Anerobic Sand

[§tudz]

Hi,

I have a new setup, which is fully cycled, and has started to develop anerobic bacteria under the sand, I thought it was origanlly coz of too much sand so I removed around half, but it is still developing.

I know this is due to water not moving through the sand, I had to replace the power head on the filter as it was an old tank, and the power head was noisy.

The tank is a jewul Rekord 96, I don't think there enough filteration either, any ideas? I don't want to buy another filter and if poss I dont really want to replace the power head again. unless I have to.

thanks

 

[WILDER]

To be honest you usually need a back up filter with juwels as i find they are not that good, i run two filters in my juwel tank, i would invest in a fluval 3, this should solve the problem.

 

[§tudz]

To be honest you usually need a back up filter with juwels as i find they are not that good, i run two filters in my juwel tank, i would invest in a fluval 3, this should solve the problem.

ok, I can't really see HOW the filter works, it doesn't seem to actually filter anything lol. I've looked over the tech diagrams for them and I can see it from that either, as the power heads suck from a totally different chamber.

I have two filter in my 15gall planted tank, coz it used to be over stocked, so I think I'll get one outta that.

but we'll see

Thanks for the adivce, pitty it'll make the dipslay unsightly

 

[steelhealr]

Lightly gravel vac'ing the sand will stir it up and aerate it, but, just curious...how do you know it is 'anaerobic' bacteria? Does your sand bed have a 'bad egg' aroma? SH

 

[§tudz]

Lightly gravel vac'ing the sand will stir it up and aerate it, but, just curious...how do you know it is 'anaerobic' bacteria? Does your sand bed have a 'bad egg' aroma? SH

I know it is that as the sand has developed black patches under the surface. and I have dealt with anaerboic before in my frog tank, as there is no filter in it, I just change the water regularly.

I hoover the gravel nearly every day, as at the moment I am trying to ween my platydoras and synodontis onto catfish pellets instead of the live blood worm they have received in the shops. so there is a lot of left overs. but they are lsowly starting to eat the pellets

 

[Littlelady]

Lightly gravel vac'ing the sand will stir it up and aerate it, but, just curious...how do you know it is 'anaerobic' bacteria? Does your sand bed have a 'bad egg' aroma? SH

I know it is that as the sand has developed black patches under the surface. and I have dealt with anaerboic before in my frog tank, as there is no filter in it, I just change the water regularly.

I hoover the gravel nearly every day, as at the moment I am trying to ween my platydoras and synodontis onto catfish pellets instead of the live blood worm they have received in the shops. so there is a lot of left overs. but they are lsowly starting to eat the pellets

I have sand in my tanks and find if I gently 'rake' through it with my fingers at water changes that it all stays 'fluffy' and doesn't compact down...the other option is to get some cories, they always have their little heads in the sand and keep it nicely aerated too

 

[§tudz]

I know it is that as the sand has developed black patches under the surface. and I have dealt with anaerboic before in my frog tank, as there is no filter in it, I just change the water regularly.

I hoover the gravel nearly every day, as at the moment I am trying to ween my platydoras and synodontis onto catfish pellets instead of the live blood worm they have received in the shops. so there is a lot of left overs. but they are lsowly starting to eat the pellets

I have sand in my tanks and find if I gently 'rake' through it with my fingers at water changes that it all stays 'fluffy' and doesn't compact down...the other option is to get some cories, they always have their little heads in the sand and keep it nicely aerated too

[/quote]

I have a bichir in the tank and it would eat the corys

bought an fluval 3+ plus today will install in a few mintues and see how it goes

 

[steelhealr]

I"m not convinced yet that what you have is anaerobic. Anaerobes produce gas bubbles, hydrogen sulfide..if your substrate is filthy. Does your substrate smell like rotten eggs? I have scattered black patches in my gravel....I vac regularly, the water smells fresh, inhabitants are good, nitrates in control. Does anyone else think black patched necessarily imply anaerobes? SH

 

[§tudz]

I"m not convinced yet that what you have is anaerobic. Anaerobes produce gas bubbles, hydrogen sulfide..if your substrate is filthy. Does your substrate smell like rotten eggs? I have scattered black patches in my gravel....I vac regularly, the water smells fresh, inhabitants are good, nitrates in control. Does anyone else think black patched necessarily imply anaerobes? SH

Sorry to be abrupt but I know that it is anaerobic, yes it smelt, and yes is produces black patches, the problem was lack of water movement through the sand, it is not always caused by compacted sand.

The sand was not dirty, as I vacced every day, due to the lack of water movement, sincew adding the Fluval 3Plus yesterday the tank looks a lot better, a lot more water movement, the fish seem happier as well.

Thanks for all your help people.

 

[Fella]

I'm also very unsure that you could have anaerobic bad bacteria in a newly setup tank. More likely to have been an algae of some nature. I think blue green algae can sometimes appear black, and also has an odour.

 

[steelhealr]

agree with Fella. SH