sand affecting ammonia?

Question
Hi michael,
i have about a 3 inch sand bed in my fresh water aquarium i do not currently have any bottom dweller to disturb it but i will try to find one to get along with my oscar. Could the sand be affecting my ammonia because no matter what i do its horrible. I have been cycling my tank since the beginning of january. If it could be the sand then i will get gravel
thanx in a advance Nikki

Answer
nikki,
I don;t think the sand has anything to do with it, however I don;t recomend marine sand or playbox sand for freshwater tanks unless there is a specific reason for it, it tends to pack down and get cement like, also it can get sucked into the filter and grind down the impeller.
Depending on the tank size, the size of the oscar and the amount of food that you are feeding can all contribute to the problem.
If you can get a couple of used filter pads from someone that are already cycled you can use those to jump start your biofilter by filtering thru those at the onset.
Let me know how it goes.