Red Bed

[U4BOYZ]

I'm getting red spots in my bed of sand. My LFS says to stir it up a bit to make the red spots disappear. Thoughts? I'm afraid if some algae or something is growing, and I stir it up, it could infect my entire tank. Thanks.

 

[queenangel77]

I wouldnt stir it. It will cause your nitrates to go up. I have some spots like that in mine as well. turned to coraline.

 

[U4BOYZ]

That's an interesting thought. Thanks. I have a lot of coralline in my tank right now, I wonder if that's what's causing it. ? Hmmmmmmmm....

 

[mng777777]

That's just algae. If you have a good skimmer, you can stir your sand to get rid of it but don't go deeper than about 3/4" the bad stuff hides about 1" down. If you just agitate the top layer, you won't cause any harm, but it's still messy. The more simple solution, but also more expensive is to just use natural sand stirrers to do the work. Look at Nassarius snails, sand sifting stars, fish like jawfish and gobies, or some conch's. They will constantly turn over the top layer of sand and help to keep it clean. I would start with 2 stars and 10-15 snails and see how it goes from there, or as I mentioned, there are several fish that will help with it too but a fish alone won't do much good. You do need to make sure that your rock work is stable before adding any sifters to your tank though. As they burrow beneath your aquascaping they will create pockets that can lead to an avalanche and a broken tank. Most of us place the rock directly on the bottom and then add the sand around it to prevent this problem. I am using silicone to hold my base rock before I put any sand in mine. Some people just use pvc to make little stands. You can do it several ways, just make sure you aren't set up for an avalanche if your rocks move a bit...

 

[Hiker4twenty]

I have those red spot in my sand as well. My cerith snails usually take care of them. They're really good for cleaning the glass under the sand, IMO.

 

[U4BOYZ]

I'd like to take care of it without stirring, if I can.

I currently have about 5 snails (above sand)
3 sand-sifting type snails (very small, only surface occasionally)
1 sand surfing starfish (surfaces everyday)
1 goby

I have 120 gallon take. Any ideas on what else I should buy to get the sand moving? Another starfish?

Thanks.

 

[yote]

Throw some certh snails in there.
Dont add another sand sifting star.
I generally dont worry about those spots thats under the sand.

 

[dcantucson]

I would and do take care of it by stirring the sand! Yes I said it. However I do not recommend stirring all the sand. Just about 1-1 1/2 inches by the glass. You can place your fingers into the sand and gently move them about and the algae will break apart and dissipate. You do this very carefully disturbing as little as possible. Most of us get this and most do not disturb the sand bed. In a 120 gallon system it is very unlikely that moving a small bit of sand will cause any harm. JMO

 

[Bifferwine]

Why worry about it? It's not hurting anything.

 

[mng777777]

Why worry about it? It's not hurting anything.

Says the algae queen... Some of us actually prefer our tanks to be cleared of the stuff and clean

 

[U4BOYZ]

Why worry about it? It's not hurting anything.

My only concern is that it's something that will spread and be a disaster. Other than that, it doesn't really bother me. I do seem to be getting more and more red patches. UGH.

 

[mng777777]

That's how it goes Ursula, just get some more cerith and/or nassarius snails to go after it and in the mean time, stir up the area around the glass as David advised and you should be fine.

 

[Picasso]

I've got those narcissarius snails that keep things stirred up. Also, once a week I kind of poke around the top bit of my sand moving it slightly to avoid yucky build ups like yours. I've stirred around red bits before and it won't spread in your tank because it likes to be under the sand. I would get a stick and poke down to let some water into the area a couple times a day until it's gone but like the other's have said, it's not harmful and if you just leave it your sand will even out in time.

Catherine

 

[U4BOYZ]

Thanks everyone. I went and got 5 more nassairus snails today and did a bit of gentle stirring...hope it works. :)

 

[Navarchus]

Well you beat me to it. I was going to recommend narcissarious snails. They fantastic sand movers. They hide under the sand until the sense food, then the come out like tanks during war games. They are a fun way to keep the sand moving. While they look like tanks, they are not so strong. A small hermit will beat them in a fight any day of the week. Be prepared to see your hermits carrying around one of your new snail's shells :-o

Make sure you acclimate them slowly, and good luck with them.

btw, 120 gallon tanks rock!

 

[mng777777]

I think you may end up wanting a few more in the long run, but it's always better to add a few at a time. Congrats on the new snails. They are cool to watch pop up from the sand.

 

[winyfrog]

A healthy tank has some algae in it. ;)

If it bugs you I would take a straight razor blade and just run it along the front of the glass, you will only disturb the sand thats along the edge.

 

[DAvis]

I have a Florida fighting conch (Friends call him 'Conchy Joe') and 9 Nassarius snails currently sifting my sand bed in my 28g cube. I'm probably going to get another 6 to 10 as they come available. Joe shreds the top layer and then burrows down under for a snooze. The sand looks like the movie 'Tremors' when I feed. All the Nassarius surface to check out the good smells. Its awesome to watch. Aside from a little green algae near the surface, these guys do a great job keeping algae off the sandscape above and below. Give them a try! You might even be able to house 2 conchs in a 120, and a ton of Nassarius!