detritus

[pimp2daizzo]

how do you guys keep it from getting behind the rocks??? i have two mp40 and it seem like i get alot of it behind the rocks and in the sand bed

 

[bskiba]

less rock and no sand for me. I have no blocked flow by my rock. you could plumb a spray bar the old school way off of a return?

 

[tonytboss]

I also had the same problem until going bare bottom and creating less dead spots.

 

[tdp22]

Drill and create pillars, less contact and places to hide waste

 

[strout]

I have seen a few reefer's put a small power head on the back glass of their tanks behind the rock. That seems like a good idea that I may try that at some point. I just don't think a tank is a tank with out a sand bed. I just don't know how that extra flow going thru the rock will effect my fish as most of them sleep in that rock at night.

 

[Alex T.]

Knowing that my new tank was going to be SPS dominated, I used very little rock for the space I have (72 x 26 x 24). I have a total of 90+ pounds of live rock in a 195 gallon tank. I created two small islands with just as much space behind the rockwork as there is in front. My goal is to have limited SPS frags grow into large, mature colonies that fill in the space. I only have 80 pounds of sand in the tank as well. I find it's extremely easy to reach every part of the tank, and the added water volume is welcomed over cluttered rock work. Over time, no matter how good your flow there will inherently be dead spots as corals grow. Since detritus is an enemy in an SPS tank, limiting the rockwork to have access is key longterm, IMO. The old adage that you need 1 -2 pounds of liverock I feel is inaccurate.

As long as you stock responsibly with fish, I feel there's no need to have that much rock...and many of the more modern, minimalist tanks prove that point. Being able to effectively remove detritus from wherever it may settle is a great way to avoid anything ever building up.

 

[pimp2daizzo]

less rock and no sand for me. I have no blocked flow by my rock. you could plumb a spray bar the old school way off of a return?

lol thats what i did to start with untill i got a wavebox which seemed to help this problem more then mp40...i moved a powerhead down under my rocks tonight but i dont think i can leave it there...ive been removing sand slowly im down to about 15lbs and im just going to leave a lil just for looks so i guess ill have to get all the sand out from behind the rocks lol:headwalls:

 

[DNA]

Be clever where you place the pumps and rocks.
I vacuum my sandbed once or twice a month and pull amazing amounts of detritus out of it each time.

 

[pimp2daizzo]

Be clever where you place the pumps and rocks.
I vacuum my sandbed once or twice a month and pull amazing amounts of detritus out of it each time.[/Q

i just placed the pump to blow along the back down by the sand and it kicked up alot...i vacum mine once a week to keep it looking clean i just cant get to the back of the tank

 

[bskiba]

sand in an sps tank is like filter socks. it will work as long as you maintain it.
1. make it easier to acces and maintain
2. clean it regularly. the longer you go the more nutrients can build up and cause bigger problems.
3.research grain size before you buy. some sizes will inhibit your ability to increase flow in that area.
4. when you test for phosphates get sample water by the rocks or sand. that will tell you what you are dealing with.

 

[elegance coral]

This is how I dealt with it. I ran the return from one of the return pumps back behind the rocks to a spray bar on the bottom.

 

[Psyops]

I put my old Korallias on the bottom back end on each side of the tank. I was curious on a couple of occasions on how effective they were so I turned them off for a couple of days. After that time, when I turned them back on, I got a lot of detritis flying everywhere. This method works for me, but it is not a good long-term solution as the pumps will one day fail. I also kept the back end of the rockwork open so the water could go through. Hope this helps.

Alex