Substrate Bubbles?

pokerfish

pokerfish

daily puffer
I just got my new light..4 bulb T5 fixture, 2 daylight, 2 actinic 54 watts apeice (holy shit its bright!) I had a normal output flourescent with a hood before and am now going topless...24 hours later I have some bubbles rising from my substrate (1 to 2 inches of fine sand)
Is this the result of increased gas exchange at water surface? Is this a good thing?
 
it's probably just an increase in nitrogen from the substate, it's a sign the sand is "working". Do you have good flow? What is your TOR (turn over rate) from the pumps? Did that fixture come with bulbs or did you buy them seperate?

anerobic bacteria converting the nitrates to nitrogen gas
 
You are not going to have anaerobic bacteria in 1 to 2 inches of sand. It takes at least 6 inches to obtain the anoxic conditions they require to survive.
 
Well slap my little hand....

How's your water levels? Test anything to see if anything is up?

How long have you had the new light on? Just today? I'm wondering if the bubbles were there before and you just didnt notice them if this new light is that much brighter.
 
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I have 2 power heads (700 and 500 gallon per hour) and an aquaclear 500 hob (with live rock rubble and cheato) turning water over as well (55 gallon aquarium)...fixture came with bulbs ( I suspect they are cheap, odyssea cheap light but damn! Its bright!) If I'm brewin for a bloom, should I cut down the lighting? Can I switch bulbs to daylite,actinic on one switch and daylight actinic on the other so to run half the lights for a few hours to give my wife a break from suntanning booth in our living room at night? Should I do a water change now to preempt said bloom?
 
I run my actinic after sunset here at home, that way it just looks like a ufo in my living room. You should try to have the light set up with two "daylight" colors, and two "sunrise/sunset" colors, ie: super blue actinics. This is where it gets personal, its up to you how to color the tank, with the bulbs. I run two super blue actinic on the outside of the fixture, and a fiji pink and 14k in the center, and the lamp is wired for two out side and two inside lighting.
 
How old is the tank?

Is the substrate smooth or clumpy like? When you run a finger through it, I mean.
 
+1 Biff, you are probably going to get some algae.

I wouldnt cut down on the lights, i would just be proactive about removing it when you do your water changes. Dont over feed, dont add a ton of fish, yada yada yada

I dont suspect you are going to get a huge explosion because they dont have a ton to feed off of.
 
OK, the tank has been set up for 3 years or so (made every mistake in the book,tapwater,not enough live rock,freshwater filter and the mentality that comes with it, kept fish for a while but eventually failed)...but has been empty (no fish) for over a year. I kept it running with no fish and alot of algea. About 2 1/2, 3 months ago I did a few big water changes, removing the algea and getting the parameters in check (my nitrates are still 40) I have added some live rock (i had about 30 pounds already) and some base rock to get me to where I am now.(about 90 pounds). I have held off on a water change for about a month to let the tank stabilize and the rock colonize. I only have 2 oscellaris clowns and do not plan on adding anything until tank is completely stable and nitrates are near zero.I have a third of my eventual CUC working and I do have a little brown algea to deal with ( dusted on the sand and glass in just a few spots) The sand is white and still fine (not clumpy) but since the new light and topless tank the sand has air bubbles in it....parameters are good with nitrates still at 40ppm...Im thinkin its time for a water change....
 
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With your nitrates at 40 you might see a big algae bloom, that is all fuel for them. Just start doing water changes and remove as much of the algae you can by hand when you do water changes.
 
It,s not the depth of the sand bed, its the particulate size a 1" deep fine substrate(oolitic arag .25mm and smaller ) will support denitrification as long as no one is digging it up.The coarser the substrate the deeper the bed-
 
+1 Biff
Start planning your water changes every 2 weeks. Change out 15-20 gallons of fresh salt water. The bubbles you are seeing are the beginning on an algae bloom. Just stay on top of it, keep up with your water changes, and try adding in some nass snails to help stir up that sand. You'll be fine.
 

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