bubbles under southdown sandbed

[andre1]

anyone ever have this problem
i broke the tank (90 gal) down 2 months ago when i moved and added a 4 inch sandbed since then i have a ton of little bubbles under the surface of the sand then they release into the water and get caught all over everything in the tank it is starting to cause dead spots on some sps corals any way to remedy this any help would be apreciated please

 

[smokin reefer]

I can't say for sure, but I think this is a good thing. I believe it is NO releasing from you sand bed. Part of the reason you have it. Someone else help me out here.

 

[Carpentersreef]

I've never seen southdown and I'm not sure if southdown alone is good enough for a DSB. It could be NO or H2S, but the bubbles shouldn't be causing damage to your SPS. Try pointing alternating powerheads directly at the SPS to help stop bubbles from accumulating on them.
Also check out this link for more info on your sandbed Deep sand beds

Mitch

 

[Anonymous]

Those bubbles are the end result of algae,bacteria,and diatom growing on the sand bed. Just the same as cyano creates bubbles. It will take the new sand a while to get colonized with beneficial bacteria,worms,and pods. Small amounts of cyano,and the like,will live on the sand,just waiting for some nutrients to cause a bloom. It will take about a month or two for the sand to cycle. Then the bubbles will disappear.

GL

Dan

 

[andre1]

thanks for all the replies
maybe it is time to put in an order to ipsf

 

[fishtalk]

My guess, nitrogen gas being released.

 

[Acropora]

Kristen I can see from your last post that you are the right track to solving the problem.I have a 6" + sand bed of HD Southdown sand. The trick is to use dertrivore kits,spaghetti worms,nassarious snails etc.Do not buy creatures that sift through the sand and eat these items.I would also recommend slowly building up to a deep sand bed,by adding 1/2"layers of sand at a time. I would start at 2" and work my way up to a level of 4" or more.The sand critters will slowly multiply giving you enough of them to take care of the subsequent 1/2" layers.This method should also help alleviate cyno growth.Strong water movement,high alk levels will also greatly help in this area.The lower levels of the sand bed will become dark colored and unsightly.I have used silicone to attach a wood molding to the bottom-front of the tank to cover the lower levels.The sand critters will keep the top layer clean and bright. Anthony

 

[absolutc]

I had a 4" sandbed in my 75 gallon reef tank. As time went on, I could slowly see the top 1" layer become dirty. It was turning green and red with alot of airbubbles in the sand as well. From what I have read and have been told, deep sand beds are not at all good. They create a build up of dangerous bacteria in the sand and around the rocks. If this bacteria is disturbed in anyway, it will be released into the water and cause severe results to the tanks inhabitants

. There is really no need for a sandbed that is greater than 1". Nothing will go any deeper than that. 4" was way too much. Not to mention 6" +. A word of the wise.. only do 1" of sand. I recently got rid of my 75 and went to a 155 Bowfront. I have only 1/4" of sand in there now. Over time, the creatures and the rocks will break down and form their "own" sand. This is the more natural and beneficial way. However I do plan on adding some more sand. Just enough to make 1". Use your judgement. We are only here to help

 

[MarkS]

That post by Kris is laughable at most.

The "bad" bacteria that develops is EXACTLY the same as the "good" bacteria that you want in your tank. The only difference is that with a DSB, you get to see the bacteria. That is what the coloration is. This is a very good thing and disturbing the top portion of the sand bed would not hurt anything. Kris must have got his info from a LFS...

As for those bubbles, that is your sand bed doing what it is supposed to be doing. Those are nitrogen bubbles being released. In a perfect set up, the nitrogen cycle is: Ammonia -> Nitrite -> Nitrate -> Nitrogen. Most of the common set up's today skip the last step, i.e., Wet/Dry, UGF's, etc., all convert Nitrite to Nitrate and stop there. A DSB goes further and a 1" bed would be no better than a Wet/Dry.

Mark

 

[Carpentersreef]

Wow, yeah, Kris, please submit back where you read that DSB's are not at all good! I've never read anything like that!

Mitch

 

[Carpentersreef]

My understanding of live rock and deep live sand is that both have anaerobic areas, live rock shallower and denser, deep live sand deeper and coarser, but both have anaerobic areas containing nitrosomonas and nitrobacter, the main bacteria resposible for the nitrogen cycle.
The advantage of having both is the added diversity and waste processing ability of the larger organisms contained in the DSB, that would not otherwise be able to survive in the live rock.

Mitch

[ October 07, 2001: Message edited by: Carpentersreef ]

[ October 07, 2001: Message edited by: Carpentersreef ]

 

[andre1]

good advice i guess i will wait it out. i am getting a small amount of cyano and green algae on the surface of the sand and the lower depths of the sand is turning blackish sounds like most of you think this is normal. i guess it can`t all go perfectly smooth when you break down a 2 year old reef.the sps corals are losing color too and the water checks out fine
thanks again

 

[fishfarmer]

FWIW, patience is the key to DSB in my opinion. My sump DSB is closing in on one year old and I still have lingering cyano slop growing on it, caulerpa is taking off well though. The brittle stars and other neat critters from IPSF are populating well.

 

[scott324]

Please don't listen to the last post. DSB's preform a great survice to your tank. They are relatively maintenance free and cheap(if you use SD). As for the rumor that they will release the poisonous gas(i think hydorgen sulfide), that is not true. If you have the critters to sift the DSB you will not have this accumilate. As for the depth, people use a DSB for many reasons. The biggest one is for nitrate removal. A DSB has to be at least 3" deep to provide this service. There is areobic and anareobic bacteria. The anareobic bacteria lives in the lowermost part of the DSB where the oxygen isn't present and breaks down the nitrate. (Might have the two mixrd up) Thus removing it from you tank. If you would like more info on this you should read Dr. Ron's forum over at reefcentral. He has done a lot of research on the subject and is willing to answer all your questions. Please do a search on DSB before you ask any general questions though, it is all there. Some people just fear change from bare glass bottoms or plenums. HTH

 

[SPC]

I would also like to say that the above post by Kris is highly inaccurate, reefers use a 4 to 6" sandbed based on scientific facts. As mentioned do a search on DSB and you will get all the info you need.
Steve