Sand bed

[Skeetergrl2003]

Just wondering I am having a time keeping my sand bed clean and so I'm having red slime on it everyday so my question is can I just take my sand out?

 

[reefnoob]

Yes, some people run their tanks without sand, but red slime could still grow on the glass as well. But, of course it would be much easier to clean the glass than the sand.

 

[Skeetergrl2003]

I think I can get better water movement if I take it out because it blows the sand all the time

 

[reefnoob]

Yes and that too. There's a lot of pros about not using sand, but you have to remember that you can also see the gunk and stuff better if there is no sand bed.

 

[cvcdrk]

I think you should be less worried about the sand bed and more worried about the root cause of the cyno.

Cyno is typically a result of poor water conditions combined with poor flow to an area. It already sounds like you don't have sufficient flow. You don't need to point the powerheads directly at the sand bed.


What kind of flow do you have in your tank?

Either way, you can certainly run it bare bottom if you want to.

 

[wontonflip]

+1 reef & cv Are you using tap? Check your levels, too. Stirring up your sand bed at this point would cause a mini-cycle and could kill off fish and inverts. If anything, you could stir up small patches at a time at every water change, that way it's only a little. But yeah you should find the root of your problems.

 

[dannydarko]

how long has your tank been up and running? i only ask b/c when i first set my tank up, i had cyano also, but weekly water changes and a small airline tube for cleaning helped me get rid of it in less than a month.