Hello! I have a 2 inch sand bed, and it constantly builds up this purplish pinkish gunk stuff. My parameters are all good, low and normal, but it just looks bad. My inverts don't seem to mind it. I siphon it out, but it just comes back. Do you think an increased flow would keep it off? If so, what should I get to increase the flow? Thanks so much!!
Lily

I had a similar problem, it kept coming back. I increased flow and started using chemi-pure elite, it was gone. Also I increased weekly water changes, it was gone in a few weeks. Worked for me.

Sounds like cyanobacteria. Increase flow, decrease nutrients. Siphoning it out is one way to get rid of it, but whatever you're doing, you're importing more nutrients than you're exporting. I notice I'll get a few spots of cyano when I add a new fish as I tend to feed a lot of frozen food to make sure the new addition stays healthy. When I switch back to pellets, it's gone within 2-3 days.

If your parameters are good, the bacteria is using all the nutrients, they're not in the water column.

As for flow, what size tank. Hydor Koralia pumps provide decent flow and spread for the money.

How old is the tank and what/how often do you feed?

+1 to cyanobacteria.

Flow will help with cyano, when I got my vortech, i lost my cyano.

brag post

I feed every other day, so not a lot at all. My tank is a 12 gallon. What should I get to increase flow?

I got rid of my koralia nano and got myself a Vortech mp10 off a group buy here on NR. Dead spots gone. Cyano gone!

PS- Extra cash gone.

There are any number of ways to add flow. Depends on how much you want and where you want it really. Vortechs are really good if you can spare the cash, koralias/tunze are ok too. Even a basic block powerhead will work if you point it in the right direction in most cases. The vortechs and koralias and propeller type powerheads are fairly new and there were many beautiful tanks before they existed. They just make it easier to direct the flow in a more general way. There are waveboxes, closed loops, and other methods too, but a powerhead is probably easiest for you I would guess.

Maybe try and find people that have the same tank or layout you do and see what they use. You might run across something that would work perfectly for what you need, or at least some ideas on what to look at.

Thanks, that's a good idea.