[aakomala]

Normally when I do the water change, I don't do anything with the sand bed (I don't suck the water close to the sand bed).

Yesterday, when I did the water change, I tried to clean the sand a little bit by sucking the water from the sand. I found the water inside the sand was black and smelly. Is this normal?

The tank looks OK. The water is clear and the living stock seems to be OK too. The tank is 29G and almost 3 years old. The sand bed is probably only about 2 inches.

thanks in advance.
-a

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by aakomala

Yesterday, when I did the water change, I tried to clean the sand a little bit by sucking the water from the sand. I found the water inside the sand was black and smelly. Is this normal?

Yes and no. It all depends.

Let's just say that it is not unexpected and not necessarily a problem. There are several different ways to maintain a sand substrate in an aquarium and each of them is adapted to different types of substrate and different techniques. I hate to be so vague but it really all depends on exactly what type of sand bed you have and how you have been maintaining it. There are different approaches depending on the sand particle size and the sand bed infauna.

For more detailed responses, could you please describe the exact composition of your sand bed? What did you use exactly? Exact product names if you do not know the exact particle sizes would help here. Did you add any true live sand from other sources? Did you add any detritivore kits from one or more sources? Did you add anything other than what may have migrated down from the live rock?

Can you tell us what sort of "clean up" critters you have in your tank?

Thanks,

[aakomala]

Hi Ninong,

I didn't not buy any brand name substrate when I set up my tank. I'm not sure how to describe the particle size, it's a mixture between fine substrate and coarse sand. No, I did not use any kits and/or booster for the sand. I have about 70-50 lbs of live rock (not sure exactly the weight, it's been awhile).

For the clean up crew, I only have a few snails and crabs to take care the algae issue. For the sand, I honestly say I have never done anything to it. I just leave it as it is. From the surface, the sand looks pretty clean to me. It's just that when I inserted the tube to suck the water from the sand bed, I had that black and smelly water.

Let me know if you need more information.
thanks
-a

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by aakomala

Hi Ninong,

I didn't not buy any brand name substrate when I set up my tank. I'm not sure how to describe the particle size, it's a mixture between fine substrate and coarse sand. No, I did not use any kits and/or booster for the sand. I have about 70-50 lbs of live rock (not sure exactly the weight, it's been awhile).

For the clean up crew, I only have a few snails and crabs to take care the algae issue. For the sand, I honestly say I have never done anything to it. I just leave it as it is. From the surface, the sand looks pretty clean to me. It's just that when I inserted the tube to suck the water from the sand bed, I had that black and smelly water.

Let me know if you need more information.
thanks
-a

How did you acquire the substrate? Did you buy it? From whom? What color is it? Do you know if it is silica sand or aragonite sand? I guess all this is unimportant at this point because it appears that what you have is a 2" deep sand bed of undetermined composition, unless you can think of something that identifies it better.

The important part is that you didn't add anything to it so it is likely not every well populated with sand bed infauna. The life on the live rock is not the same as the life that lives in the sediments. IF your 2" sand bed had been composed of fine grain aragonite sand and if it had been seeded with good quality live sand and/or detritivore kits of sand bed critters you would have more life in it to keep the sediments churning and prevent problems from building up.

One approach says that you use fine grain sand and keep it well populated with sand bed critters and clean-up critters on the surface that keep it clean for you and you leave it undisturbed.

Another approach says that you use whatever you feel like and just make sure that it is siphoned regularly to prevent buildup of detritus. Larger particles, such as crushed coral, will trap detritus. Sand beds of larger particle sizes should be kept very shallow, no more than 1/2", to prevent buildup of detritus. And they should be vacuumed on a regular basis.

Here is what I would do if I were in your situation: I would add about 1/2" to 1" of live sand on top of your present sand bed. You can get this from lots of places. I got some really nice live sand from www.palmettoreefs.com but I'm sure there are several sources. This was cultured live sand that they keep in the bottom of their live rock curing vats. They use a blend of Southdown, live Fiji sand, live Florida Keys sand, and just let it stew in the bottom of the live rock tanks. You can also buy live sand that is imported directly from Fiji.

That may not be the cheapest way to go but it's what I would do. You should also check out www.ipsf.com and www.inlandaquatics.com for a look at what they have to offer. I bought a lot of stuff from both of them. This should help, it certainly won't hurt.