Live sand bed question

[FurrierTransform]

Hi Folks,
As I didn't find the exact answer to my question in the archives, I'm posting a new question. I have about 2.5-3" deep sand bed (several years old) and I recently have observed that the gray portion of the sand, which I associate with the anaerobic bacteria, is growing. That is, in some areas of the tank, the gray sand starts just under the surface. It's been mostly half-and-half for most of its life (half gray and half sand colored). I have to be more careful of cleaning the sand, so as not to release too much hydrogen sulfide into the tank. Any comments?

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hi Folks,
As I didn't find the exact answer to my question in the archives, I'm posting a new question. I have about 2.5-3" deep sand bed (several years old) and I recently have observed that the gray portion of the sand, which I associate with the anaerobic bacteria, is growing. That is, in some areas of the tank, the gray sand starts just under the surface. It's been mostly half-and-half for most of its life (half gray and half sand colored). I have to be more careful of cleaning the sand, so as not to release too much hydrogen sulfide into the tank. Any comments?

Is there a purpose you are leaving sand uncleaned to accumulate?

Agree. Also that can be dangerous. Back in the 80s-90s undergravel filtration is how we kept that under control. However, you don't state WHY it is that way, and it can be functional...

 

[brandon429]

I would add this. it takes 50+ page specialty work threads to deal with sandbeds like that without occasionally killing someone's tank. the methods used are very selective and tight across jobs. no room for customization.


recent trending in the fish disease forum shows disturbing setups like that causing latent fish disease to express in otherwise years-healthy setups.

if you keep the time bomb stratified/untouched/no rock slides happen no powerheads dislodge, proceed as is.

but the first time you attempt a deep disturbance, if you aren't doing it as part of a tank disassembly cleaning/one complete pass to 100% clean bed, a skip cycle cleaning/ then you risk wiping out your tank. I added some examples of horrible outcome tanks on page one of the sand rinse thread.

the real truth is even if you messed with the bed you have 90% better chance of zero harm, maybe a big cyano outbreak at worst.

but in the 10% bad luck crew is millions of dollars lost in collective tank crashes. we have zero losses, fifty pages, if you just clean out the tank all at once as a rip clean that's safest.

surgical tank cleaning is safest because we remove fish and corals out of the tank before you mess with the sand, they're not hanging around to land in the bad tanks.

our way is a LOT of work, it's big work to takedown and clean large tanks.

They need it, just like small tanks, but keepers are rarely this resolved.

variation comes from messing with old sandbeds in the tank with animals present. total cycle control comes from doing opposite of that.

 

[FurrierTransform]

Brandon429, I hear you loud and clear: either siphon the sand bed gently (or not at all) OR remove livestock and give it a thorough rinse.

 

[FurrierTransform]

Fish Think Pink: In the past, I've mostly siphoned off the top 1/2" or so, and rarely went to the bottom (long ago I read you shouldn't disturb the anaerobic section, for fear of H2S release). I'm not sure why the anaerobic section grew recently (I know, time for water testing), however I also recently observed that portions of the sand bed were getting packed down.

 

[brandon429]

yep and that it's probably ok to do anything to it/ the sand cloud that erupts falls back down as detritus in nearly all cases without harm. the risk can't be oversold, but one thing is for sure these folks did the hard way because they wanted no risk and we got lucky in finding the pattern:

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

by grossly overdoing each job, obliteration rinse of the sandbeds, we removed whatever the killing component is. depending on the decade, that harm assumed changes/sulfide or ammonia one decade/bacteria decomposition states another/tbd

but for sure death is in the cloud somehow, its fascinating. simply isolating every single tank's life from the cloud stopped all death. that and re ramping lights, start back from weak light and work up to avoid sunburns after robbing 100% of a tank's organic waste stores.

 

[FurrierTransform]

Also, I found the thread referred to by Brandon429, "Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer Thread." Will be perusing. Thanks.

 

[FurrierTransform]

That bit about going to low light level after a major flushing of the sand bed is interesting and unexpected. thanks again.