pleckobear
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I recently out some new sand down and it looks like when e'er really the old sand starts there's some black stuff and was wondering what it could be? It wouldn't be no black mold right?
mold
- Thread starter pleckobear
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
skiweeangel
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2011
- Messages
- 1,235
It could be a build up of decaying organic material that was unable to breakdown because of the lack of o2. If you have a sand substrate you need to stir it up a bit every now and then. When I'm doing a PWC and vacuum I turn off the vac for a min and the filter as well and stir up a part of the sand. You don't want to do this too vigorously and kick up a ton of sand, but enough to turn it over a bit make sure to turn your filter off for a little while until and sand you kicked up settles bak down but you shouldn't have to leave it off too long. You just don't want the filter sucking up a bunch of sand because it can ruin your impeller or slow your filter flow down. Not hard after the first time you do it. Just start off with a small patch and watch out for an ammonia spike due to more organic material being broken down. You might have to do more frequent PWC.
OP
OP
pleckobear
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
OK thank you. I have a natural tank where I just dug up some clay from the ground and topped it with sand. I kinda thought that was the problem. It wouldn't be bad to just leave it would it? It's like an inch under the new sand.
skiweeangel
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2011
- Messages
- 1,235
It can be fine or not. It can build up a bubble of gas that can break through and smell bad. If you have watched to surface of a pond and seen bubbles break the surface this is the same thing. If it doesn't seem to Hirt anything it should be ok, but try to mix it up a bit.
Mumma.of.two
Aquarium Advice Obsessed
^^ I agree.
I have a dirt tank and it releases stinky bubbles all the time. Some claim they are toxic to fish but I see them on a daily basis and have even seen some hit fish with no ill effects.
I have a dirt tank and it releases stinky bubbles all the time. Some claim they are toxic to fish but I see them on a daily basis and have even seen some hit fish with no ill effects.
skiweeangel
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2011
- Messages
- 1,235
The gas is not good for the fish, but the amount that would have to dissolve into the water for it to hurt the fish would leave some clues before they started dying. Just quickly passing through the water will only allow a little bit of it to dissolve into the water and then into the fish. As long as your levels are ok than you should be fine. If you don't like the smell than you can do something about it gradually. I wouldn't worry too much unless it seems to be causing a problem.
Similar threads
