H2S from dead sand bed

[NarakuAulonocar]

I know that many people use dead sand bed to reduce NO3.
My question is: Is there a high risk of H2S getting to the main tank?

Also, is it possible to have a dsd in the main tank as substrate
and have burrowing fish live there with out the worry of H2S poisoning?

Thanks

[Maivortex]

Ive never heard of a dead sand bed........ Sounds harmful. Do you mean Deep sand Bed? Amny people use DSB, there are no issues with H2S. Burrowing fish make a healthy sand bed.

[reefgeezer]

Deep sand beds are anything but dead. They can also remove great amounts of nitrates. Sand sifters and burrowers actually help. However, there is some discussion about how long they can be maintained. I don't know the answer, but would prefer a remote deep sand bed that could be easily removed from the system if something starts to go south.

[bertoni]

Hydrogen sulfide is a byproduct of some anaerobic processes. A sand bed will produce some, but it's unlikely to be a problem unless the sand bed is in particularly bad shape and it is disturbed in a massive way. This article has more:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php

[NarakuAulonocar]

Ive never heard of a dead sand bed........ Sounds harmful. Do you mean Deep sand Bed? Amny people use DSB, there are no issues with H2S. Burrowing fish make a healthy sand bed.

Yes, sorry, I meant deep sand bed.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Be sure to not bury any living stuff. If you do that, it is reasonably unlikely to make appreciable H2S.

When I removed deep sand beds that had been in place for many years, they showed no signs of recent or past H2S, but once left in a bucket, became stagnant overnight.