Problem - Sand is getting hard

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A_Sig

[I have no clue why this is happening in my reef. The sand bed is pure aragonite and is about 1 inch deep. It is forming a hard crust at the surface and my green carpet anemone does not like this. Anyone know what can be the problem??? I started breaking some of it up, but some of it is really hard. I was thinking about just slowly syphoning out all the sand slowly ( a little each water change), untill it is bare bottom, but doesn't the anemone need to be in a sand bed??? Need some help here...]
 
[almost two months, everything was transfered from a 58 gallon (my exgirlfriends) to my current 40 breeder. I used brand new agralive (live aragonite) for the substrate due to time constraints and didn't want to wait for southdown to clear. It has good flow throughout the tank as it is sps orientated and there is no cyno on the sand bed. All my corals are doing well, even the clam on the sand bed. The only thing that wasn't was the carpet because it's base wasn't able to expand or contract.]
 
[Often carpet anemones will attach their base beneth the substrate... therefore it is important to keep substrate particulaly with a carpet anemone!

It hardening that quickly means something is very wrong with your system. What could take an expert weeks to id. It is likely a combination of things. but, the obvious is you didn't acclimate the tank long enough. therefore you donot have enough fuana to keep the sand bed stirred

What I am most concerned about is the possibility you have already formed an anoxic region... if you have and you penetrate that thin layer I would hate to know what might come out of the sand bed.

Nextly, I am concerned abouth the preservation of the carpet anemone in that circumstance. i am not the one to say that but that anemone shouldn't be in a tank that new or that small. they are very dangerous to people. You may have to remove it and establish elsewhere. Please use all due dilligence if you decide to remove it!]
 
[the tank it's self is new, but i don't think that would have anything to do with why the sand bed is hardening. The only thing that is new in the tank is the substrait. When i moved everything from the two year old 58 gallon to this tank, i used all the water, all the same live rock, even everything from the refugium. I asked someone at fish gallery today (i think his name was matt) and he recommended some kind of snails and a sand sifting star.

The anemone is doing fine right now, stll bright green and eating.

As for my water parameters, i really don't test, i just watch my corals behavior then i get it tested. All my sps are thriving so i'm sure my water should be pretty good.]
 
[Doesn't matter how old the sand is the bioload is deterined by whats on top of the sand. Even coral release the unused remains of their food. The problem you are't taking into consideration is where that goes!

Finding out your water parameters is a good idea right now. I can't think of hardly anyone more knowledgable then Rick on this subject! He has put arguement against mine on the subect time and time again. I know he knows tons more about coral and fauna then I do!

Rick isn't Steve your brother in law didn't he have this same kind of problem?]
 
[It sounds like you are having alkalinity problems. Post you water parameters so we can get an idea of what is going on in the chemistry of the water.]
 
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