Substrate issue, gas forming, too fine...

[philipraposo1982]

I have been using this mix of sand and some different gravel substrate for the past 4 months. I am starting to see early sign of gas pockets forming.

I don't want to deal with the hassle of constant storing it up and poking it. Snails don't seem to live in my tank and I can't do a standard planted tank.

I am thinking about siphoning it all out. Adding only a thin layer (.5") of gravel only and putting back the wood and larger rocks. Thoughts? Would this prevent issues in the future?

I currently cannot gravel vac as the sand is way too fine and just gets all siphoned out. And the idea of storing and poking it constantly is not appealing at all.

So what other options do I got? Any other suggestions?

Thought about bare bottom with just my hardscape material in there but fear it will look terrible.

Here is the tank today for ref.

And here is the bubbles.

 

[J. H.]

I built a reverse under gravel filter for my 55gal with playsand, this is basically a way to pump water under the sand and keep it oxegenated. I removed the media from my canister filter, built a grid of 1/2" PVC, drilled holes all over the grid, and attached it to my filter exhaust.I then buried the pipes under the sand, so that it would force the water up through the sand. This not only keeps me from getting gas pockets, but it allows me to use the entire substrate as filter media. I also added an extra pipe going to the top for surface agitation.
Hope this helps.

 

[philipraposo1982]

Sounds like a good idea but it's not something I want to use. I would rather not add any other equipment to the tank. I think tomorrow I will try getting rid of all the existing gravel and sand mix and go to a thin layer of gravel only.

 

[J. H.]

Good luck. If the bottom of your tank is one peice of glass, you can paint it the color of the substrate you want from the outside. If not, you would have to drain the tank and use epoxy paint. If you do the latter, you can paint lumps of cement to add depth to the tank.
Please post pics of what you do