sand and shells turning black in tank

[platytudes]

Well, I have established tanks but I still do a water change once a week to clear out debris. That is when I use Prime. I use special blend (and nite out, as recommended). It eliminates frequent water changes and keeps my tank completely stable.

Hmm...a once a week water change is all that is usually recommended. Do you mean it eliminates having to do large water changes? You don't post any specs on the tank, but 20-25% is usually enough, some people do up to 50%. It all depends on your biological load. Your higher end pH corresponds with a high alkalinity, more than likely, and that helps keep things stable naturally. If you haven't read this article, take a look:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwhardness.htm
As the title states, hard water can be a blessing in disguise.

Feel free to keep using the Eco Labs products, just know that it's probably not doing a whole lot and is certainly not necessary by any means. If money is not an issue I wouldn't worry about it, but if you're trying to save money in your hobby that's the first thing I'd eliminate.

 

[petluvr]

Did I miss something what are your parameters?

 

[ska d]

Well, I have established tanks but I still do a water change once a week to clear out debris. That is when I use Prime. I use special blend (and nite out, as recommended). It eliminates frequent water changes and keeps my tank completely stable.

Someone asked about my PH which is constant 7.6 in all my tanks. It's on the high end of what the fish like in my blue ram tank, but they are very happy and surprisingly lively fish.

Anyway, I'm not worried about the shells looking ugly. It was just alarming. It made me jump when I noticed something black. I thought I like had killed something under there and did a fish count. I was so confused. I think it is the bacteria thing because yes, it did smell stranger than the special blend. And, it makes sense because when I expose, they return to their color.

Good to hear. Sometimes I get the impression that people are using stuff like this on a daily basis. I had never heard of special blend or nite out. But from what ive read online they both appear to be good products. Similar products seem to do the same thing. I also read that people have gone to their lfs to buy something similar and were told by staff that special blend is all they use. (But only after finding the original product they wanted wasn't available). I'm always a little leery (actually a lot leery) when I get advice like this since stores often push products just to get the sale. Do theses products need refrigeration(nite out, sp. Blend)? Also the product states it eliminates the need for frequent w/c, which you seem to be doing. Maybe you've got an overload of BB(if that's possible). Do you ever get blooms?

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