I made a custom sump out of an old 29 gal tank for my 75 gal African cichlid tank. It was originally going to be a refugium as well but the plants don't do well with the cichlid water conditioners I use. The filtration (mostly bioballs) works unbelievably well, the levels in my tank are pretty much at a constant 0 for nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia. However, I get this red almost like dust in the bottom on the sump. I originally thought it was growing down there so I turned off the light (since the plants were all but dead anyways). It continued, so I removed all the gravel/fertilizer but it still continues to come back. It has now occurred to me that it is originating in the main tank and just settling in the sump since it is small enough to slip through the sponges I use to filter out larger particles. I have 2 questions:
1) Is this fish waste? If not, what might it be and is there a way to eliminate it?
2) Is there a fish I can put in my sump that will eat it if it is not something I can keep from happening?
Thanks!
1) Is this fish waste? If not, what might it be and is there a way to eliminate it?
2) Is there a fish I can put in my sump that will eat it if it is not something I can keep from happening?
Thanks!
