Ditritus Problem

[Driller31]

These sand snails are just not cleaning the sand very good AT ALL??Do cucumbers help with Ditritus??Also I thought there was another Invert that helped with this??It is getting yucky at the bottom of my tank, and I need something that will clean it??Also what is the red stuff growing on my sand??

 

[Zer0]

Well, the snails and hermits and other CUC won't be able to take care of everything. And if you have more detritus building up, and not enough snails/hermits then that's when you will begin to see the buildup.

You can either acquire some more snails/hermits or other CUC, but i would strongly advise against getting a cucumber. These usually die in our aquariums because their food source runs out very quickly. Also, most of the cukes' for our aquariums eat algae, and not detritus or waste like hermits and snails do. Plus, if anything, a cuke would need a very large and completely established tank where an algae source will always be available, in order for it to have any remote chance of surviving.

Another way to clean all the detritus build up.. is to do it manually. During a water change, you can use a python hose, or any hose or gravel vacuum to siphon out as much waste/detritus as you can.

Also, the red stuff growing on your sand, is it thick and slimy? If so, it is most likely cyanobacteria. Pictures of this stuff would definitely help us out more to identify what it is exactly.

You should read this article to find out if it is infact cyano, and if it is, how to deal with it and get rid of it completely:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/20/1/Cyanobacteria-AKA-Red-Slime-Algae-/Page1.html

 

[melosu58]

Also what is the red stuff growing on my sand??

Most likely Cyanobacteria, AKA Red Slime Algae

 

[thincat]

How deep is your sandbed?

 

[cmor1701d]

Driller,

How big is the tank?
What does your current clean up crew consist of?
How often and what are you feeding?
How often are you doing PWC's?

The red stuff on your sand is almost certainly cyano. Siphon out was much as you can with your PWC's. Follow the article that Zer) linked to help you deal with it.


Kevin, you should read up on cucumbers. They ingest sand and expel pristine sand pellets. I have had two in my 125 for over 5 years.

Yes, you need to be very careful of the species you get. They can nuke the tank when scared. Both of mine eviscerated shortly after being added to the tank. I did a 50% water change, never had a problem and haven't had any problems since then.

 

[Zer0]

Well i've never known that cuke's do that. I always thought they were algae eaters, and from a few testimonies, i figured they were hard species to keep in small and underdeveloped tanks. I'll definitely read up more on cuke's.

 

[cmor1701d]

Here's a start

Sea Cucumbers, Sea Cucumber Pictures, Sea Cucumber Facts - National Geographic

Saltwater Aquarium Inverts for Marine Reef Aquariums: Sea Cucumber - Atlantic (Build Your Own)

Saltwater Aquarium Inverts for Marine Reef Aquariums: Sea Cucumber, Tiger Tail

 

[Driller31]

It is a 55 gallon tank...
Cleaner crew is 7 turbo snails, about 15 hermit crabs, 5 sand snails...
I feed 2 times a day...Frozen Mysis shrimp, half a cube each feeding...
I have not done a water change yet, will do very soon...
Do I change the water in the tank, or the Sump??

 

[ryshark]

It is a 55 gallon tank...
Cleaner crew is 7 turbo snails, about 15 hermit crabs, 5 sand snails...
I feed 2 times a day...Frozen Mysis shrimp, half a cube each feeding...
I have not done a water change yet, will do very soon...
Do I change the water in the tank, or the Sump??

How long has your tank been set up? You change only 10-25% of the total water volume. I prefer to take it out of the sump because it is much easier that way with my setup.
What is your flow? Powerheads? If you have good flow a lot of the left over food, fish poo, detritus, etc won't have a chance to settle on your sandben and will get filtered into the sump where the skimmer and maybe a filter sock take it out.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Is two times feeding per day normal? I just came from freshwater, and us (former) freshies used to feed once every couple of days.

Is this ritual for feeding normal in SW?

 

[ryshark]

Is two times feeding per day normal? I just came from freshwater, and us (former) freshies used to feed once every couple of days.

Is this ritual for feeding normal in SW?

Two a day should be fine, just don't over do it. However, you could get by once a day depending on what kind of fish you have. I feed 2-3 times a day but I have Anthias and an Achilles and an over-sized skimmer.

 

[cmor1701d]

2-3 times per week just like FW is best. There are some species that require feeding more often. The scientific evidence is that most species (mammals included) do best (read live longer) on a 30% restricted caloric intake. Fewer feedings makes for a healthier tank in general as there is less waste to deal with.

Frozen foods are generally sources of phosphates and nitrates. It is recommended to rinse them with RODI water before feeding. Place the food in a brine shrimp net, rinse and then feed.

 

[austinsdad]

Wondering if dead spots from lack of flow in some areas is providing the opportunity for detritus buildup.

 

[cmor1701d]

Good call Ray. That's always a possibility. I know that after cleaning my ph's I have to play with the positioning to get the proper flow in the tank again.

 

[austinsdad]

Yeah, keeping water movement often blows settled stuff into the water column and into the skimmer.

 

[ryshark]

What is your flow? Powerheads? If you have good flow a lot of the left over food, fish poo, detritus, etc won't have a chance to settle on your sandben and will get filtered into the sump where the skimmer and maybe a filter sock take it out.

That was the first thing I touched on when the thread started ^^^ I don't think there ever was an answer though.