Algae on sand - never ending

Well I know this can open a can of worms but I am at a loss. I am constantly getting a brown/ green algae (film type not hair) on my sand bed after a day or two and it has been going on ever since I moved my tank 8 months ago. I replaced the sand with new Caribsea live sand and about a cup of the top layer of my old sand. Everything else about my tank is exactly the same before I moved without the issue (except corals are bigger/more).

How about a picture? Sounds like a form of cyano. I went through the same battle for almost a year. 

Looks like cyano to me. Let people chime in with other recommendations. I tried them all. I decreased feeding so much my corals began to suffer. Chemi Clean worked wonderfully well. Haven't had any issues since. As far as getting to the root of the problem? Cyano was the problem. Haven't changed a thing since. Let's see what Mark has to say!

Having said that, use any chemical treatment at your own risk.

Edited by DLindquist - February 26 2014 at 4:17pm

Definitely Cyanobacteria. Perhaps you already read the Reefkeeping Tip about eliminating Cyano. It's a very good discussion about easy things that have addressed the root cause. I can't remember if my secret remedy is mentioned there, but I'll bring it up below.

I'm not surprised that changing the sand bed had no effect. Thanks for the pic. Two things come to mind after viewing that.
- The sand bed is not exceptionally deep and is fairly clean looking. Are there any worms in the sand  Evidence of worms is in the tunnels that would show up next to the glass. Worms are just one of the indicator organisms in LS that help prevent Cyano. Leaving the sand undisturbed allows bacteria and micro-organisms to grow in their favorite layers and process the waste which feeds Cyano.

- How about the Refugium Sand depth? How often is Macroalgae harvested?

When you read this, it may sound too simple, but I have recommended something that has worked again and again over the years. Add some Utah Oolitic sand to the display sand bed. 2-3 quarts is all it takes. One at a time, make several depressions in the sand down to the glass by pushing the sand aside, pour Oolitic sand in the holes and cover back over with the current sand. Within a week or two the Cyano usually disappears. The reasons this works are: 1) Oolitic sand harbors more bacteria per volume than larger particle sand and 2) the lower levels of the sand bed are where the final denitrifying process occurs to change Nitrate to N gas and water. Finer sand always ends up on the bottom of the sand bed where the resulting larger bacteria population can do the job. This large bacterial population steals nutrients from the Cyano.

I would be happy to trade Utah Oolitic sand for frags and during your visit maybe I can show you more reefkeeping tricks.

Aloha,
Mark
808-345-1049
750 E Lakepoint Dr #4V

Chemi clean is fine...or

1. Lights out complete black out for three days, cover tank
2. Crank up skimmer to skim really wet starting day one and wait until skimmate turns red on day 3
3. Add some gfo on day 1, change out day 4
4. Baste or maxi jet all the rock/ sand on day 4
5. Perform 20% water change day 4, suck out dying algae
6. Remain good tank husbandry so this effort doesn't turn into a bandaid, run small amounts of carbon and gfo continuously
7. Continue feeding as normal, cyano still thrives in low nutrient environment so no need to starve fishes and coral
8. If you are...stop dosing anything other than calcium, alk, and mag for 6 weeks


Good luck

again, I say USE UTAH SAND AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!  Do NOT care what anyone preaches, Utah sand is contaminated with metals and arsenic.    I get real tired of the preaching we should all be using Utah sand.  Several people that are real well known around this valley say the same thing about Utah sand.  I think that contaminated crap should stay out around Stansbury island where it belongs!!!

I am not the only one who has had issues playing with Utah sand.  Saving 100 bucks trying to use Utah sand cost me probably well over 1000 dollars worth of coral loss, crashes, etc.  As soon as I took that sand out and put some bought sand in, my tank took off and is doing better than it ever has.  With GOOD clean sand and Benepets coral food, my corals are taking off!!!  Utah sand is right up there with Lunar Wrasse and Domino Damsels.  All three things I would rather have my privates amputated than to allow in my house or within a MILE of my tank.  I am passionate about everyone quit listening to the preaching about good old Utah sand and quit play Russian Roulette!!!

Someone ask ReefdUp about the soil samples she has tested in Utah from all over that area.  Ask her how much arsenic is in Utah sand. 

Some posts on this board are starting to sound like broken records and snake oil salesman. UTAH SAND IS THE DEVIL!!!!  Don't listen to anyone preaching it!!!!  They are leading you the path to purgatory, with that paved with good intentions crap!!!!

Bryce wrote: Thanks bur01014....If the sand method is a failure I may try your method. This method is basically a kill it and removal method but I just am too chicken to go 3 days lights out with so many sps even though, yes, I have read many have done this with success but I am open to trying it before chemicals. 1. Lights out complete black out for three days, cover tank  (I have siphoned it out but clearly it is not as successful as killing it all with no light) 2. Crank up skimmer to skim really wet starting day one and wait until skimmate turns red on day 3(While not done in conjunction with step one above I have done this after I have stirred it up off the sand and or siphoned and the cyano is green but maybe its red when dead)  3. Add some gfo on day 1, change out day 4 (I run gfo at all times both it its own reactor as well as mixed in with my carbon but I understand your recommendations are related to the lights out method in step 1) 4. Baste or maxi jet all the rock/ sand on day 4 (I have never had it on my rocks) 5. Perform 20% water change day 4, suck out dying algae  6. Remain good tank husbandry so this effort doesn't turn into a bandaid, run small amounts of carbon and gfo continuously (I always run both GAC and GFO) 7. Continue feeding as normal, cyano still thrives in low nutrient environment so no need to starve fishes and coral 8. If you are...stop dosing anything other than calcium, alk, and mag for 6 weeks (I only dose Ca & Alk) Thanks again to all for their comments and suggestions.

the only thing to really watch out for during a blackout...

ph
and alk swings due to decrease in calcification

Yea it not an infestation by any means at all and I'm not in a hurry to do anything drastic, I will simply very slowly start adding in a little more finer sand to my sand bed layers and see how things go, as all of know usually good things do not happen fast in this hobby. I did have a conch but he went awol for over 2 months but some people say they will do that and then show up with a shinny new shell.

I agree with most of the points above...

I would NOT use Utah sand. I have personally conducted soil analyses around several parts of the state and worked with several of Utah state environmental folks...there are some seriously nasty chemicals around. Arsenic, selenium, tons of cadmium...not to mention human contaminates (hexavalent chromium).

To me, it sounds like you are in the same bind I was years ago...seemed to bedoing everything right (good husbandry), yet the cyano lingered on. It boiled down to not having enough bacterial diversity to outcompete the cyano...caused by using nearly all dry rock and sand. I dosed bacteria for a few weeks...and GONE!