Bubbles on the substrate

[MrGone]

I have two 125g tanks on a shared sump and I noticed on one tank with the Tropic Eden Aragasnow sugar size substrate there are "air" bubbles on the surface of the substrate but in the second 125g with CaribSea OceanDirect Original Grade this does not happen. Both tanks have identical lighting and flow characteristics and similar rock scapes. I also have a 210g with the CaribSea OceanDirect Oolite substrate with no air bubbles and a 75g with the CaribSea AragAlive Hawaiian Black substrate with no air bubbles either.

It is only with the Tropic Eden Aragasnow Sugar substrate that there are air bubbles on the surface. I'm not sure if it is oxygen or nitrogen. The Substrate is about 0.5" to 1" in the tank with the bubbles and 0.5" in the other tanks. They will typically get big enough where they rise to the surface on their own, or my purple tang likes to disrupt a bunch of them or the mag float will. It is kind of a cool effect but I'm curious what is happening. It has been doing this the entire time the system has been setup.

Here is a picture. I don't have microbubbles in the system either so it is strange to me

Thanks guys!

 

[justforfun]

the cyano is forming them....get more water flow to sand.....or get rid of cyano(it needs the air to live

 

[estanoche]

that is either a cyanobacteria or diatom bloom...... the pockets are CO2 that the bacteria lives on.... I would look at siphoning it out, and also, do you run any phosphate remover or take any steps to ensure you are not adding un-needed phosphates to your water? Often cyano will grow as fast as your phosphates are created in your system, so it doesn't show up on test results, but it is still there.

 

[MrGone]

Thank you for the replies, that is good to know.

I run two BRS canisters full of GFO. I kind of suspected that the algae is consuming phosphates because the water tests registered 0 using the Elos high resolution phosphate kit but when I went to replace the GFO last week it was a complete brick with no water passing through.

I just thought it was strange it is only forming on this one tank when the only difference between two of them is the substrate. Also I have quite a bit of flow going through the tank, I have ~1200gph coming from the return pump running through a sea swirl, then a Vortech MP60W and two Koralia Evo 1400's.

I also use RO/DI water, I guess it could be coming in through the food.

 

[estanoche]

Thank you for the replies, that is good to know.

I run two BRS canisters full of GFO. I kind of suspected that the algae is consuming phosphates because the water tests registered 0 using the Elos high resolution phosphate kit but when I went to replace the GFO last week it was a complete brick with no water passing through.

I just thought it was strange it is only forming on this one tank when the only difference between two of them is the substrate. Also I have quite a bit of flow going through the tank, I have ~1200gph coming from the return pump running through a sea swirl, then a Vortech MP60W and two Koralia Evo 1400's.

I also use RO/DI water, I guess it could be coming in through the food.

I've noticed that different sand types carry the bacteria differently - so it makes sense..... plus, differences in lighting could also be allowing it to grow in there.....

In my tank I battled cyano for years (with crazy flow like you have) and only got it to go away once I had been using GFO for probably 6 months, and got a set of wrasses that are constantly churning the substrate looking for pods........ I, of course, have no idea which of the two ACTUALLY killed the cyano though, haha

 

[estanoche]

PPS - I was on the home page and noticed Krish's article too on Diatoms - thought it was pretty appropriate for this thread too to add some other thoughts on how you can deal with it and its sources http://www.reeffrontiers.com/content/53-diatoms.html

 

[pandora32]

I have the same bubbles, but most of mine are below the surface. My SB is around 3" deep.
Jason

 

[jeffwisely]

@ Jason it happens over time as co2 accumulates. IMO i would either stir up the sand bed as i did a water change or add a gobbie or something along those lines to help stir up the substrate. one of the things i have done to reduce this is i added crushed coral. It helps so the the sand doesn't get as compact and the co2 can escape.

 

[jrgilles]

Looks like a diatom bloom to me. Both cyano and diatoms will cause some bubbles though.

Increased flow will help get rid of the diatoms. Also, time should help. I had a diatom bloom that went away after the diatom cycle and then had a bunch of cyano. Cyano started getting under control on its own, but was never really gone until I cranked up the flow in my tank

 

[godzen]

Wow, i'm using a similar eden flake type aragonite and after two weeks, I got pretty much the same thing you're having. Didn't know what it was. My tank is new. I'm using the AIO red sea max 250 65 gal. Flow is plenty adequate at stock. Sand have turned from pretty white to brown, tons of micro bubbles. I swirl the sand yesterday to float the bubbles up top and it helps. This cycle will go away yeah?