Deep Sand Bed -- Anatomy & Terminology

[Paul B]

Hydrogen sulfide, or certain doom.
It is not a good sign and if you disturb it, it can kill all of your animals.
It is one of the problems of some DSBs.
I would remove any amimals then remove the black places. You should smell rotten eggs. If that is the case, you can't put the animals back unless you clean or change the sand and the water.
But I am by far not the DSB expert here (although I do have plenty of experience with hydrogen sulfide)
Perhaps Waterkeeper has a different idea

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15188271#post15188271 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by euromomtx
Can I ask a new question on a stickied thread or will it be distracting?
I just converted to a DSB (from 2 1/2" to 4") and I see dark/black areas underneath the surface (on the glass - obviously I don't really dig for it).
Did a quick search and found that some people think my black spots are signs of certain doom.
Can you tell me what my black spots in the sand indicate?
TIA!

how old is the sand bed- its sounds like you should change it out.

 

[euromomtx]

I just added the extra inch over the last week!
This set up is only 2 months old.

 

[tmz]

They could be metal sulfide deposits from hydrogen sulfide. I would not disturb them. This article may be of interest:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php#9

 

[euromomtx]

Tom that explains it perfectly! Thank You!
My dark line is actually exactly at the top of the old layer underneath the new layer of sand.
I am sure I buried stuff under the new layer that is now decaying.
Luckily it's nothing like you see in the picture though.
I should have been more careful when adding the new sand, perhaps vacuuming off the top first and then adding sand in smaller increments.
I dried to stick to adding less than 1/2" but it got pretty cloudy and tough to see...

 

[Whys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15184793#post15184793 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by acrouse
...I finally understand what is going on in my DSB.

Thanks, but don't be so sure. I thought I understood DSBs once. Then I went about trying to create that diagram. Others, tmz, capn_hylinur, etc, etc, etc, where quick to point out just how little I understand. The conversation is endlessly nuanced.

 

[WaterKeeper]

If you have massive amounts of H₂S in a two month old bed you are WAY overfeeding.

I tend to doubt that you have any pockets of hydrogen sulfide in the bed as it takes a really anaerobic bed to create it. Make sure you have plenty of detrivores in the bed and it will not build up H₂S to any major extent, even in a bed as old as Paul.

 

[Paul B]

See I told you to ask "that guy"

 

[euromomtx]

Yeah. Must have been some different kind of dye-off discoloration because it's already disappearing again and everybody still seems happy.
I got Nassarius snails and some bristleworms but I might check out the kits.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15193084#post15193084 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by euromomtx
Yeah. Must have been some different kind of dye-off discoloration because it's already disappearing again and everybody still seems happy.
I got Nassarius snails and some bristleworms but I might check out the kits.

I would tend to think it was something else too with your sand bed only being a couple of months old.

Just curious as too how many fish you have in your tank at this point?

 

[Whys]

Here is an aspect of the DSB I don't wish over looked. The shelf. Because the sand will often shift around under the liverock, it can be a good idea to include an eggcrate shelf to prevent the collapse of the rock work above it. Here is an example of the shelf in my own DSB.

 

[euromomtx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15193986#post15193986 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
I would tend to think it was something else too with your sand bed only being a couple of months old.

Just curious as too how many fish you have in your tank at this point?

My two ocellaris clowns from my old 30g tank. Eventually I will add a small group of Pajama Cardinals.
I'm not 'into' big fish. I just like a nice little group of peaceful fish...

 

[WaterKeeper]

Nice setup Ryan. I alway like to have the rock supported as why bury LR that you paid good money to obtain?

 

[erics3000]

terstete

 

[Whys]

Eric, I'm thinking you misspelled that, but good scavenger hunt.

This is what I finally found...

tristete -- Romanian for: sadness; ruefulness; sorrow; dullness; gloom; melancholy; bleakness.

Tho I am unsure how this applies to the conversation. So perhaps I've mistranslated.

 

[WaterKeeper]

He may be referring to my avatar.

 

[Paul B]

Come on, thats not your avitar, thats really you Mo

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15216102#post15216102 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
Come on, thats not your avitar, thats really you Mo

I don't imagine he woud be Curly esp at his age:lol:

 

[skimmer315]

i use rsb 50lbs in a tupperware can.water pumped in after prefilyer,no algae,use skimmer 3 times a weeknothing in sand does great

 

[BradMugs]

I hope it's not of bad form to ask a real question on this wonderful thread.

My sump is my old wet/dry tank. I can't get it out from under the stand as it's too large to go anywhere but up and my tank is up there. SO, is it possible to take a container that will fit into the sump and make a DSB free contained inside my sump?

If so what would the minimum size I could make and still have it beneficial? Honestly, I'll get it as large as I can but again I've got to get it into the sump and don't have all that much clearance.

thanks,

Brad