Nub question

Just got in from a week on the road and discovered my wife decided to reaquascape my tank. moved all the rocks around and I must admit it looks better but now i have a big algea problem all over the top of the sand. Here is the question. I have to do a water change this weekend so I am going to suck the algea out. Can i just clean the sand and put it back in? or will this start a mini cycle? I am not going to take all the sand out just a thin layer off the top to get the algea,.

Second question has anybody ever had to clean the shells of their snails?? All my snails shells are covered in algea. Can i take the snail out and "clean" them?? All the hermits are clean but the snails look nasty.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Tony "G"

 

Hey Tony, I wouldn't advice removing and cleaning the sand from an established tank. You are right, it will cause a mini cycle and I guarantee you will stur up much more than you bargained for. Also, are you getting cyano bacteria all over? It may be due to water quality, lighting, or flowrate and or a combination of all three! Try adding a powerhead to cover all dead spots.

Ive seen some snails and hermits with minor hair on them and some coraline, but thats all.

 

I do not think I will stir up anymore then what has been stirred up so far. My wife moved the sand around to make sure the rocks were not sitting on sand to give them the stability they need. What if I simply remove the sand and not put it back. I have about 40 pounds in there and will not remove more the a quarter pound or so. Maybe I can remove some of the algea by hand. The algea is brown and seems to "peel" back from the sand.

I am not sure if flow is an issue as the pwer heads are still pointed in the same direction as before and rocks are lower then before so there is no blockage. Perhaps because of the new caves the water passes through the rock instead of circulating off it. Lighting has not changed.

As far as the snails they have quite a bit on them. One has thick green and the other has a red on it. Others have a combo of both. I will try and get some pics up later.

Thanks again

 

I wouldn't remove and put back the sand. You may be able to stir the algae off with the end of the cleaning hose and suck it out as you go. The snails should clean each other.

I wish my wife would reaquascape my tank to look better. Talk about a hands on tank partner!

 

Try to vacuum it out first during you next water change. When I originally setup my tank i had similar sand issues, but I began to move my powerheads and added a closed loop system. If its just minor particles, try to brush the surface a bit from time to time. Just avoid going to deap and releasing some nasty stuff!

 

Simply, the ocean floor is not "sparkling" white as we try to make it. Mine has a slight Brown algae, not dense, it is "natural" looking. A healthy tank (seasoned) can and will go through different "types" of algae, this is normal. Sterilization is not the desired outcome, although many attempt that. Controlling some types and allowing others is the balance. If you don't like the look of some diatom on the substrate, get a couple good sand shifters and surface cleaners like Conch.

 

K+ may i recommend Brown-barred goby. he will have your sand CLEAN.
i have one of this and i have never seen a spot of algae in my sand. ;D

 

My snails look like tennis balls they have so much algae on them lol. I know the source of problem and am correcting it, but Its really hard to get it off them. If you find a method that works well let me know.

Jake