Sand flew up from the bottom of the tank

[P&BtheBetta]

Basically, I was doing a partial water change and I poured the container into the water and it disturbed the substrate; sand came up from the substrate and my betta was swimming at the top. I noticed some sand particles on his head yesterday. Could it have gotten into his gills? What happens if he accidentally ate it? Will he be okay?

 

[Abaddon]

He should be fine. I'd be more concerned about an ammonia spike from the detritus that got blown into the water column. Sometimes when the substrate gets kicked up it can also cause a release of toxic hydrogen sulphide from the anaerobic pockets which form underneath it (this is especially dangerous when the substrate is fine, deep and has no plants in it). If the tank smells like rotten eggs, do plenty of water changes until the smell disappears and keep a close eye on the fish.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I concur, he should be fine. My Betta sometimes digs under the sand, or sticks his head in it.

 

[Colin_T]

Fish regularly get sand, sediment and algae on their gills during the wet season. It washes off after a couple of days in clean water. They sometimes ingest small amounts when feeding from the substrate and it normally passes through them without any issues.