30 gal bubbles and new 150

[OMGdickkemp]

i have a 30 gallon planted tank with mostly vals and a couple of other plants. there are 13 or so small fish. i use an undergravel filter and do not aerate the tank. lately there have been a ton of bubbles coming from what seems the substrate. i am assuming this is good but just want to make sure.

other question about the 150 gallon tank. it is a newer 150 with 4 juvenile jack dempseys. it is in the process of cycling. i have a bunch of amazon swords that are doing very well in the tank. about 5 days ago i added jungle vals and they are wilty and in general dont look good. they looked great when i bought them and the other half of that batch is in the 30 gal doing amazing. the substrate is a seachem flourite black sand. i am using a 4 T5 bulb light on a 14 hour timer. 2 bulbs are blue 2 are white. (i know very little about lighting.)

ty everyone in advance.

 

[Zfishies]

how do you keep them alive? in 30 gallons? i have tried live plants with my fish in my 25gallon but all it all ways seems to fail

 

[OMGdickkemp]

i use substrate fertilizer and liquid fertilizer, probably too much. and the lighting i use is natural sunlight. which that leads to a lot of algae but i kind of like it as every fish in there eats the algae.

 

[manlyfish]

what type of fish do you have?

 

[predator]

Also depends on what plants you get i had had a 20gal., first time go at plants but i did my research and bought plants that would survive. For a beginner at a planted tank that is....

 

[Burto]

i have a 30 gallon planted tank with mostly vals and a couple of other plants. there are 13 or so small fish. i use an undergravel filter and do not aerate the tank. lately there have been a ton of bubbles coming from what seems the substrate. i am assuming this is good but just want to make sure.

You may have anaerobic pockets in your substrate, I understand that this is not an unusual occurrence for an under gravel filter that has been running long term. What type of substrate do you have i.e. grain size, and do you gravel vac it?
What's bubbling off is probably nitrogen, nitrous oxide, hydrogen sulfide, or some other gas that is produced by the anaerobic pockets.
If this is what it is, if the pockets are disturbed the released substances can really muck with your water chemistry and potentially poison your fish.
Managed correctly an anaerobic layer in a deep substrate can consume nitrates and be beneficial, but for the average aquarium I think it's more of a hazard.

other question about the 150 gallon tank. it is a newer 150 with 4 juvenile jack dempseys. it is in the process of cycling. i have a bunch of amazon swords that are doing very well in the tank. about 5 days ago i added jungle vals and they are wilty and in general dont look good. they looked great when i bought them and the other half of that batch is in the 30 gal doing amazing. the substrate is a seachem flourite black sand. i am using a 4 T5 bulb light on a 14 hour timer. 2 bulbs are blue 2 are white. (i know very little about lighting.)

Sounds odd. Vallisneria is generally a very undemanding plant. Are you using Seachem Flourish Excel by any chance? I've heard that in large doses this can kill vallisneria.

 

[OMGdickkemp]

what type of fish do you have?

neons (only thing that doesnt eat the algae), mollies, a chinese algae eater and a bushynose pleco.


Burto,
i do gravel vac it but not regularly due to a lot of plants. i also noticed that the water temp was 85-87 so i closed the blinds and the water temp is down now and the bubbles have stopped.