Is this bad?

I added more LS to my tank in Dec. and for some reason there are airbubbles or something. I pushed them out and they come back. It just doesn't seem normal.

 

its normal, i cannot remember what it is for the life of me, i know if there on the rather large side it can cause some issues if stirred up, i just let mine be, and my snails mix the sand up for me so i dont have 2, im sure someone else will chime in and let you know exactly what the gas is called in the sand

 

air bubbles are usually a gas bi-product from waste breakdown from bacteria and any other organisms found within the sand

 

Mostly this is just nitrogen bubbles. It's generally a sign your denitrifying bacteria is alive and well.

 

o.k. thanks.

 

There are nitrogen bubbles from the nitrite/nitrate cycles

 

My tank is 5 years old, but I have noticed my nitrates went from 0 to almost 2 ppm. They are going back down, but I wonder if adding the sand caused like a mini cycle.

Not to mention all the rocks I've moved around.

 

I love watching my hermits dig in the sand bed and get swarmed with nitrogen bubbles. They back up and are like "WOO what...the..fish...!"

 

It may start a mini cycle, but i believe its mainly if you add the "live" sand, i just added a refugium and added live sand, and i did have a small cycle but a quick water change can help with that

 

Probably just stirred up something. You should be fine if your ammonia test is 0 still.