it would be too much work to change it out at this stage. You should do as they say......suck up as much as you can...stir it up, get more nassarius snails about 3/gallon and then add more water flow. Try shortening your light cycle and do more water changes to reduce any nitrates and phosphates. Even though they measure zero doesn't mean that you don't have any as it is being used up by the slime....which btw is actually a bacteria bloom and not a true algae called cyanobacteria. It will pass and there is probably no one here who hasn't had a run in with it in the early days of their tanks maturing. It is part of the process and can be stubborn. You should try reducing the amount you are feeding also...

 

[di0nysus]

yea my tank just went through the same thing myself. it does suck but it will go away

 

[spllouder]

But my main concern is i Might have silca based sand . and that will cause more than normal abouts . I put my sand in white vingear and nothing no fizz or bubbles .

what does southdown tropical play sand from the caribaen look like ? what grain sizes ?

Because i can get a 50# bag local for 12 bucks . but what does it look like ? does it have pieces or corals and shells and such mixed into the sand ? it should be real reef sand look right ? should i buy the bag its still sealed in the bag says southdown from the ocean and is white ?

please let me know i have to snag up this sand soon or he will sell all the bags .

 

[spllouder]

I also heard if it is silca sand when the sand gets kicked up . it goes in the pumps like my MJ's hydor . and lessing there life span .

 

[Lorna]

I think all the hullabaloo over silca sand is just that......Many people have used silca based sand with little or no problems at all. Do some reading and most will tell you that it is mostly just bunk. The biggest difference as I stated is that silca doesn't add a buffering capacity which is minimal at best anyway. I have never heard of it being harder on pumps etc. I think that is just blowing smoke and if it did shorten their lifespan what are we talking a week? 2 weeks? just maintain your pumps and powerheads keeping them clean and replacing worn parts as necessary and you wont have any trouble. As to the algae blooms etc. I would suggest being diligent with water changes, add more flow and reduce feeding to ensure good nutrient export and you should be fine. In the long run changing it out would create more trouble than it would be worth.

 

[pearl_aqg]

To address your concerns about the vinegar test - I've heard that vinegar is not necessarily the best way to test substrates, that it may not be acidic enough in all cases.

 

[Lorna]

well if vinegar doesn't disolve it and bubble then a meer ph of 8.3 wouldn't either. The whole idea of the test on disolving is to see if the substrate provides buffering at the higher ph of saltwater. It isn't imperative but it is a nice advantage is all.