bubbles in tank ?

[bosslady]

On my sand and a couple of my rocks, there seems to be bubbles.
They just sit there until a fish moves them and they float to the top and disappear. They are very small, and very shinny. What causes them and how can I get rid of them?

Jeanett

 

[Devilishturtles]

Is your tank new? Sounds relatively common in newer tanks that are still settling from additions.

 

[roka64]

I agree, it's probably air from under the sand. Do you have any kind of red or green slime looking stuff, where the bubbles are coming from?

 

[bosslady]

The tank is not new. It's been up for over a year. My powerhead went out and I'm waiting for a new one to come in. I do have some green alge. I need to get a few more cleaning critters.

 

[loyalrogue]

It's possible that the bubbles are simply nitrogen gas from your nitrifying/denitrifying bacterias in your sandbed.

It's also possible (and more likely) that the bubbles are the indication of a looming algae bloom.
Certain algaes can create gas bubbles as a byproduct of their waste, and also as they breakdown/decompose.

If you are starting to grow green slime cyano, it will build up and trap waste gasses as bubbles as it breaks down and feeds on itself.
Can you post a pic of your green algae?
If it's green cyano it could eventually look like the pic below all the way in color to a dark, dark green.

 

[bosslady]

I will try to post a picture. Looking at the picture you posted this is what I have. How do get ride of it?

 

[Ziggy953]

PWC PWC PWC!!!! Clean your filters, get rid of sponges, clean your skimmer, reduce feeding. What size tank do you have? What all do you have in the tank? What kind of equipment do you have on the tank? How long are your lights on?

 

[loyalrogue]

You treat cyano pretty much the same as you treat almost all algae blooms... starve them.
Algaes feed and bloom on excess nutrients (nitrates, phosphates, etc.), and also grow well under certain light conditions (old bulbs that have "shifted", extended photoperiods, etc.).

So in order to starve out the algae you need to do a lot of what Ziggy mentioned.
You really need a mutli-prong plan of attack to succeed.

PWC are a cheap and quick way to get excess nutrients down.
Shortened photoperiods will help slow it's growth as well.
Reduced fish feedings (every other day) will help keep excess uneaten food from becoming a snack for the algae.
Cleaning, or removing filters and sponges that trap waste and become nitrate factories will help.

Your tank is 1 year old which is about the maximum time that's recommended before changing your bulbs.
As bulbs get older their light spectrum tends to shift into the red which most algaes love.

One other thing about cyano that makes it particularly nasty is it's ability to feed on itself when other food is taken away... basically making it self-sustaining once it really gets growing.
To help prevent this, siphon out as much cyano as you can see when doing your PWC.
Don't worry about sucking up some sand with the cyano.
You can dry out the sand and add it back later after all the cyano is dead.

Lastly, some people don't like adding anything to their tanks, but I have had good success using a product called Red Slime Remover by Ultralife.
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...ategory=6&category_search=54&root_parent_id=6
This is not a permanent solution!
This will just help knock down the cyano for a few days while you find and correct whatever is causing it in the first place.

Good luck!