discolored sand

Question
My husband and I just set up our first saltwater tank.  After letting it cycle for a few days, we added some live rock.  We then later added two clown fish and a fox face. Recently, the sand as well as parts of the live rock have been turning a rusty orange color.  We're not sure what this is, although the fish seem fine. What should we do?

Answer
Hi there,
A tank should be cycled for 4-6 weeks with the live rock in it as well as feeding the tank to build up the bacteria. A tank wont cycle in a few days. It sounds like it could be some form of algae. We used to get brown sand until we added some sand sifting gobies which have help keep the sand turned and oxygenated. Snails and hermit crabs will help with this, they're the only things that should be added before the tank is ready if anything. Test your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, algae feeds off excess nutrients and because the water may not be ready, the algae may be growing faster due to the fish wastes.
Hope this helps.