So on the one hand porous rock is recommended due to increased surface area for bacteria...now on the other hand this porous rock is a recipe for detritus accumulation as in is near impossible to get any flow through the nooks and crannies and thus trapping lots of detritus. So is it really better?
Is porous rock really better?
- Thread starter swcc
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tony11387
Reefer
Every once in a while, you can simulate a storm simply by creating a strong flow with your hand.
afamousjohnson
Just Keep Swimming
Sometimes ill blast mine with a turkey baster to get it suspended.
Better is a subjective term. I bought some of the original marco rock in 2007, it has since been through 3 acid baths and is now very light and very porous. In the 5 years I have had this rock, it is has been in 3 different tanks and currently is able to keep my nitrates undetectable per Salifert. This is the first time that has happened, so maybe the last acid bath opened it up enough to really make an impact, who knows. I stopped dosing carbon months ago when my NO3 began to disappear.
As far as accumulating detritus or tank fallout, it never has but I also run crazy flow in the tank. I was at 8700 gph in a 40x40x17 pentagon, so things don't settle easily on the rock, but can around it, I just re-did the setup and upped the voltage on the Tunze's so I could run a couple less water movers. I just use a turkey baster to remove what collects. What you suggest is possible with any rock, but it depends on the flow and where the flow is and how strong it is. The overly holey and nooked and crannied rock hasn't been an issue but it could potentially be.
As far as accumulating detritus or tank fallout, it never has but I also run crazy flow in the tank. I was at 8700 gph in a 40x40x17 pentagon, so things don't settle easily on the rock, but can around it, I just re-did the setup and upped the voltage on the Tunze's so I could run a couple less water movers. I just use a turkey baster to remove what collects. What you suggest is possible with any rock, but it depends on the flow and where the flow is and how strong it is. The overly holey and nooked and crannied rock hasn't been an issue but it could potentially be.
MARINECRITTERS
New member
I bet you could use non porus rock and store porus in a sump ( with filter sock for no detrius ).
Human lungs if flattened equal half a tennis court in surface area, ie, bioactive area, if we were dealing with rock. That's because they're porous. Really porous. The same volume in, say, dense marble, would sit amid that tennis court looking pretty lonely and insignificant.
Detritus isn't a problem if you have a decent skimmer and good cleanup crew, like worms, nassarius snails, a conch if you're over 50 gallons.
Detritus isn't a problem if you have a decent skimmer and good cleanup crew, like worms, nassarius snails, a conch if you're over 50 gallons.
Using pumps and turkey basters and anything else to get the detritus out of a rock worked wonders for me after not doing it for too long (Though I have seen initial algae spikes after starting to do it). Go porous and just keep up with the maintenance. One great thing about pumps and turkey basters is seeing the life hiding in porous rocks in addition to the detritus
Ok...so nook and cranny rock will trap detritus in the holes with normal tank flow(sirreal not withstanding)...so.. one bastes or blasts out the holes with water changes...Smart move of course...now...the rock is suggested for more surface area...so with detritus accumulated in the holes throughout the rock(till it is manually removed), is the surface area for more bacteria actually redundant? The detritus increases bacterial activity right? If it was not there it would not increase bacteria levels.
Dexters Reef
New member
I bought about 45 lbs of very porous rock 6 years ago when I started my first reef tank. It worked so well for me, that 7 months ago I used almost all of it to seed my 75g build. In my current tank with the porous live rock (half of which is over 6 years old) and a good skimmer/refugium my tests always show nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia that are 0, and phosphates that are undetectable.
All I do to clean the rock is turn all my powerheads on, and blast the rock holes from all different angles with a turkey baster and a bunch of detritus and sand will come out and make the water a little cloudy. For my 4' tank it takes less than 10 minutes. The high flow is important because it will keep this matter suspended longer, which gives your skimmer more contact time to clean it up.
Usually I do it every other week...it’s not terrible if you slack a little on it every now and then, you just don’t want it getting out of hand.
The pros of having increased surface area to house more beneficial bacteria outweigh the cons of detritus buildup. It's not hard to maintain, don't worry about it. Sometimes I just end up walking by the tank and doing it for no reason, it’s really easy and after a few times it just becomes routine and you don’t even think about it.
All I do to clean the rock is turn all my powerheads on, and blast the rock holes from all different angles with a turkey baster and a bunch of detritus and sand will come out and make the water a little cloudy. For my 4' tank it takes less than 10 minutes. The high flow is important because it will keep this matter suspended longer, which gives your skimmer more contact time to clean it up.
Usually I do it every other week...it’s not terrible if you slack a little on it every now and then, you just don’t want it getting out of hand.
The pros of having increased surface area to house more beneficial bacteria outweigh the cons of detritus buildup. It's not hard to maintain, don't worry about it. Sometimes I just end up walking by the tank and doing it for no reason, it’s really easy and after a few times it just becomes routine and you don’t even think about it.
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Ok...I keep reading...blast the rock, turkey baste the rock...lots of surface area for beneficial bacteria....now what will happen if the rock does not accumulate detritus to any effect and it stays clean with your usual flow and when you turkey baste it...hardly anything comes out? How is this beneficial to your tank?
How is it detrimental? Debris will collect somewhere, whether it is a filter sock, the sump, a low flow area of the tank, etc etc or all of the above. Some people are very anal about removing it, some are not, and I have seen beautiful tanks that employ both methods. I am sure you are going somewhere with this questioning and hopefully you will get there at some point.
tony11387
Reefer
If you are referring to the porous rock then the benefit is the added surface area because the rock does not need to be full of detritis to be colonized by bacteria. If you are referring to minimally porous rock then there is no added benefit.
I will... and it is simple... in the never ending quest of reefers to limit phosphate and nitrate...I ask... why run rock that is a detritus trap(the source of all nutrient problems)? Do you need the 'surface area" or do you need detritus to move easily to the overflow and cleaner less detritus laden rocks?
Baffling to me is the amount of effort and dilemma put into hiding the source of many problems vs making better choices in setup...
