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MTS making bubbles

1186 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  myswtsins, 
myswtsins
After only a couple weeks of my tank being setup with MTS it was producing massive amount of bubbles when pressed or while planting or sometimes just randomly (probably the MTsnails hitting the pockets). Is it possible to become anaerobic that fast? There is definitely an odor when the bubbles pop at the surface. Currently there are no fish in the tank but I am afraid to put any in now.

Tank has been setup for 2 months now. I was hoping the bubbles were just trapped air from initially filling the tank but they are still there.
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O
^ that's pretty normal. i think it does that when you don't get the dirt mineralized all the way. i had the same problem with my 50g the first time i tried mts. my fish and plants didn't suffer at all. the gas will fizzle out in a couple of months.
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myswtsins
Thanks. I just went and pressed A LOT of bubbles out, some spots you could even see the mound in the substrate. I also noticed that where stems plants were planted there were little to no bubbles.

I hope it stops soon because the MTS has not shown any signs of helping my plants so the negatives are seriously starting to out number the positives.
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sewingalot
It sounds like you didn't fully mineralize the soil. So it's normal that you would be having issues. Poke holes in the soil with a bamboo skewer once a week to help release any air pockets.
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myswtsins
Thank you! I thought I did a pretty thorough job but I guess not. :) I did the wet dry cycle 4 times and it had no odor but the top soil (like $1 a bag) did have very small pieces of wood in it, small enough to sift through a screen.

I will de-gas it once a week, do you also think it will pass within a few months? I am already at almost 2.5 months. Fish safe?
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sewingalot
If it had pieces of wood still in it, that could be what is decaying. It should pass eventually, especially since you stated there were no bubbles where stem plants were planted. I would pack the tank full of stems to help the process.

I made MTS once from crappy soil and it was a disaster. It also had no odor, but I ended up with mostly sand and wood. Now I get the dirt from a local sand and gravel guy. Much better and cheaper.
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myswtsins
Thanks, I am working on getting more stem plants.

Define disaster? :) Did you have to trash it?

If I poke the soil regularly do you think it is safe to add my fish now?
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Nue
This happened to me, and it got so bad that it volcano'ed all the mts out onto the sand, like lava. It didn't bother me that much because it was entertaining. But I had to redo it, and yes it was because i didn't mineralize it enough.
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myswtsins
Thank you for sharing your experience. Can someone please confirm if it should be fish safe now?
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chad320
That should be as simple as testing for ammonia and nitrates.
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myswtsins
Really? Are the anaerobic gases detectable through ammonia and nitrate tests or is it just not something to worry about, just make sure the tank is cycled? The tank is cycled and will get a seeded filter when fish are added. I am just worried about the gas from the substrate.
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