keeping it clean

[flowerhorn]

my sand always has a ton of brown algae on it. is there a way to keep it pearly white?

[MikeS]

could be lots of things causing it....

how old is the tank? What kind of water do you use?

Mike

[miztahphong2]

right my cc substrate turned brownish also. but it is just a phase new tanks go through. now i added snails and hermits its not too bad any more although it isnt white like it was before.

[robertgiants]

Brown algae is nothing to worry about, it normal. Just dont have your light on too long for a new tank

[upstoday]

I have a Dragonheaded Goby in my tank that does a great job of churning all the sand up, so although I know there is some brown algae there it is not eyepopping.

[MikeS]

discontinuing the use of tap water (if you use it) in favor of RO/DI water is one of the best steps you can take to help eliminate algae/diatom/cyano problems...

Mike

[upstoday]

Real noob question. What does RO/DI water stand for.

I know I'm gonna end up smacking self for asking once you tell me.

[MikeS]

Reverse Osmosis / Deionized....

RO/DI water will be free of the nitrates, phosphates, and silicates that fuel algae/cyano/diatom blooms....

Mike

[upstoday]

Is this more or less the water from the supermarket, im having major mental blocks tonight. Deionized water, yes they sell that at supermarkets yes?

A friend also tells me that he uses water from his humidifier. Is this also something that is ok to do?

[MikeS]

Is this more or less the water from the supermarket, im having major mental blocks tonight. Deionized water, yes they sell that at supermarkets yes?


Yes, supermarkets usually have RO water...however make sure to test the water for phosphates, nitrates, ect. yourself...a lot of those store RO water dispensers go too long between filter changes.


A friend also tells me that he uses water from his humidifier. Is this also something that is ok to do?

well, that would depend on the water going into the humidifier, I guess....I'm not too sure what that means....do you mean he uses the same water he puts in his humidifier?


You can get your own RO/DI filter....many of our sponsors sell them and will give you a discount for being a member here...


Mike

[upstoday]

ahh Dehumidifier is what I meant. Pulls the water out of the air.

[MikeS]

hmmmm...personally I'd be a little cautious with that....could be pulling other stuff out with the humidity, like aerosols, smoke, ect...

Mike

[upstoday]

Now I remember what I thinking, what is the difference between distilled water and deionized water.

And how exactly do you guys use the RO/DI filters. I was looking at the site of one of the sponsors here. Is it something you hook up to a seperate tank and run the water thru, or do you hook it up right to sink and take water from there.

[MikeS]

Chemically speaking, they are pretty much the same, I think the only real difference is how the water is processed.

Most people plumb them in to the main water supply, they usually have a kit with them to do so. On a side note, if you have hard water where you live, I'd also get a water softener, and put softened water through the RO/DI unit. The filters will last a lot longer that way...

Mike

[upstoday]

I'm just trying to get a step ahead. Was gonna do my water change today, usually I use the tap water. Went out and bought a few gallons of distilled water today.

RO/DI filter is something I'm gonna have to work on. Hard water is not a problem here atleast.

[ZenKitty]

I have a sand sifting star fish that keeps sand bed very tidy.