Black Spots On Sand And White Cobweb Like Stuff All Over The Place?

[pgoldbe1]

I have three tanks that I set up at exactly the same time. One is doing great. The other two not so much. They both have cobweb like stuff on the decorations and the sand. Beyond that, one of those two tanks has a few black spots in the sand. All three tanks have the same substrate from the same bag. It's aquarium sand and it's brand new. It was unopened until I brought it home.

Normally most of you would tell me that this is the result of too much organic matter. However, that's impossible in this situation. These tanks are new. They have never had fish in them and they still don't. This started before I even started cycling. I figured that cycling could take care of the problem, but I was wrong. They're now fully cycled and I'm still seeing black and cobwebs. What can I do?

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum
 
Do you have any wood or plants in your tanks, and how have you cycled them?
 
Answers to those might help us find a solution for your problems, but I will say that it's quite common, in newly set up tanks, to get all sorts of weird algal and fungal growths. These aren't usually harmful, although they are unsightly, and will usually clear up with time, and once you've got more complex living things, like plants and fish, in there to use the nutrients.

 

[pgoldbe1]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum

 
Do you have any wood or plants in your tanks, and how have you cycled them?
 
Answers to those might help us find a solution for your problems, but I will say that it's quite common, in newly set up tanks, to get all sorts of weird algal and fungal growths. These aren't usually harmful, although they are unsightly, and will usually clear up with time, and once you've got more complex living things, like plants and fish, in there to use the nutrients.

Thank you!

I had a piece of driftwood in one of them for a day but I took it out because I didn't like the look of it. It's a nice piece of wood but it was too big for that tank. It was in the tank that has the cobweb like stuff in it but no black patches in the sand. Each one of the tanks has a marimo moss ball. Other than those, there are no live plants. I don't think they can be the culprit because all three tanks have them and the black patches and white stuff aren't anywhere near them. I used pure ammonia to cycle the tank. No fish food or dead shrimp or anything like that. I added the ammonia, I waited until there was only nitrate left, I added more ammonia, I waited again, etc. After the most recent water change, ammonia is zero, nitrite is zero, and nitrate is 10. I used the API liquid test kit.

Is it really that common in new aquariums? I've had many tanks in all different sizes over the past seven years or so and I've never seen anything like this. That's why this is so concerning. However, if there's one thing I've learned about keeping fish, it's that you'll always encounter new things haha.

 

[DanTheFishMan11]

Are they in direct sunlight by any chance?

And welcome, at least you didn't fall into the trap of buying fish straight away.

 

[pgoldbe1]

Are they in direct sunlight by any chance?
And welcome, at least you didn't fall into the trap of buying fish straight away.

I wouldn't say direct sunlight, but they all definitely get some sunlight

Thank you! Haha I know better. I'm new to the forum but certainly not to the hobbby.

 

[Byron]

The white cobweb is most likely some form of fungus.  If it was algae it would be a dark colour, green, black, red/brown--but not white.  May have come from the wood, or just "somewhere."  Any chance of a clear photo?
 
The black spots, can you describe this further?  Like, is it just sitting there, or is it stuck to the sand, or will it siphon off, etc.  Maybe a photo or two here as well?
 
Byron.

 

[pgoldbe1]

The white cobweb is most likely some form of fungus.  If it was algae it would be a dark colour, green, black, red/brown--but not white.  May have come from the wood, or just "somewhere."  Any chance of a clear photo?
 
The black spots, can you describe this further?  Like, is it just sitting there, or is it stuck to the sand, or will it siphon off, etc.  Maybe a photo or two here as well?
 
Byron.

I was REALLY hoping it wasn't fungus, but you're probably right. I don't think there's anything else it can be. I've dealt with my fair share of algae. The thing is, I don't think it could have been from the driftwood. It was only in one of the two affected tanks for a period of less that 24 hours. Beyond that, the tank that didn't have the driftwood in it has more of the white stuff than the other one.

When I say black spots, I mean that the sand itself looks like it's turning black.

I'm not sure how to get photos on here. I uploaded them to Google+ because tinypic wasn't working. I hope this works.

https/plus.google.com/108520203083694586132/posts/boeLh6NziMQ?pid=6146563314668377218&oid=108520203083694586132

 

[DanTheFishMan11]

Definitely odd ermmm, sorry no idea...

 

[Byron]

I would say that is a fungal issue, the white sort of thick haze.  And this is in both tanks?  What is common to both these tanks, aside from the sand?  I will assume the rocks, and as there are no fish present, I would remove all of these and clean them as thoroughly as you can.  The portions of the sand that are black I would siphon out and discard it.
 
That white cloudy fungus is similar to what I had on a piece of grapewood once, that will eventually kill fish.  It may have been present in the porous rock too.  The wood I bought was new and thoroughly dry, so it appeared after it became waterlogged.  I'm not saying this is the same thing, but it certainly has the appearance.
 
The black sand I had once in one tank.  I've no idea where it came from, it was not connected to the grapewood, and at the time I assumed it was detritus that had become trapped.  I removed it but it still came back in that tank, until I finally tore the tank down and discarded the sand (after losing several corys suddenly).  I had play sand, and the same sand in six other tanks that have never developed this, so I do not believe it was from the sand but from something else happening in the tank.
 
Byron.

 

[pgoldbe1]

Definitely odd ermmm, sorry no idea...

That's fishkeeping for you haha. No worries, thanks for trying to help.

I would say that is a fungal issue, the white sort of thick haze.  And this is in both tanks?  What is common to both these tanks, aside from the sand?  I will assume the rocks, and as there are no fish present, I would remove all of these and clean them as thoroughly as you can.  The portions of the sand that are black I would siphon out and discard it.
 
That white cloudy fungus is similar to what I had on a piece of grapewood once, that will eventually kill fish.  It may have been present in the porous rock too.  The wood I bought was new and thoroughly dry, so it appeared after it became waterlogged.  I'm not saying this is the same thing, but it certainly has the appearance.
 
The black sand I had once in one tank.  I've no idea where it came from, it was not connected to the grapewood, and at the time I assumed it was detritus that had become trapped.  I removed it but it still came back in that tank, until I finally tore the tank down and discarded the sand (after losing several corys suddenly).  I had play sand, and the same sand in six other tanks that have never developed this, so I do not believe it was from the sand but from something else happening in the tank.
 
Byron.

Yep, the white stuff was in both affected tanks. Honestly, the two have nothing in common other than the sand. I can't even say the sand is the culprit though because it's also in the tank that's doing just fine. None of the tanks have rocks. They just have various tank ornaments that came from my LFS.

Oh, also, while I was cleaning, I found out that both of the affected tanks had the black sand in them. The one that I thought didn't have black sand actually had more black sand than the other tank. I just couldn't see it until I took everything out. I practically had to empty the tank in order to siphon it all out.

Thank you so much, Byron. I appreciate your advice.