Carib Sea Arag-ALive Fiji Pink Substrate?!

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/reef-crystals-this-cannot-be-normal.252387/page-6#post-2979208


Thought it might be helpful to link these two

I now see your tank as pretty amazing for going this long hands off and only having topical diatom issues, you really don't have lots of algae problems. With a little cleaning it wouldn't take any work for you to edge easy victory.

 

[brandon4432]

Congrats! I was shocked too when I installed my Kessil and it subsided! Agreed with the fact that it is a awful substrate!

 

[NanaReefer]

Yeah well by this afternoon it was back. [emoji35]

 

[brandon4432]

Yeah well by this afternoon it was back. [emoji35]

[emoji31][emoji31][emoji31][emoji17][emoji17][emoji17][emoji17]

 

[NanaReefer]

This totally blows. It almost completely disappears after lights out. Here's a couple pics using an LED flashlight.

 

[puffy127]

I've been battling this too on a 1 year old tank. I started with Fiji Pink dry, though. I don't know what is causing it. And to think I almost ran out to get some radions today after reading your post.
I never had a diatom bloom while the tank was cycling. Only recently when nothing has really changed. Silicates measure 0 on Salifert, both DT and RODI.
If I leave the sand alone, it gets worse. If I stir it up, everything looks great for an hour or so, then it comes back right away. At night (lights out), it looks diminished (like yours). Once lights are on, it's back. I haven't paid attention whether it gets worse after a water change. It just seems to be there constantly whether I change the water or not. So frustrating. Almost want to go BB.

 

[007Bond]

Then it seems to be light activated...I'm still in the ambient light thinking,..try covering your tank up(no outside light source)...then turn on your leds...just a test so you can cross it off your list.

 

[NanaReefer]

I've been battling this too on a 1 year old tank. I started with Fiji Pink dry, though. I don't know what is causing it. And to think I almost ran out to get some radions today after reading your post.
I never had a diatom bloom while the tank was cycling. Only recently when nothing has really changed. Silicates measure 0 on Salifert, both DT and RODI.
If I leave the sand alone, it gets worse. If I stir it up, everything looks great for an hour or so, then it comes back right away. At night (lights out), it looks diminished (like yours). Once lights are on, it's back. I haven't paid attention whether it gets worse after a water change. It just seems to be there constantly whether I change the water or not. So frustrating. Almost want to go BB.

EXACTLY!! I even bought a lil rake to get at least an hour of a nice looking SB a day [emoji38]

 

[NanaReefer]

Then it seems to be light activated...I'm still in the ambient light thinking,..try covering your tank up(no outside light source)...then turn on your leds...just a test so you can cross it off your list.

I would consider this too if my shades weren't kept closed all the time.

 

[007Bond]

Just a thought,...pretty easy to do,...so I stop pestering you

 

[NanaReefer]

Just a thought,...pretty easy to do,...so I stop pestering you

Lol you're funny.

 

[puffy127]

Saw in another thread that you got radion gen3s. Have they helped with the diatoms?

 

[NanaReefer]

Saw in another thread that you got radion gen3s. Have they helped with the diatoms?

Nope not at all. Still the same sucky sand bed. I highly doubt it's diatoms.
Something funky with the substrate itself along with the RC salt mix. It gets worse a few days after a WC.
I've got a friend who's now having the same issues. He too was using RC. I'm waiting on his results as he's switched to another brand, to see if his clears up.

 

[Sabellafella]

Nope not at all. Still the same sucky sand bed. I highly doubt it's diatoms.
Something funky with the substrate itself along with the RC salt mix. It gets worse a few days after a WC.
I've got a friend who's now having the same issues. He too was using RC. I'm waiting on his results as he's switched to another brand, to see if his clears up.

Wait you still have this problem!!!. Ive ben using reef crystals for the past few months and let me tell you, i have to clean out my wc tank after every water change because it turns brown every single time. Then ontop of that, i keep a 5 gallon bucket with fresh saltwater on hand to use it throught the week (for testing,skimmer makeup,ect) and at the bottom of the bucket after a day, is a handfull of brown detritus/crud/dirt/w.e it is that i scoop out with a baster. I plan on taking a picture of it and posting it in my build thread for thursday. If i mix the reef crystals for exactly 24 hours and do i waterchange, i dont get this crud build up. But i usually make my water and start friday for sunday, also has ben testing at 500 to 550 for calcium lately. So i might start mixing both IO

 

[Congaken]

Wait you still have this problem!!!. Ive ben using reef crystals for the past few months and let me tell you, i have to clean out my wc tank after every water change because it turns brown every single time. Then ontop of that, i keep a 5 gallon bucket with fresh saltwater on hand to use it throught the week (for testing,skimmer makeup,ect) and at the bottom of the bucket after a day, is a handfull of brown detritus/crud/dirt/w.e it is that i scoop out with a baster. I plan on taking a picture of it and posting it in my build thread for thursday. If i mix the reef crystals for exactly 24 hours and do i waterchange, i dont get this crud build up. But i usually make my water and start friday for sunday, also has ben testing at 500 to 550 for calcium lately. So i might start mixing both IO

I had this problem with Reef Crystals and now Red Sea Coral Pro...my mixing bucket is white, transparent and is near a window...thinking that its algae or diatoms growing because of the light...how does it get in there?...beats me, but I'll move it to a dark corner and see if it goes away...

 

[NanaReefer]

I posted the 'brown residue' question on IO's FB page. Was told "it is a harmless by product from the mining process"

Yes I still have this horrible looking nasty issue! I've removed about 2-3lbs of substrate already. Will slowly continue to do so until it's completely gone. I've found no other option as no matter what I've done it just won't go away.

I've gone from black box led to a Radion Gen3. From bi-weekly WC to weekly. From feeding 2x a day to 1x. Invested in a much bigger skimmer.
Tried ChemiClean. This has been going on for almost 2yrs now.

 

[icedgxe]

I have the same issue in my nuvo that I started with Fiji pink. I have used it before and never had any problems like this. I'm about to siphon out all the sand and replace it with reefflakes if I can't get it solved soon.

 

[melev]

Did you add liverock yet? That usually helps clear it up within 24 hours.

 

[icedgxe]

My tank has been running for about 4 months now. I have 10lbs of TBS rock, first chamber has an intank media basket with floss and 1 bag of chemi pure blue nano, and second chamber is full of marine pure spheres. I've never had diatoms last this long. I may try chemi clean or nualgi before I swap substrates.

 

[butesch]

I fought this in my nano for 2 years. In the last few months I've started up a Red Sea Reefer 250. In the nano I finally vacuumed out the sand. It was Nature's Ocean. In the new tank I used CaribSea. When it showed up I was upset to have to see it again. Very upset. I tried everything. However mine has gone away. While I let the sand in my new tank mature with the water once I transferred my previous tank in, I still had the brown. Then I added a bottle of Instant Ocean Bio Spira just in case. Can't guarantee this was it of course, but adding the bacteria in that bottle seemed to do it. Haven't seen in back in 30 days. I'm very excited. Worth a shot if you ask me.