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My Live Sand's color is shifting from a whitish brown to a darker redish brown. I'm not sure what's causing this - can someone fill me in? Is there something I can do to change it back or should I just roll with it?

Sounds like you might be dealing with a cyano or diatom bloom. Is this a new tank you've set up?

floralix wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2024 3:11 am Sounds like you might be dealing with a cyano or diatom bloom. Is this a new tank you've set up?

Yeah, it's a new tank.

Diatoms are likely the culprit, pretty much a case of typical new tank syndrome.

flynix wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2024 5:44 am Diatoms are likely the culprit, pretty much a case of typical new tank syndrome.

I've got this reddish-brown stuff on my Powerhead too. What's c.u.c time mean, though?

yeah, it'll also show up on your powerhead. my snail took care of it pretty quickly.

c.u.c stands for clean up crew, so you'll want to start with hermits and snails, they're the first to go in. urchins, starfish, and shrimps will have to wait till the tank is a bit more established.

flynix wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2024 5:44 am Diatoms are likely the culprit, pretty much a case of typical new tank syndrome.

Thanks for the help. I've got 3 Cleaner Hermits in there already. Do I need to add more to the crew?

What's the tank size, by the way? For a decent clean up crew, I'd recommend a mix of snails, I've got some that are a right pain, keep flipping onto their backs and kicking the bucket, drives me mad.

It's a 55 US Gallon tank.

yeah get some ember hermits, they're pretty reef safe. assorted snails will sort the algae on powerheads, tank sides and sand, can have a bunch as they don't affect bio load much.