id? white dust/sand?

slowjazz

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ok.. i'm a little lost as to what it is or what caused it. for the past three or four days now my water looks a little cloudy and I can see tiny things floating around. By night time it usually clears up. What has me worried is that I see a coating on a few rocks and on both my power heads. It looks like a fine dust coating. (white to off white in color) If i wave a net or anything near the surface, it blows right off and into the water. (ie: it is not sticking or growing)
Parms are ok
tank is over a year old
I did a 40% water change a week ago. (including changing the carbon and filter stuff)
I cleaned out the skimmer and it is running ok.
Only new thing :I added a diamond gobby and he is eating/digging the sand ok.

I was leaning to the gobby as the fish causing this white sand look powder, but do they really cause that much sand to kick up each day? (55 gal tank)
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To me it looks like a layer of fine detritus, looks exactly like what happens when my goby gets active.

My second thought was that it might be a layer of calcium precipitation, but that stuff is not fine enough. It's just the goby doing it's job- keep filter pads/sock clean and get rid of the gunk.
 
My 3 thoughts in order.

Goby kicking up dust
Calcium precipitation (check ca/alk/mg)
Changing salt to brands that are known 'dusty'
 
JeF4y;796333 wrote: My 3 thoughts in order.

Goby kicking up dust
Calcium precipitation (check ca/alk/mg)
Changing salt to brands that are known 'dusty'


i'm thinking it is the Goby because I just changed the water, filters...ect I purchased the goby while I was buying the water. The little guy has been going to town with the sand. (one side of my tank has deep holes all over the place) I'm sure my conch in the picture is getting pissed off by now :)
Just amazed I guess that such a little fish can make such a mess. Should I just brush it off ? (I'm assuming he cleans the sand?)
 
Following along! I have a watchman goby and pistol shrimp making a mess of my tank as well!! Ready to evict them!!!
 
Just let it happen... Think "ocean". Nobody is there to dust things off. The dust will settle, it may clear it may stay, but it's not going to hurt anything.
 
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