Gas In Sand

[Jazzzz]

i put damp sand into the rank on top of fertilser and then filled carefully with water but now the sand has huge amounts of bubbles in it what should i do?

is it dangerous?

 

[Honeythorn]

Prick it all over with a fork to release the gas. Don't drag the fork through though as you will end up stirring the fertiliser to the top and thats the last thing you need. After that, get some fast rooting live plants. The roots will help break up the sand and the pockets of air.

 

[spesh]

And get some cories

You'll wake up every morning to see the sand all sifted and put tidy, cleaned up lovely. Cories are a must imo when you have a sand base

 

[Colin_T]

if the bubbles of gas have developed over a few weeks then it is probably hydrgen sulphide (rotten egg smell gas). This stuff is toxic to fish and needs to be released carefully otherwise it can affect them.
If the sand was only put in today then the gas is just air and you can get it out as described above by the others.

 

[Jazzzz]

sand was put in today with plants so should be fine then sterbi cories will be part of the stocking along with MTS

 

[Bignose]

if the bubbles of gas have developed over a few weeks then it is probably hydrgen sulphide (rotten egg smell gas). This stuff is toxic to fish and needs to be released carefully otherwise it can affect them.
If the sand was only put in today then the gas is just air and you can get it out as described above by the others.

Hydrogen Sulfide when in contact with oxygenated water is oxidized virtually instantaneously. H2S + 2O2 --> H2SO4. While hydrogen sulfide is one of the deadliest compounds on earth, it doesn't kill fish in fishtanks. The water in fishtanks are oxygenated more than well enough -- if the water wasn't oxygenated enough to react with the hydrogen sulfide instantaneously -- it wouldn't have enough oxygen to support fish life. So, if the fish aren't gasping for oxygen, a hydrogen sulfide bubble underwater cannot kill fish because there is enough oxygen to neutralize the H2S instantaneously.

 

[Colin_T]

interesting. while you're here Bignose, what causes massive fish kills in lakes and ponds that have bubbles coming up out of the mud, is that hydrogen sulphide but with a low oxygen level in the water or something else? The reason I ask is because some years ago we were working on a fairly large pond and when we lifted the plants up out of it, the sediment was disturbed and huge amounts of large bubbles came up to the surface and stank like rotten eggs. Within a few minutes of that all the fish were belly up on the surface.

 

[Keithoms]

interesting. while you're here Bignose, what causes massive fish kills in lakes and ponds that have bubbles coming up out of the mud, is that hydrogen sulphide but with a low oxygen level in the water or something else? The reason I ask is because some years ago we were working on a fairly large pond and when we lifted the plants up out of it, the sediment was disturbed and huge amounts of large bubbles came up to the surface and stank like rotten eggs. Within a few minutes of that all the fish were belly up on the surface.

Maybe someone farted. j/k.

 

[Jazzzz]

Air keeps on coming and thickly and i keep proding the same spot

 

[Keithoms]

Hm, there could be a very very tiny crack in the bottom of the tank maybe. Not enough to let barely any water out but enough to suck alot of air in

 

[Bignose]

There are other gases besides hydrogen sulfide. Other sulfur gases are possible. Also, the low oxygen environment is a primary culprit here. Still lakes and ponds could be a little oxygen deficient. If there was a large enough bubble in a lake or pond, then the top part of the hydrogen sulfide bubble could have been oxygenated, but there wasn't enough oxygen in the water to oxidize the bottom half. Or, if you were digging up the bottom of a pond, all sorts of other stuff could have been drudged up, too. It may have been as simple as debris in the gills.

But, my point remains the same, that in a home aquarium, you won't be able to generate a large enough hydrogen sulfide bubble to do anything. The bubble won't be able to be big enough that the oxygen in a tank will completely neutralize the bubble.

 

[Ficious]

Bignose from iowa...cool to see someone else local

 

[Colin_T]

If there was a large enough bubble in a lake or pond, then the top part of the hydrogen sulfide bubble could have been oxygenated, but there wasn't enough oxygen in the water to oxidize the bottom half.

yep that might have been it then because the bubbles that came up in the pond were about 5-6inches in diameter, and there were a few of them. Not all were big but the majority were.

 

[Honeythorn]

Air keeps on coming and thickly and i keep proding the same spot

Just keep at it. It'll all go eventually. Don't forget to add the plants. The roots do a lot to break up the layers. MTS ( I presume malaysian trumpet snails? ) will also stir it all up for you.