Breathing Substrate?

I had a Gourami pass yesterday after I tried to remove my gravel. I'm wondering if it is possible that she breathed the gravel in? It is a fine quartz gravel that is fairly sharp. I just can't find anything else that it may be.

 

One of the dangers when moving gravel is potentially releasing ammonia into the water column. It's very possible to have trapped pockets of ammonia in your substrate. These are called dead zones. The ammonia wouldn't read on your test strips because it's not in the water column until you pushed around the substrate.

 

One of the dangers when moving gravel is potentially releasing ammonia into the water column. It's very possible to have trapped pockets of ammonia in your substrate. These are called dead zones. The ammonia wouldn't read on your test strips because it's not in the water column until you pushed around the substrate.

I guess that's got to be it thanks. I also had my filter turned off during, but once I turned it back on the BB would've removed ammonia pretty quickly?

My test results before and 24hrs after were exactly the same... 0,0,20, despite a large water change.

 

It could have been stress related as well. What kind of gourami was it? What is the tank size? Tank stocking?

 

It could have been stress related as well. What kind of gourami was it? What is the tank size? Tank stocking?

Yer that's true. Pearl gourami. 40g. It had 3 pearls, a panchax killI and a L397. I had just tried to add two mystery snails, but something was irritating them, so removed the substrate in case it was hurting them. I now think it was something else, or a combination.

 

Hmm, not sure what happened then.

 

Hmm, not sure what happened then.

That seems to be my luck lately the only thing that seems to be a bit odd to me it that the nitrates went back up so quickly. All I can think is that I had an ammonia spike that was quickly converted once I turned my canister back on...

 

That could have been it, though that'd be unusual.

 

That could have been it, though that'd be unusual.

Well, as I just don't know, I think I will bleach that system and start again. Too scared to be anything it it now.

 

One of the dangers when moving gravel is potentially releasing ammonia into the water column. It's very possible to have trapped pockets of ammonia in your substrate. These are called dead zones. The ammonia wouldn't read on your test strips because it's not in the water column until you pushed around the substrate.

Not ammonia... rather hydrogen sulfide.

 

Which you would likely smell, too.

 

Dutch aquarium is on the right note, using fine substrate causes dead spots, this as the opposite affect to aerobic (oxygen requiring) bacteria the same that is present in your filter system. Anaerobic bacteria occurs in fine gravel or similar substrate(oxygen depleted). Plants grow well in this environment as not much in the way of oxygen gets to the roots system of plants and in turn the plants keep the water above clean. But disturbance of this results as dutch aquarium has said in releasing nasty waste of the by product used by Anaerobic bacteria in the substrate (ammonia). That is why you do not gravel clean heavily planted tanks, you just clean the surface.

Sorry think I got the anaerobic the wrong way round. Got it mixed up this is the bacteria in substrate an the other one I can't remember the name of is in filter system. Both sound similar. Been away from fish keeping way too long. Had to make amends above re - learning myself at moment.

 

Sorry think I got the anaerobic the wrong way round. Got it mixed up this is the bacteria in substrate an the other one I can't remember the name of is in filter system. Both sound similar. Been away from fish keeping way too long. Had to make amends above re - learning myself at moment.

All good, thanks for the info

 

Yeah somebody said earlier, you sometimes get a eggy smell, right in saying hydrogen sulphide.