This was the most disgusting and strangest encounter

[54seaweed]

Here I am doing a water change in my predator tank , things were going fine than POOF , out of no where a big bubble raising this big ugly black cloud from out of the sand , the stench was so bad I had fell off the step stool I was standing on , It was just as bad as a septic tank if not worse . I am going to fully drain and replace the sand , probably weds since I need to run out for sand tonight , in the mean time all my predators will be housed in qt , glad I just cleaned it out ,

My biggest concern is what would cause such a big nuclear blast like this ,
I don't over feed I do 2 10g water changes a week this particular tank just turned a year old in march , I just don't want to encounter this again ,
I used pool sand in this tank , when it was set up .

That was the most nastiest smell I have ever encountered I hope I never do again !


If anyone has a clue of what could have caused this please chime in..

 

[ktomminello]

I'm curious about this as well- I had a similar experience with pool sand in my 220g turtle tank. I wrote it off as it just being a stagnant air bubble from my snapper digging.

 

[Fresh2o]

Was is a sulphur smell? Possibly a pocket of hydrogen sulfide had built up and was released? Would inverts in the sand prevent this from happening? I'm not familiar with SW sand maintenance.
No tank fart jokes from me.? hee-hee


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[Caliban07]

+1 definitely sounds like hydrogen sulphide build up. Changing the sand seems a little dramatic. Your new substrate will most likely end up the same in time anyway. For us freshies, plant roots and snails will stop this from becoming a problem. Poking the substrate with a chopstick every now and then is another option.


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[keegster803]

I haven't dug too deep into saltwater either, especially FOWLR, but what if you added some snails, like some cerith snails? Or would they just make an expensive snack?


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[Caliban07]

I read that once hydrogen sulphide comes in to contact with oxygen it is immediately rendered harmless as it is converted to sulphates. If this is true then it's only the smell you have to worry about. Might need looking in to further though.


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[ktomminello]

I read that once hydrogen sulphide comes in to contact with oxygen it is immediately rendered harmless as it is converted to sulphates. If this is true then it's only the smell you have to worry about. Might need looking in to further though.


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I think this is true as, other than the horrific odor and the need for another PWC for the sake of my nasal cavities, my feeder comets were unaffected.... Though they are hardly ever affected by anything.

 

[54seaweed]

I haven't dug too deep into saltwater either, especially FOWLR, but what if you added some snails, like some cerith snails? Or would they just make an expensive snack?


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There's a horseshoe crab in the tank and I can't understand how it acquired any type of gas build up ,
my nice white sand is no more now it's a dingy black , I moved my horseshoe crab into qt as he seems to be very lethargic hope he recovers

 

[ktomminello]

I hope so too!! Hopefully, though, disappointing sand color and a lethargic horseshoe crab are the worst of it!! Maybe he was the one that farted?

 

[melosu58]

Horse shoe crabs can not make it for long in an aquarium. They search the sand for fauna and once it is depleted then they starve to death. Hopefully this is not what is wrong with yours. I too agree with the Hydrogen Sulfide idea.