cleaning that stuff at the bottom of the tank

[miked78231]

theres this greyish brown stuff that sits on the top of the sand in my tank. im guessing its all the food that the fish didnt eat, but im not sure. is there anything i could buy that would clean that stuff up? i was told that snails might do a pretty good just job, but its hard to keep them alive. im just worried that the food will break down into somthing that will harm the fish like that nitrite or nitrate. could someone please tell me what i should buy and how many. thanks once again.

[MikeyBoy]

depends on what size tank you have, what are it inhabitants, how much your are feeding....and how bad the problem is.

If you give us some more information,we can try and help.............pics are always great too.

[C.Mydas]

Read this article and get a clean up crew.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-03/rs/index.php

[demodiki]

Are we talking about diatoms?

[miked78231]

well i have a 55g with an eel, yellow tang, clown, and 4 damsels.

[gjuarez]

I am pretty sure we are talking about diatoms here. You might want to syphon your sand bed regularly and get a nice cleaning crew. Mike, water changes always help. WHen in doubt of anything in your tank, always do a water change, but thats just my opinion.

[pilot_bell777]

Delution is the key to polution! LOL

An EEL with a clown, damsels, and a tang.....must be small right now?

My 2.5ft zebra moray was a PIG and i was constantly having to stay on top of the tank to keep it clean. When i sold him, things were way easier!!!!!

What kind of eel?

[miked78231]

its a snowflake

[C.Mydas]

diatom blooms are generally brown aren't they? detritus looks gray...either way clean up crew time and water changes.

[miked78231]

yea well im out of salt and i dont have a car, so its hard for me to just run down to the local fish store. the stuff at the bottom is grey.