# Pool filter sand turning brown



## Tiff (Dec 1, 2009)

Hi everyone!

I have a tank that's been up and running for a good three months now. My fairly white colored pool filter sand stayed "pretty"  for the first two months but now is turning brown. It almost looks like there are rust looking spots on top of the substrate. I don't know if it's diatoms or from my water, etc. I have well water but I mix only 25% of it with RO water. 

It really looks like crap, to be honest. I don't know if I should wait, deal with it or if I could put even a darker color sand on top (darker substrate is what I want ideally). 

Thanks for your help!


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

suck it all out and replace with darker if darker is what you really want.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

my pool filter sand is doing the same thing around the driftwood i have in there. do you have MTS under the sand or wood touching the sand?


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## kamikazi (Sep 3, 2010)

could be stained by tannin


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## Tiff (Dec 1, 2009)

I had a piece of driftwood in there but I took it out a few weeks ago. I vacuumed the sand on Sunday and by the second day it starts to turn brown again and rust-looking patches form. I have no snails because the substrate is only about 1.5 inches (I'm thinking I need to add more sand anyway but don't want to add the same color if it's going to look bad eventually anyway).


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Wait, are we talking like dark brown/black here?

Stir the sand up and it should be as white as sour cream for you again. The top layer in my tank usually turns like brown due to diatomes and dirt. A quick sand skimming with a siphon and a little stirring up should do the trick.


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## Tiff (Dec 1, 2009)

It's not brown/black, I guess. I did syphon it on Sunday and by Tuesday it was back to the same. 

Thanks for your replies everyone! My other idea was to add a layer of gravel on top since I need to make my substrate deeper...my only concern with that though too is I know the sand needs to be moved around if I don't have snails and that will inhibit that?


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## Tiff (Dec 1, 2009)

Could I add a thin layer of gravel on top or would the samd compact creatimg problems?


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## mach_six (Sep 12, 2005)

What brand was the pool filter sand? Lighthouse? i have used another brand by Leslie's pool and never saw the sand change. I bought a bag of Lighthouse that I was going to use because it appears darker than Leslie's .


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## Tiff (Dec 1, 2009)

I just bought it from a pool supply store. I loved the color (initially) because it was white/gray"ish".


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## iKine (Aug 4, 2011)

I get the same on my sand in one of my larger tanks. I just suck up a vaccuum full of sand and spread it around a few times. usually every few weeks I have to do this to keep the sand looking white.


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## Tiff (Dec 1, 2009)

Thanks everyone!


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