Ammonia bubbles

[mlt]

Although I have learned not to listen to the LSF I was told by them that maybe since I have a deep sand bed of Home depot sand with my LS on top that ammonia bubbles could have gotten trapped in the sand and when I added the horseshoe crab that he stirred up the sand and released the bubbles. Does this sound possible? He told me that once I get the tank back to normal-I should start at one corner and everyday poke holes in the sand in a few places, then continue that way everyday unitl all the sand has been poked-then start at the first place I started on and keep doing this. I have alot of grape like plants (can't remember the name) and since there is nothing in there to eat it-it is growing really well. I keep trimming away the leggy stems and now the growth is thick with the "grapes".

 

[beaslbob]

Usually i get some trapped air under newly installed sand. You could poke around to release that or just let it be.
Congrats and the grape caulpera. Never got mine to grow. But then it could have been winter shipping also. With enough grape the sand won't produce any bubles. The grape will process everything.

 

[bang guy]

When a DSB processes Nitrate it releases harmless Nitrogen Gas. This isn't you problem.
Your problem is two fold but all caused by the Horseshoe Crab.
1 - The crab is rapidly stirring the sand and this closes all of the water channels to the bottom of the sand bed. This means that Nitrates can't get to the Anoxic area to be processed by the bacteria.
2 - The crab has eaten all of the larger Sand Bed infauna and this has or will lead to a dead sand bed that can no longer denitrify.

 

[mlt]

So-are you telling me that I should get rid of the horseshoe crab? I was told I needed something to stir the sand and that these did the best job.

 

[karajay]

I would also suggest you get rid of the horse shoe. You want sand "shifters" in your tank to move the sand around, not sand "sifters", which eat the infauna. Good choices would be cerith and nassarius snails.

 

[mlt]

OK-PROBLEM IS THAT THE TANK IS STILL CYCLING-THE HORSESHOE AND A CBS-A CLEANER SHRIMP AND A PEPPERMINT SHRIMP HAS LIVED THROUGH CRASH. RIGHT NOW THE TRITES ARE STILL WAY HIGH (DARKEST COLOR ON THE CHART). THE AMMONIA LEVEL HAS DROP FROM THE DARKEST COLOR TO .25. I WAS TOLD TO WAIT UNTIL THE TRITES DROP BEFORE ADDING ANY CLEAN UP CREW. SHOULD I GET RID OF THE HORSESHOE AND NOT REPLACE IT WITH ANYTHING JUST YET? SINCE I DON'T KNOW WHY THE TANK CRASHED I AM WAITING FOR A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE CYCLE BEFORE ADDING ANY FISH AND THEN THEY WILL ALL BE IN A QT FOR A MONTH BEFORE GOING IN MY MAIN TANK. SURE LEARNED THE HARD WAY.