Sand disaster

[Espeso]

So I wake up this morning and god out my canister filter isn't working. (you already cought on to this right? No you didn't!) Sony check it out and a little fire eel I had was dead and stuck in the in take hose. Well alright whatever you know. Then I start doing a water change right away because filtration wasn't working. So I started moving fake plants to clean up after the fish and what do I see! A big Bach of black sand. This was a surprise for me as I have white sand, I start syphoning it out and suck up a snail shell. Smells horrible kind of like a swamp. (now i knownwhy the fosh never liked that side of the tank. So I end up taking out close to 75 lbs of wet sand. I now know to move around the sand once in a while before something gets stuck and dies again.

Has this ever happend to anyone else?


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[Inglorious]

That's a whole lot of bad luck at once. It's a good idea to stir your sand up regularly otherwise it can become anaerobic and then when it gets stirred up will release nitrogen gas which can be toxic to your fish. That and rotting matter is what caused your swamp smell. I always shut off my filters before doing water changes so I give my sand a quick stir when I do, that way any particulate gets stirred up into the water column and is removed with they python.

 

[duanes]

Vacuuming the substrate during water changes helps to prevent those little surprises. I use sand in most tanks, and vacuum with almost every water change, a little sand comes up the tube, but never a significant amount. And the good thing with sand, ifyou vacuum regularly, the detritus doesn't have time to work its way into the substrate.

 

[Espeso]

The snail ended up being at the wry bottom o the tank. If I try vacuuming my sand all the way to the bottom I would have no sand. I do stir a bit up but not all of it well not to the very bottom.now I have learned my lesson. Fish seem much not active and happy after that one water change and removal of the bad sand.


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[petspoiler]

at water changes, first I syphon poop/debris off the sand surface. then slow the syphon flow down and rake through the sand, any debris floats up to the top & prevents anaerobic pockets. then open syphon completely and go across surface again, while finishing the water change.
a little kids plastic sand rake or slotted rubber cooking spatula works, and doesn't throw sand way up into the water column. the poo just floats right up & out. I go across the sand once a week.