Keeping sand clean

How do people keep their sand or substrate clean? I have seen many tanks with prestine sand, mine always seems to grow cyno and not look great. Is it just a matter of flow? I do keep my water parameters in check. Nitrates 0, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, phosphate 0. I run ferric oxide and carbon. I've had this trouble since I have started my tank. Don't know if there is some secret I'm missing out on.

 

Well, if you have cyano there is likely a few things off. You most likely do have nitrates and phosphates, it's just the bacterium are using them up so it's not registering on the tests. More flow will help as well. How old are the bulbs?
Other than that, you can use a gravel vac when you do your water changes, and/or get some sand sifters as part of the cleaning crew (nassarius snails are really good at stirring the sandbed).

 

Do you have any critters to stir your sand up?

 

I do have a conch and several nassarius snails. I had two major cyno outbreaks, when I first setup the tank and cycled and about 3 weeks ago. My skimmer wasn't working properly for about 5 months and I'm pretty sure the cyno resulted because of that. I have no cyno on the rocks, just on some spots on the sand. I also may be just to big of a clean freak, I like my tank to look spotless. The snails and conch do a decent job in some spots, but others they don't seem to go near. It could be flow too. When I get my new lights, I will rearrange the rock work and add another korlia.

 

we had a sand sifting goby--dragon goby--and he did a good job keeping the sand clean. water was a little cloudy from the sifting though--and he liked making piles which may not be good for your neat freak heart.

 

We also have nassarius snails. They do a pretty good job, but for major sand-sifting action, we have a pistol shrimp and yellow watchman goby. It amazes me how they make piles, smooth the sand back down, make other piles - they are constantly moving around. I recently "lost" an orange ricordea mushroom (my fault - it wasn't glued to the rock and was low in the tank) to my demolition team! It's buried there somewhere. I keep hoping they will unearth it again!

 

i have cerith and nassarius snails and my sand still gets a little detritus buildup

 

I would say flow is one of the most important factors in curbing cyano outbreaks... Also elevated pH tends to help but not anywhere as well as flow.

I would add the flow, use kalkwasser if not doing already, maintain a pH above 8.2 make sure your alk is within optimal reef parameters and change out the carbon more frequently.
Sand sifters will help to an extent but not many will do so without reprocussions. SS stars will decimate the bethnic invert population as will many sifting gobies. Nassarius don't really do a good job at sifting other than when they are coming out of the sand or going in....
Not much of anything eats cyano either which is a challange.... Supposedly blue leg crabs do.. C.tricolor... and tangs from the genus Ctenochaetus...

Packleader brought up a very key point, many times cyano will use the NO3 and PO4 as soon as it is produced in the sand bed or in the rock, giving you a false 0 reading!

Good luck!!

 

8.3 right? What's the difference between a kalwasser stirrer and a calcium reactor?