Modern thoughts on live rock rubble bottom

[wetWolger]

I have been planning out all the details for my next tank. One thing I have already decided is that I do not want sand. I feel like sand contributed to my algae problems on my previous tank. I don't particularly like the look of a lot of bare bottom tanks though.

So I am currently considering the idea of having most (only most) of the bottom covered in live rock. I would be using large rubble pieces (over 2 inches for the most part). For the most part the rubble would not be covering itself, but just a starboard bottom. The idea being it would only cover _most_ of the bottom.

I would try to direct most my flow towards the bottom of the tank to keep stuff from collecting in the rubble. I was also thinking that on water changes I would likely take a power head and try to get in every crack of the rocks. Hopefully if I do this from the start, the resulting cloud would not be too bad.

The only thread I found on this was this one:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=634923

It had both success stories, and failures. But it was pretty old, so I thought I would look and see what most people think now. Let me know your thoughts, do you think I should just learn to like the look of BB, or is it worth trying? No matter what, I want to avoid sand this time (try something new, new to me at least).

 

[greaps]

Detritus will accumulate underneath the rubble, and be difficult to vacuum out. I don't like rubble anywhere in my system for this reason, well, aside from in a mesh container perhaps if I wanted a place to grow sponges and pods down in the sump. This way I can clear it out, and dunk / dust the rubble off periodically, if its loose that will never happen. Although this time around I'm not using any rubble. You sound like you want bare bottom, buy some starboard and use that as your bottom, its white.

 

[SammyL]

What about crush coral, the kind that was the "in thing" years ago?

 

[GT350pwns]

Crushed coral or live rock rubble will both be detritus traps.

I forget where I saw it, but someone somewhere went with an astroturf style approach and used a bunch of epoxy to make a mat of sand to put in the bottom of the tank.

 

[wetWolger]

I have no interest in crushed coral. The goal would be that the pieces would be large enough to minimize the cracks, and hopefully get more flow into the cracks that do exist.

 

[R1ant04]

How about doing travertine tile across the bottom....its great as it will perform jus like rock work but give u a different look.

 

[R1ant04]

I started off with sand and seemed like alot of trouble...broke my tank down and started over with bb and was oh so much easier to keep/maintain! Set up a new tank n decided to try the tiles and has worked out great!

 

[fishdoctor2323]

I had rubble on about half of the bottom of my tank to try it out. Collected way too much detritus under it. Trying to vac it with a hose was a pain also; banging all those golf ball size pieces of rock all over and then they'd get stuck to the siphon hose. Took them out, best thing I ever did. My live rock structure covers the bottom of my tank leaving about 3" in the front and sides for an algae scrapper.

 

[myaerica]

I use 2 little fishes calcium reactor media, it works fine but it all turns purple over time

 

[skey44]

+1 turns purple and lots of detritus build up

 

[rgulrich]

I use a coral rubble much like the 2 little fishies mentioned above, about 1/2" deep. It's pink and purple from the coralline algae. Add a bit of green and other colors from various anemone. Hmm...also an array of colors from "accidental fragging" by the fish playing tag and the frags growing.
Not really concerned about any detritus buildup as the current tends to pick it up and send it into the water column for removal. The mulm is pretty much inert at that point anyway, and the filter system removes any contaminants from the water column...that get by the coral and sponge, that is.
Cheers,
Ray

 

[joshky]

Crushed coral is really easy to clean if you don't make it deep, just stick the siphon in and watch the detritus get vacuumed out. I could clean a lot of it during my water changes, just do it in sections. That being said, I hated crushed coral aesthetically so I got rid of it for sand.

 

[wetWolger]

Well it sounds like there is a theme that it's a bad idea. I don't want detritus to build up, that's very important to me. I felt like I could prevent it from tons of flow, with large rubble pieces, but sounds like others don't agree.

 

[Devi]

I have rubble in my media basket. It has all sorts of critters and sponges on it. The idea was to have some rocks on hand for my QT tank. When I take out some rubble I replace it with new pieces. Since water is always flowing through the basket, it does not collect anything but sponges and some sand worms.

 

[jdaniels175]

no matter how much flow you have, the nature of having anything in the way of the flow ie. rocks, crushed coral, sand, corners of the tank, creates spots where "stuff" settles. The idea is to create a situation where it is easier to get the "stuff" out. lots of small rocks wont make it too easy. I think sometimes we forget that anything in the water creates friction against the water and slows it WAY down. Even in the most raging rapids or the hardest running tides/ waves, the area right near the bottom, or behind anything has a flow that can approach 0.

 

[addo]

I've thought about doing a false bottom much like in viviariums. Put the rubble on a raised mesh and have enough flow under the mesh to push out any detritus, it should work and look good. You might want to do the mesh in sections though, so you can lift them up easier when you need to get under the mesh.

 

[d2mini]

I have been planning out all the details for my next tank. One thing I have already decided is that I do not want sand. I feel like sand contributed to my algae problems on my previous tank. I don't particularly like the look of a lot of bare bottom tanks though.

Just do a shallow sand bed. Mine is an inch.
Anything else will be at least as problematic, unless you go BB.
If you arrange your rock well, you should be able to siphon your shallow sand bed keeping it pretty clean, if you are worried about detritus accumulation.
Or keep a really good CUC. Snails, hermits, cucumbers, serpent stars, etc.

 

[wetWolger]

If you arrange your rock well, you should be able to siphon your shallow sand bed keeping it pretty clean, if you are worried about detritus accumulation.
Or keep a really good CUC. Snails, hermits, cucumbers, serpent stars, etc.

I used to have a sort of deep sandbed, probably about 2 to 3in. With that said I siphoned it on every water change to try to keep it clean. I still felt like it was a nutrient sink, and no matter what I tried my algae problems just got worse and worse as time went on, even with more frequent water changes (and of course RO from the start).

So I do agree that a smaller stand bed would be cleaned better. But I am not convinced I can ever 100% prevent it from being a problem.

 

[d2mini]

I used to have a sort of deep sandbed, probably about 2 to 3in. With that said I siphoned it on every water change to try to keep it clean. I still felt like it was a nutrient sink, and no matter what I tried my algae problems just got worse and worse as time went on, even with more frequent water changes (and of course RO from the start).

So I do agree that a smaller stand bed would be cleaned better. But I am not convinced I can ever 100% prevent it from being a problem.

How long was it set up?
I've had sand beds for a few years with no algae issues and I've never siphoned.

 

[gbru316]

I've thought about doing a false bottom much like in viviariums. Put the rubble on a raised mesh and have enough flow under the mesh to push out any detritus, it should work and look good. You might want to do the mesh in sections though, so you can lift them up easier when you need to get under the mesh.

Egg crate would probably be a better choice. It has some structural stability.