Dirty sand

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Cmoye

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Any idea what this could be? Is it just a case of dirty sand? And any tips to clean it. Thanks
 
Those are diatoms, a type of algae common in new setups, particularly those with a sandy substrate. The algae feeds on silicates. Eventually it should go away on its own and is not harmful generally. Agitating the substrate will get rid of it and wiping it off surfaces. Do this before your weekly water change to remove excess algal cells.
 
I agree it is algae, but from the photo is might be common green rather than diatoms, it does have a greenish tinge. If it is,then it is caused by the tank lighting and the organics. The plants appear to be artificial (not living plants) so that means only algae can use the nutrients and light. White sand substrates encourage algae because they reflect light so it is brighter. Floating plants would probably help a lot, by using nutrients and light (shading).
 
View attachment 148867
Any idea what this could be? Is it just a case of dirty sand? And any tips to clean it. Thanks
Are you using or did you use 2 different types of white sand? I did & saw something similar to what’s here. I think that’s green algae mixed with the sand. I vacuum it out & wipe down tank interior with a white magic eraser sponge. I also remove & rinse off decorations periodically. Yours look clean, but mine had green algae on them.
 
Love cat fish! Gonna have to look that one up. I have 5 pictus & 1 synodontis eureptus (sp?)
 
Just algae and nothing to worry about. Add live plants to use up the light and the plants will stop the algae getting out of control.
 

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