Oh no......Sulfer?

[Nonfamous]

I may have gone and done it. I started to scoop out a real bad patch of the gunk on my sand bed with a net. When I did I plopped it down into a bucket and it STANK! Very sulfur smelling. I immediately stopped, and kicked on the Carbon reactor. Fish, at the moment seem fine and there were two live snails in the scoop I took out. (I put them in the sump)

Did I just nuke my tank with a delayed reaction? I wasn't expecting this. It has never smelled when I pulled out the gunk and sand before.

 

[FishyReef]

Oh no! I hope not. I have no real advice. Do you have any water on hand to do a water change? I'd keep a close eye on everything and make up some water if you don't have any.

 

[Nonfamous]

Mixing some now, but it will be a minimum of 12 hours before it ready, and that will be 1/2 of the normal time I let it mix. I guess, if its bad and something dies, fresh saltwater is better than poison water.

 

[FishyReef]

I had an incident last week w/ carpet cleaning and had to go to an LFS to buy water because I didn't have any on hand. I bought a total of 60g - it hurt to cough up the money for it when I normally make my own, but in an emergency I did what I had to do. Is there any place near you where you could get some emergency water if things start crashing?

 

[Nonfamous]

Never though of the LFS. Its about a 45 minute drive and I could make it back before I would need to pick up the kids. I think I'll do that!

 

[FishyReef]

Good luck!

 

[Smitty]

Good luck with the tank...I hope everything turns out well.

 

[Ted]

Any update...Hows the tank?

 

[Nonfamous]

Well, it seems no damage was done. Did a 15% WC and am going to do another tomorrow since I have water ready.

I wonder what it was though. My sand is stirred....a lot by hand since the sand problem started. Admittedly not in the last two weeks though. Its a shallow bed, on 1 1/2" - 2" inches now since I removed so much of it..

 

[Ted]

Not really sure, when I moved everything from my previous two tanks to my new tank I didnt take the sand over. When I was scooping it out of the old tanks omg....what a smell...not a deep sand bed either.