orange spots on my sand

craig · 06-12-2007, 09:35 AM

this is my first go at a saltwater tank... i have had a lot of success with freshwater but a lot of this is new to me when talking saltwater... i have a tank set up its been running for 2 weeks all and the water is perfect as far as the the nitrate nitrite ammonia ph and salinity. I have three domino damsels and 2 of the three stripe damsels to kick the cycle. Its not a live rock tank and its a sand bottom. So... the problem is i have these orange spots that are forming on the surgace of the sand. i noticed it maybe 2 days ago but asumed it might have been just soom food waste. This morning these spots have gotten exponentially worse. What is this and how can i fix the problem? help would be much appreciated ....

i forgot to mention i do have some fake coral decor in the tank thats made of that plastic/rubbery material i dont know if this may have something to do with it. Its a 36 gallon corner tank and im running a fluval 205 canister filter, a small whisper bio bag filter and a protien skimmer.

CBRrider · 06-12-2007, 05:12 PM

Sounds like Lack of flow.... How many power heads do you have running.. "dead" spots can cause gravel discoloration..

Nereaga · 06-12-2007, 06:56 PM

You can try manual removal of these spots too. I skim the surface of my sand once a week to remove debris and detrius. I have a 1/4'' clear hose that I start a syphon with, and I skim the sand. I have the other end of the hose drain into a 3 gallon bucket. You just wanna skim the surface and try not to disturb the sand on the bottom of the tank. You could disturb bacteria that is crucial for water parameter control.

More flow will help with algae build ups in dead spots as CBR stated. You can never have too much flow in a sw tank. Hope that helps you a bit! Brad