# Dust in my aquarium



## Schwartzy61 (Jan 25, 2010)

Hello everyone! I have a quick question. I have what seems to be a grey dust whenever something is stirred up in my aquarium. I have a small diatom problem but it is starting to become under control. It is a planted tank and I use the seachem products to maintain it. Flourish, Excel, Iron, Trace, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Nitrogen. This tank has been active for about a year now and about 2 months ago i converted it to a community tank. The plants in it now have been in there for about 2 months. The water sprite and java ferns i just bought today. My substrate is onyx sand by seachem. My lighting is an 18" T8. I just wonder where the "Dust" comes from. Is it possible that it is food buildup? I use New Life Spectrum flakes. Please help! You can see the dust buildup in my last picture. Tank is much clearer than the picture looks...bad camera quality! 28 Gallon tank. 8 neon tetras, 4 corys, rubber pleco, 5 bloodfins, 5 whiteclouds, and 1 rainbow .....i feel bad because i was mislead to buy him...didnt know he is a schooling fish  Plants are 2 (soem type of sword)...4 Italian Val, 2 Argenteine Swords, 3 bushels of Java Ferns, 1 Water Sprite.









Tank isnt cloudy...cameraphone fail









Leaves of my plants arn't yellow like they appear....cameraphone fail!!!


















Dust Buildup!!!!


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

i have had this build up as well...never bothered with them....it usually happens with planted tanks


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

We have some stuff that looks like that on the sand floor of our planted tank... I think it's just rotting plant matter.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

it is. every since i went non planted on my 55 i dont have this build up.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Zakk said:


> it is. every since i went non planted on my 55 i dont have this build up.


Yep none of our other tanks have it either. One planted is enough, lol. Yay we solved it!


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## Schwartzy61 (Jan 25, 2010)

So rotting plant matter? Hmmm never thought of that....i guess i could solve it by just gravel vaccuming some more. Thanks everyone!


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

yupp that is all that u can do for now Schwart


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## Schwartzy61 (Jan 25, 2010)

Will it eventually go away? Or will I have to keep up with it?


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

I think as long as you have plants there will be rotting plant matter. Leaves fall off and get all rotten, little bits of roots separate... think you're pretty much stuck with it. It can raise ammonia levels, though, so be careful. Gravel vac, gravel vac, gravel vac.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

not Ammonia levels Tori....Nitrate


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Zakk said:


> not Ammonia levels Tori....Nitrate


Haha oops... that's what I meant. Got my terms mixed up :lol:
We had this problem in our community tank. We moved all the live stuff to our official "planted tank" and it fixed itself.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

totally.....my 25 which has no fish and only plants has these brown color dust build up. its quite normal really. like hXc said.....gav vac grav vac & grav vac some more.


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