hard sand

[artur]

Hello!!! I noticed that my sand is so hard. When you touch it it feels like rock. You have to crush it in fingers to make it loose. It looks like rocks made from sand. It is not soft at all. Do you know what can be the reason? Thanks!!!!

[thominil]

Do you have anything in there to help stir up the sand?

[artur]

yes. I have nassarius snails and couple starfishes.

[thominil]

Hmm...No idea then but, I have the same thing occuring with my sand from time to time.

[Speakerman]

My sand is doing that right now, I think it has something to do with having a lot of calcium.

In my case, after I set up my new tank, the calcium from the sand and the salt began to fall out of the water and coat everything in the tank, made a thin white film on everything in the tank, walls, rock, sand. The sand has plates that formed, and the rock is now lighter color.

If your dosing calcium, check your levels with a test kit.

[CaptainAhab]

How deep is your sand bed? It's always been my understanding that this condition can be indicative of oxygen depletion in the sand bed and the beginnings of an anerobic environment.

Can be.... Not is.. but can be.

Something to consider along with the other ideas thrown out there. Do you have alot of worms/pods/etc in the sand?

[CaptainAhab]

Even better... Read this.. Very interesting.... indeed.

Reefs.org: Where Reefkeeping Begins on the Internet - SAND CLUMPING - ANOTHER VIEW by Sam Gamble July 1997 Aquarium.Net

In support of Speakerman:

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquariu...97/0497_3.html

[fishmonkey]

its gotta be an aneorbic situation in the sand i think. it helps every once in a while to use something to mix the sand to keep it from clumping.