bubbles from new sand bend

[Sean Smith]

I am watching bubbles floating up from within my new live sand bed... just wondered if anyone can explain what is behind that? :o

[RazerCorals]

Chances are when you added your sand bed Oxygen was trapped between the spaces in the sand, and it is just being released.

[fishfreek]

How long has this sand bed been in the tank?

If its a VERY new sand bed. (ie less than 1 month old) then its probably air that was trapped when you was laying down the sand. (this would only really be possible in my mind if the sand was in the tank before the water vs adding the sand after the water).

If its a sand bed thats been in at least a few months then its probably nitrogen gas. The reason sand beds are so nice is that they complete the ammonia/nitrogen cycle. Wet/dry filters and many other canister and hang on filters will take ammonia and break it down to a point that its nitrate. But thats where it stops.

In a DSB the anarobic areas alow the nitrates to break down into nitrogen gas. This gas then makes its way ot the surface of the sand bed and then floats up and out of the tank via bubbles.

[phistio]

i wouldn't worry too much about the bubbles for now...but if the bubbles persist for more than 3 weeks, and are accompanied with a bit red hair-like algae, you have cyanobacteria, and is a fairly normal "new tank" syndrome...

nothing to really worry about though...

[drscheck]

I concur with everything that has been stated, but would like to add that micoalgaes that can colonize a sandbed will also release their metabolic end-products as gas, which will look like bubbles collecting then releasing.

But as phistio stated, I wouldn't worry about it.

[phistio]

hey...you shark's bigger than my shark... :shock:

[RazerCorals]

Poor Phisto :( But really smaller sharks are cooler cause they wouldn't knock over as much stuff.