Gas In Gravel ?

[30tooo]

I have a 5 foot tank and with general community fish , i.e. neons , swordtails , mollies , corydors , etc , and 13inch plec . I was cleaning the gravel and doing a water change today and as I was disturbing the gravel gas was escaping , it definitely is not gravel going up the tube . I have a small selection of live plants because the plec has buggered the rest . I use algae wafers , flake , and bottom feeder pellets to feed the fish . I use an Eheim external filter to keep everything sweet .

The question is what is the gas ? I have to confess I haven't done a water change for three weeks so the gravel would not have been disturbed at all . Would the plecs small pile of *#@* waste be producing methane ? I can't think it is CO2 . What do I do ?

 

[Colin_T]

the gas is hydrogen sulphide and is highly toxic to fish. It is brought about by too much rubbish decomposing in the gravel. The gravel becomes anaerobic and bad bacteria develop feeding on the rotting organic matter. Their byproducts include the hydrogen sulphide gas.
You need to do more gravel cleans and remove any uneaten food from the tank.

 

[backtotropical]

Hydrogen Sulphide is highly toxic to fish but is detoxified instantly on contact with water, so it's really nothing to worry about.

Bignose is a member on this forum and somewhat of a scientist. He explains it well in the thread link below.

http/www.fishforums.net/content/Scientif...te-Gas-Pockets/

 

[andywg]

I agree with Backy, the bubbles are of no risk.

 

[part-timer]

Yeah, its common and almost normal. Nothing a good stir around when cleaning can't sort.

 

[OohFeeshy]

the gas is hydrogen sulphide and is highly toxic to fish. It is brought about by too much rubbish decomposing in the gravel. The gravel becomes anaerobic and bad bacteria develop feeding on the rotting organic matter. Their byproducts include the hydrogen sulphide gas.
You need to do more gravel cleans and remove any uneaten food from the tank.

That's a very quick assumption to make... It's much more likely for it just to be bits of trapped air.

 

[30tooo]

Well I wasn't expecting that . I am normally pretty good with the cleaning regime , and I have always had doubts about whether an external filter is better than an undergravel one . When I moved my tank I nearly installed an undergravel but was advised not to because of the reasonable amount of plants that I DID have . I was going to drive this with the external eheim . I am beginning to wish I had now .

Anyway , great responce and thankyou to everyone who replied . My slap on the wrist has hit home thankyou .

 

[Colin_T]

the gas is hydrogen sulphide and is highly toxic to fish. It is brought about by too much rubbish decomposing in the gravel. The gravel becomes anaerobic and bad bacteria develop feeding on the rotting organic matter. Their byproducts include the hydrogen sulphide gas.
You need to do more gravel cleans and remove any uneaten food from the tank.

That's a very quick assumption to make... It's much more likely for it just to be bits of trapped air.

With a 13inch plecostomus being fed algae wafers and bottom feeding pellets it isn't just going to be trapped air.

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For 30tooo
I ran a plant tank with a reverse flow undergravel filter. I had a water pump pushing water under the filter plates which forced all the gunk up into the water column where a cannister filter cleaned it all out of the water. It worked great.
The reason you have gas in the gravel is because suckermouth catfish are grots. It happens in lots of tanks so don't worry too much about it. Just keep doing gravel cleans and you will suck the gas and gunk straight out of the tank.

 

[GobyMaster]

Maybe you should give the gravel Gas X.

Cheers,
GobyMaster

 

[Colin_T]

I hate to ask but what is Gas X?

 

[GobyMaster]

Oh, sorry, it's supposed to be a joke, you see, Gas X is some weird pill to help upset stomachs and with gas problems, AKA, flatulence.

Cheers,
GobyMaster

 

[Bignose]

Hydrogen Sulphide is highly toxic to fish but is detoxified instantly on contact with water, so it's really nothing to worry about.

Bignose is a member on this forum and somewhat of a scientist. He explains it well in the thread link below.

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/content/Scientif...te-Gas-Pockets/"]http/www.fishforums.net/content/Scientif...te-Gas-Pockets/[/URL]

Hydrogen Sulphide is highly toxic to fish but is detoxified instantly on contact with oxygenated water. One important word there -- the oxygen in the water is very important to detoxify it. The oxygen in the water is what allows it to to be converted from hydrigen sulphide H2S to just sulfuric acid H2SO4.

 

[Colin_T]

Oh, sorry, it's supposed to be a joke, you see, Gas X is some weird pill to help upset stomachs and with gas problems, AKA, flatulence.
Cheers,
GobyMaster

I figured it was going to be a joke but I have never heard of Gas X. It would have worked if I had