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Smell substrate
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#1
07-02-2010
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Smell substrate
Redoing my 60l, riversand as a substrate, I noticed that the sand underneath the top layer has gone black/grey, and is smelly. Is this a problem? Is it still safe for my fish, or should I replace the substrate?
Cheers
__________________
Keep the lid on your Bichir tank. 
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#4
07-02-2010
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It sounds like it could be waste in the substrate. Do you siphon the substrate when you do your water changes? It could be that the old fish food and fish poo and rotting plant leaves getting trapped in the substrate. While usually it's not bad for plants, if it's starting to smell, it's starting to rot. I'd wash it again. and add it back to the tank.
__________________
 Addicted to Dwarfs!!
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#5
08-02-2010
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Gaawie,
If you have fine organic matter in the medium and if the medium itself is fine then it will use up the oxygen in the gravel to try to decompose the organic matter. Because the medium is so fine, no oxygen can get back into the medium to continue the process, but now the process does not proceed normally and starts using components such as sulphates and other organic substances that are part of proteins to convert them to sulphur or sulphur dioxide. This stuff is toxic to the fishes and to the plants as they need oxygen for their roots to grow. Can you see any healthy roots in the medium, I doubt it. I would throw out the medium, it is too fine, and has too many components in it that can rot. What is this stuff, don't tell me some or other rose compost? Kind regards, Dirk
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#7
08-02-2010
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Hi Gaawie,
I fear river sand is too fine and if the plants are not putting roots into this medium, then they are telling you that there is this problem. Why don't you try the palm fibre peat as discussed on my forum, it allows the medium to breathe and really works well. I want to post some pics there of the root growth that I have been getting. Kind regards, Dirk
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#8
10-02-2010
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Quote:
Thanks Freaksta
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#9
10-02-2010
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Hi Freaksa,
(Name sounds a bit weird and I almost feel that I am insulting you) Which grade of silica sand are you using? Is it the fine stuff, because if it is, it will be OK. The depth does not matter, the deeper it is the less oxygen will penetrate, but that is not bad, because the top layers are the most critical. If this is blocked as it can be with river sand, you have a problem, but filter sand is normally much better. You must remember that if you only have filter sand as your substrate, it is completely inert, and you are not adding any ferts via the roots. With some plants this is fine and you can feed via the water, but for many plants they do better if they also get ferts via the medium and then filter sand is not enough. If you are starting off now, check out the palm fibre peat thread to see how you can add this to your substrate. It has major benefits. Kind regards, Dirk
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#10
10-02-2010
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Quote:
I'm using silica in a few of my tanks and it works great. What I did was add about 1 cm of organic compost (earth to earth) and then add about 9 cm of pool filter sand on top. The sand is havy enough to keep the compost down and porus enough to allow good plant growth. Best of all, it costs next to nothing, and lasts practically forever 
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