"Dirt" in tank?

[ali]

I have a ten gallon (with about 7 or 8 gallons of water) tank with one taricha granulosa and three ghost shrimp (meant as snacks, but have become friends/playmates). I have a Whisper 10i filter, and no bubble stone. One some of the wide-leaved plants there seems to be "dirt" piling up. I don't have a camera or I'd send photos along. I use stress coat, stress zyme, leaf zone, and sometimes a ph regulator by jungle. Any ideas? I just cleaned the tank a few days ago BECAUSE I saw this "dirt", but it's back already!

 

[jennifer]

What color is the "dirt"? How long has the tank been set up?

 

[ian]

Are they algae? do they stick on leaves or something?

 

[ali]

It's more like little dark granules almost, mainly on the leaves but certainly on the tank floor as well. It's as if someone sprinkled potting soil into the tank and it rested on things.

The tank has been set up for several months.

 

[ian]

I personally think this is a type of brown algae. Maybe mroe frequent water change or less feeding may help.

 

[ali]

Ick. I change the water once a week as it is, and she feeds in a feeding basin- not in her tank.

 

[john]

What do u feed the newt. Because it sounds very similar, because this happend to me and it was cuased by the food I was feeding him, earth worms, the dirt came from what the worm ate and ended up all over my tank. Maybe this is what has been cuasing the "dirt build up".

~John

 

[joan]

Do you clean up the poo while it's still solid? Poo disintegrates quickly and becomes little granules all over stuff.

 

[ali]

Interestingly enough, the worms are never in the tank. I feed her in a separate enclosure. I think maybe she's just a very dirty creature, as are most newts, and since she swims so much, I think I may invest in a new filter soon. Currently I have a Whisper 10i in 8 gallons of water. Maybe I'll upgrade.

 

[jennifer]

Yeah, sounds like normal poopy debris. You might want to siphon out the bottom of the tank more, but it's not harmful in moderate amount.

 

[ali]

Well thanks for all your thoughts everyone!

 

[ian]

By the way, how is it now? Does it get any worse?

 

[ali]

Seems to be just like before. My ghost shrimp enjoys feeding on it. Even a day or so after doing a 30% water change (and I always take all the plants out and clean them in used tank water and pull any dying bits off) the brown dusty dirt looking bit is back. Mysterious. Seems fine though.