green algae between glass and sand

[Gti_Leo]

there are a few spots like this all around the glass, and there are liek little shells and stuff in the sand that are browning

is this a bad thing

 

[kirschwasser37]

I've got the same thing, and was wondering the same. I've also got some purple spots.

 

[Gti_Leo]

i've been doign a little reading but it hasn't taken me anywhere. i haven't tested for phosphates in a while so i'm thinking that could be the cause of it and if it is hopefully some phosphate sponges work, if not i guess it will be time to vodka dose

 

[Gti_Leo]

i just did a nitrate test and phosphate test, nitrates are a little high between 10 and 15ppm and phosphates are at .25 ppm don't know if that would cause these growths.

i don't know if i should try and clean it i don't want to release crap into the water colomn and kill all my livestock i love my little percula's

 

[hackteck]

i just did a nitrate test and phosphate test, nitrates are a little high between 10 and 15ppm and phosphates are at .25 ppm don't know if that would cause these growths.

i don't know if i should try and clean it i don't want to release crap into the water colomn and kill all my livestock i love my little percula's

The algae is eating the phosphates so its probably higher

 

[Gti_Leo]

maybe i guess its time to go to my LFS and get some phosphate sponges

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

The pictures you posted look normal to me. You don't want me to post the pictures of my sand along the glass! Let's just say I'd take yours in a heartbeat!

 

[Gti_Leo]

hmm really i was worried about it turning black. think at one point i had little worms and critters but then i was an idiot and syphoned the sand and think i killed some of the life in it, i just didn't want to have hydrogen sulfide gas build ups and poison my tank, my main concern is my percs the snails and crabs i can live with dying although i wouldn't want that to happen

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

hmm really i was worried about it turning black. think at one point i had little worms and critters but then i was an idiot and syphoned the sand and think i killed some of the life in it, i just didn't want to have hydrogen sulfide gas build ups and poison my tank, my main concern is my percs the snails and crabs i can live with dying although i wouldn't want that to happen

hydrogen sulfide de-toxifies when it hits water so itd be no harm to live stock pm mfdrook he did a bunch of readin on it he knows more than me about it

 

[Gti_Leo]

really i watched a video on youtube and newyorksteelo was sayign he lost his whole aquarium because of it, maybe he was just full of it

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

it could have been many other things stirring the sand bed could cause an ammo spike wich could have caused the death but it is proven hydrogen sulfide is completely harmless to fish once it hits water

 

[Gti_Leo]

everything i've read says h2s is not a good thing in our aquariums, i'd liek to know more about how it is harmless

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

everything i've read says h2s is not a good thing in our aquariums, i'd liek to know more about how it is harmless

sure its not good we dont want it it's like ammo kkinda. i cant say how its not bad but mfd kknows il pm him and have him jump in all ik is once it hits water its detoxifies

 

[Gti_Leo]

kk thanks an explaination would be awesome because i think some organics have gotten under my sand and i've lost them. hopefully my nasarius snails get them

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

ii pmd mfd **** be able to link you to the thread that said it or show you info id do it but i cant on the app

edit: ment to say he'll forgot the darn thing

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Oh.... you'll get some dark, almost black algae along the glass eventually. And no... it doesn't necessarily equal hydrogen sulfide.

 

[Gti_Leo]

bllaaahhh thats so ugly, have you cleaned yours?

i've been considering puttign my live rock and live stock in a QT and straining my substratewith a window screen and a rubber maid container. i don't liek all the shells and stuff that is mixed in with the caribisea live sand i used

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

bllaaahhh thats so ugly, have you cleaned yours?
...

Not really. Some of the spots that are high up in the sand I've sucked out and replaced, but the deeper spots I leave alone. My sand bed is 4" or so deep.

Seems like many of the tanks I see with sand showing above the frame have some type of algae at the glass/sand boundary. Just seems to be a lighting thing in my situation. The ends of my tank don't get as much light and they don't have as many spots as the front, which gets more indirect light.

 

[Gti_Leo]

so you're basically running a DSB?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Kinda sorta, not really.

I think DSBs are normally more than 4"... can't remember the actual numbers from my original research. I know I'm kind of operating in that "no man's land" of sand beds where it's supposed to be bad - too deep to really maintain, but not deep enough to consider "deep". But it works for me.