[melby1980]

I have something growing in my sand like crazy it's dark green and the same texture as the sand. does anyone know what it is and what is causing it?

[leebca]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND!

"Dark green" doesn't help a lot. Is it truly green or is it blue-green? Is it more like an emerald green? A photo would be most helpful.

You will want to fill us in on some of the details of your marine system. For instance, share with us the following:
How old is your tank? When did it originally cycle?
What is the size (dimensions and gallonage) of your aquarium? Does the gallonage include the volume from the sump and any refugium?
Do you use carbon, skimmer, mechanical or other chemical filtration?.
List all specimens & sizes in the tank (fish, inverts, corals, clams, snails, crabs, shrimp, etc.).
Foods you use and feeding schedules.
Do you use any vitamins? Fat additives? Any elemental or other additives? Please list all.
Chemistries – Do you test for Phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium? Please give actual current numbers for everything. Have these numbers been changing lately? Are you using current (not expired) test kits? Have these been checked by your local LFS?
Water parameters – please give actual numbers (pH and your pH range, salinity or sp. gr. & range, temperature range)
Do you see any of the following in your system: hair algae; micro algae; cyanobacteria growths (red slime algae); dinoflagellate (zooxanthellae) growths; brown algae; diatom growth; slimes; off-colored patches on rock or substrate that are not coralline; etc. besides the dark green you see?
Water changes (how much and how often).
What is your source water? (Tap water, RO water, DI water, RO/DI, distilled, etc.)
Maintenance schedule. What have you done lately?

[melby1980]

"Dark green" doesn't help a lot. Is it truly green or is it blue-green? Is it more like an emerald green? A photo would be most helpful.
- Sorry I don't have a photo but emerald green would be the best description.


You will want to fill us in on some of the details of your marine system. For instance, share with us the following:
How old is your tank? 5 months old When did it originally cycle? July 2007
What is the size (dimensions and gallonage) of your aquarium? 65 Gallon Hex Does the gallonage include the volume from the sump and any refugium? No Sump or Refugium
Do you use carbon, skimmer, mechanical or other chemical filtration?.Filtration: Emperor Bio wheel carbon filter, power head, live rock
List all specimens & sizes in the tank (fish, inverts, corals, clams, snails, crabs, shrimp, etc.). 1 Yellow Tang, blue damsel, common damsel, domino damsel, clownfish, pink tip anenome, 2 chocolate chip starfish, 1 sand sifting sea star, 6 turbo snails, 1 peppermint shrimp.
Foods you use and feeding schedules. Prime Reef Flake 1x daily AM Anenome gets Frozen Mysis Shrimp every other day.
Do you use any vitamins? No Fat additives?No Any elemental or other additives? Sea Buffer as needed Please list all.
Chemistries – Do you test for Phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium? No Please give actual current numbers for everything. Have these numbers been changing lately? Are you using current (not expired) test kits? Have these been checked by your local LFS?
Water parameters – please give actual numbers (pH and your pH range, salinity or sp. gr. & range, temperature range) PH was 7.4 everything else was 0 at last test I used the sea buffer. Temp is 74 degrees F Hydrometer reads 1.022.
Do you see any of the following in your system: hair algae; micro algae; cyanobacteria growths (red slime algae); dinoflagellate (zooxanthellae) growths; brown algae; diatom growth; slimes; off-colored patches on rock or substrate that are not coralline; etc. besides the dark green you see? Normal Live Rock growth.
Water changes (how much and how often). 25 % every 6 weeks
What is your source water? (Tap water, RO water, DI water, RO/DI, distilled, etc.) Distilled
Maintenance schedule. What have you done lately? Water Change 2 weeks ago and also again yesterday. Scrape Front 3 sides of tank, stir sand added salt as needed.

[leebca]

Thanks for the additional information.

That emerald green layer of algae I've seen before is a water quality matter. It seems to thrive best in marine tank water that isn't very good marine water. You mentioned a pH of 7.4 I hope that is wrong. If that is right, that is a major problem. You should have the pH checked by a pH meter that has been and still is in calibration.

The lower salinity can often encourage this type of growth, I've noticed. Verify the specific gravity by refractometer -- either your LFS or a friend. Just be sure the refractometer has been and is in calibration.

You will need to test for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium to verify the buffering effect of the water is holding properly. This affects fish to some degree, but if not monitored at least every month could lead to a problem. You have life in the tank that is changing the levels of these, most likely so you want to make sure there is no drift happening over time.

The 'stirring the sand' can be okay if your substrate is shallow (less than an inch). If it is a little deeper this action can trap detritus and cause it to decay in between the stirrings. It is usually best to clean the surface of the substrate when you siphon water for the water change. If you've never done this before then only do about 35% of the available surface area per month until you've caught up on this procedure.

I'm unsure the kind of sandsifting star you have, but most don't live long in a home aquarium. Watch for its death.

I would check out:
Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
pH (check this out again and have it verified by a pH meter that was properly calibrated and still in calibration)
Specific Gravity (have this checked by a calibrated refractometer)
Phosphates
Nitrates

With the above information some adjustments may be made and suggested. Without that information, I would import more algae eating snails, make sure the pH is correct, and raise the salinity to a specific gravity of at least 1.025 read on a refractometer, over a time period of a week or two. For a system that young, it could also just need more time to settle in and mature. So time is a factor, too. Lastly, the water changes for that young of system is a bit less than desirable. For now I would increase your water changes to 25% every 4 weeks.

What kind of lighting are you using and for how long during each day?

[melby1980]

Thank you for your reply.

As far as lighting I am using 2 aqua glo 15 watt and 1 reef sun 50/50 15watt

[melby1980]

also ph was tested and is at 8.2

[Live Rock Ricky]

check this out.... about 1.5-2 months ago i did a thorough cleaning of my tank.... now i have the green hairlike algae growing everywhere.. a guy at my lfs said my phosphates are off the chart... how did this happen? i am now using phosguard but it does not seem to be helping.... i use RO water all the time from my lfs... nothign has changed on my end... my lfs guys said "something" got in my water... but i have no idea what it could be....

any help?????

can i remove this with a toothbrush? should i do this?

[leebca]

If there is indeed high phosphates, then they are getting into your system somehow. Typical ways they get is are:
Source water contamination (check the RO water you are buying for phosphates)
The artificial salt contains phosphates
Food you are adding (what foods are you putting in, how frequent, and how much?)
Additives (any additives you put into the tank)
Unusual releases from substrate or rocks
Die-off of living marine life

Check out the above. The big cleaning may have contributed to a die-off. Big cleanings are usually not recommended. If the tank has not been cleaned for a while, it is best to clean about 30% of it every two weeks until it is 'caught up.'

Some snails will eat hair algae BUT not when it is long. You need a lot of those snails in the tank IMMEDIATELY after removing all hair algae growth (using a brush as you mentioned). The snails should then pretty much keep it cropped down. But the best approach is to control the phosphates going in and to remove phosphates (use a skimmer, PhosaR, or other chemical absorbent).

[Live Rock Ricky]

okay.... time to get the brush... what i meant by cleaing just to clairify was removing all powerheads, pump, protein skimmer etc. and cleaning them thoroughly... i usually to a 20% water change every two weeks and always get it from the same guy...

[leebca]

I would still recommend checking the water you're getting. Take it to another person to have it checked, or a lab to test it for phosphorous.