Detritus clean up
I have a 90 gallon display with SPS, LPS and 9 fish.
I had a shallow sand bed and got sick of the detritus making the sand very dirty so I removed the sand bed and it made cleaning the bottom far easier. The issue I have not is the bottom collects so much detritus that it needs to be cleaned twice a week minimum. Is this normal? How do those large tanks deal with detritus? Surely they don't clean it out as they will be there all day. I have 3 power heads trying to blow it off the bottom so the skimmer and filters can do their part. |
It will likely subside over time, but you might consider pointing some powerheads where junk collects to keep it in suspension.
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Is it the fish or corals causing it?
The tank is 10 months old and is not getting any better. Would it be giving off much phosphates or nitrates if sitting around? |
I would check your levels first. I would also make sure the problem areas are getting lots of good flow. Don't' one feed your tank and allow anything to settle. Also what kind of clean up crew do you have? how often are you running lights? these are all things that need to be checked. do you run carbon/phosguard or anything else?
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ummm.... if you remove the sand, where do you think the shlt goes??
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LED lights for 9 hours PO4X4 about 250ml in a reactor Phosphate is 0.08 with red seas test kit. Nitrate im not sure as I have API test kit which is hopeless. I do have some Zeovit Carbon so could put that in a mesh bag. |
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you have 100 turbo snails in a 90g?!?!
how much do you feed? with 9 fish plus corals im not surprised you have plenty of detritus. re-aim some powerheads to keep it stirred up and maybe run a filter sock every once in a while to polish the water. if it stays stirred up better, the coral will eat it.. |
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Is the detritus collecting more in certain areas or spread out all over ?
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You can't double the test drops to read lower, you'll just get a wrong reading by not following the directions. |
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My nitrates are 0 or bright yellow on the api test kit. |
Post a tank for us to see. Show how the heads are positioned. If you can afford to swap even 2 powerheads for a single mp40 or 2 mp10s would be a bonus IMO. I'm all about the wave effect. No hermits or crabs at all? I am new still being I've had one nano (28g) but still learnt lots through others. Felt I needed to point that out so I don't look like I know alot haha when I to am learning :) also are the fish all larger or have some algae grazers like blennies?
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http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/...tz/photo36.jpg
I cleaned the bottom this morning (6 hours ago) http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/...tz/photo37.jpg |
You might want to point one of them more towards the middle front glass, that way the flow will bounce back and hit that area in the middle of the bottom, between the rocks.
Think about buying an mp10 or mo40 in the near future to help more in keeping the detritus in suspension in the water column. Then your good skimmer can break it down. Other than that it doesn't look too bad. It doesn't say above the first picture if that is before you cleaned it, because the 2nd picture states that it was taken after you cleaned it. |
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For me, it is a balance between amount of flow and the types of corals I witsant to keep. I find with any reasonable rockwork, you wiill collect detrius. So I blow it out with a PH once a week. What you are seeing -- if its gray stuff -- its probably bacterial flock. Good coral foodnif you csnget it out of the crevaces. :). And snail poop for me, argh. Anyway, I enjoy cleaning this out becausenI know I'm exporting phosphates and future nitrates. All that from a relative n00b. I'm. Sure somebody will jump in and educate us both :) I certainly have learned a lot, that's for sure. Allnthat from a relative n00b |
Should try and point two powerheads at each other. Maybe to hide them a bit have them both in the side corners pointing to collide on the glass or in the middle of each side and straight across the tank. Then having some on the middle of the back wall pointing to the front of the glass or one blowing across the bottom of the back o the tank.
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In the second picture it looks like you have a hitchhiker on your rock. Might need help IDing it, but I believe it's a Ford!
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