Brown looking dertritus on bottom under live rock

Hello I'm new to salt water so forgive me. I have a 40 gall with a wet dry sump 35 lbs of uncured live rock two damsels and an assortment of snails and hermits reef cleaners.

This is tank is still cycling I know the live stock came to soon.. Tonight I noticed a lot of brown poop ( worm looking ) debris under the live rock.. It is not moving just looks like waste... The damsels gave not been fed yet so I know it is not from them. Is it from the crabs cleaning the rock.? Should I remove it? Vac it out?

 

do ya have snails? prob just dead stuff falling off the LR, a pic would help!

Also, why haven't you fed your fish, that are prob struggling to stay alive in a cycling tank?

 

Welcome to 3reef,

I could just be detritus or debris from the uncured live rock.

You can vacuum it out, or blow it around with a turkey baster or power head so your mechanical filtration removes it.

 

I have dropped some food in tonight.. The fish would not come out of the rock since yesterday when they went in.. And yes I do have snails in the tanks as well

 

take a pic if ya can! Sounds like snail poo to me! How long has your tank been running?

 

4 days.... Started the cycle with rock and live sand...what eats snail poo.? It is in active area where they have been rtaveling

 

ouch dude, those fish and snails are gonna have a rough time soon! you're early on in the cycle! bacteria eat snail poo!

 

starfish eat detritus. Hermits as well. I'd slow down, let the tank cycle for a month before you add anything. I know you want to have the tank in the pictures now but the only way they got there was with time an research.

 

Well first things first...your tank is going through major changes and its gonna take time for it to become stable...your live rock isn't cured so this will only add to the problem..Id hold off on adding any new live stock until your levels are normal.Adding more livestock right now will only set you back.Depending where you got your live rock from...it may take any where from a month to 2 months to fully cycle...the more water changes you do the less time it will take...damsels are hardy fish so i think they'll pull through...the snails and hermits might not survive the cycle..they are very sensitive and don't react well to unstable water conditions...the little things your seeing is just the tip of the ice berg...as the rock begins to cure it releases die off...which is prob what your seeing...this is normal...its like when you get a sun burn...the dead skin eventually peals off and new skin replaces it.Also as the rock becomes stable..you'll see a lot of hitch hikers peek out and begin explore...copepods and bristle worms(good hitch hikers) are the first to peek out the crevices and see if the coast is clear...Don't worry..your on the right track...the first 4 months of a tank is the most crucial...keep up with your water changes...I can't stress this enough...but what your seeing is normal...and its just the begining... Good luck!!!!

90 GALLON DISPLAY
IN DISPLAY TANK;

180 LBS FIJI PREMIUM LIVE ROCK
95 LBS LIVE SAND
(2) 50 GPH POWERHEADS(CARBON STUFFED)
(2) 1300 GPH POWER HEADS

LIGHTING IN DISPLAY;
T5 NOVAS 48 INCH(6 BULB FIXTURES)
48 INCH MARINLAND L.E.D REEF LIGHTING(18K)
48 INCH (24) BLUE LED MOONLIGHT

30 GALLON SUMP
IN SUMP;
40 LBS LIVE SAND
15 LBS FIJI PREMIUM LIVE ROCK.
35 LBS REFUGIUM RUBBLE
PHOSBAN REACTOR(150)
10 WATT U.V STEROLIZER (DONT HAVE AN ICK PROB)BUT BETTER SAFE THEN SORRY
CORALIFE SUPER SKIMMER(120)
(ELITE) 200 WATT HEATER
(10)MANGROVES

LIGHTING ;
IN SUMP
30-90 WATT FLOOD LAMP

FISH
SAILFIN TANG,YELLOW TANG,BLUE HIPPO TANG,DIAMOND WATCHMAN GOBY,SIZZORTAIL GOBY,BLUE DAMSEL(6) BLUE GREEN CHROMIS(4)ENGINEER GOBY

CORALS AND INVERTS
BLUE RICORDEA,SEBAE ANENOME,DUNCAN POLYPS,BROWN BUTTON POLYPS,RED AND PURPLE MUSHROOMS COLONY(6) SKUNK SHRIMP (3) CAMEL SHRIMP(6)PEPPERMINT SHRIMP(8)MEXICAN TURBO SNAILS,(6)CERITH SNAILS,(4)ZEBRA SNAILS(5)RED LEGGED HERMIT CRABS,(5) BLUE LEGGED HERMIT CRABS,

IN SUMP;
(2)GREEN EMERALD CRABS
(5) BLUE LEGGED HERMIT CRABS
(5) RED LEGGED HEMIT CRABS



TO tHoSe WhO rOcK...WiTh A fiLTeR sOcK.....
>>>>>>> I SOLUTE YOU <<<<<<<<

 

Nothing else Is going for a while....tonight's test showed .25 ammonia 5 nitrites and 20 nitrates about 8.0... Needed something in there for the kids and my wife to justify buying all the remaining items needed to be serious....it workedish came. New lights and circulation heads on he way!