• Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.

substrate question

T

TheGuyFromNJ

I have a 90 gallon mixed reef with 60# of Caribbean Sand and about 40# of Florida crushed coral as my substrate. The problem being I get a lot of "fine dust" (for lack of a better word) in the water column that never seems to settle. I have tried everything I can think of to remedy this, but no luck.

So I am looking for a new substrate that won't blow into the water column when a fish swims by, but also not compact to cement either. I do have some sand sifters in the tank, and I like the look of the sand, but I can't deal with this anymore.

Any suggestions for a new substrate? I don't want a bare bottom tank. ???

I plan on having a refugium with a DSB, so whatever I use I should only need enough to support the sifters.

I am open to any input.
 
D

DaveK

Yes, cloudy water can be caused by fine dust in the substrata, but before you go and start replacing it, make sure that this is your problem.

A bacteria outbreak can also make the water look cloudy. This can be caused by something dyeing or by overfeeding, especially with frozen foods. So can using some of the cheep salts that do not dissolve completely. Some additives will also cause cloudy water. A few other things can also cause this problem.

If the tank is newly set up, this is often a phase the tank goes through. Once the tank cycles, any fine dust will get taken up by the bacteria. The bacteria film that forms over everything is very sticky. Just give it some time.

If the tank has been set up and cycled for a couple of months, it's unlikely the substrata is the source of the problem, so look for some of the other factors.

Using a large powerful skimmer can also remove fine particulate matter.

Filters such as a Vortex Diatom filter can also remove fine particulate matter, but this is an expensive solution.
 
T

TheGuyFromNJ

Thanks for the reply, however, I am not suffering from cloudy water. The tank has been up and running for about 3 years now, and nothing has been added that would cause a cycle. The tank is equipped with a Aqua C Urchin pro skimmer rated for 120gal, and has a sump with a filter sock.

I highly doubt this is anything other than substrate in the water column.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I like the look of TwinReef's sand bed. It is a coarser grain sand (without being shell like) and he can just about blow a tunze right at it and not have it move at all. If I were going to buy sand again, that's probably what I'd get. You should be able to dig up his thread either in tale of the tank or Photog (probably TOTT).
 
H

harryk

i use fiji pink sand. it's sugar sized i beleive and i never had any issues with it blowing all over the place
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

what kind of powerheads/flow (gph) do you have in the tank? Do you have a pic of the tank with the cloudiness?

It's rather unusual for a tank that is mature to have any cloudiness from the substrate. Did you add sand or a new ph? just thinking out loud what might be causing this.
 
T

TheGuyFromNJ

Maybe I was thinking one thing and saying another when I started this topic. What I was trying to say is I can see the sand pieces in the water column. Its not cloudy like a new cycled tank, but rather looks like small pieces of white sand following the current. Each piece of sand can be seen, so I am assuming it is the sand that is in the water column. The surface of the tank has plenty of movement.

Water flow in the tank is 600gph return from sump. 2 Korilla 2 one on each side facing front, 1 korilla 3 facing the overflow, and a Korilla 4 facing the front. I have moved these around, but don't see much of a difference.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Our maroon clownfish loves to wag in the sand. She had the tank a perpetual sand storm until we siphoned the bulk of the sand out of that area of the tank. She's left it alone since we reduced the sand there, thankfully. We thought we'd have to take it all out to get the storms to stop, so I know just what you're talking about.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top