ugh.... BB and detritus

[Conceyted]

So we finally have the 90g RR tank setup that will be mostly SPS. It has been two weeks since setup and the parameters have been stable and perfect. A few days ago we added 20 aestrea and 20 turbo snails. Now we have tons of detritus sitting at the bottom of the tank. Since it is barebottom is is very noticable and its also very discouraging. My girlfriend has been complaining that she hates it and wants to put sand in. I have syphoned some out while doing a water change, and someone else recommended I try syphoning it into a filtersock and running the water through the sump so i can continue to just syphon it all out without worrying about taking out too much water. While this is a good idea I know there must be something else i can do. I have been thinking about trying one of those vortech pumps at the bottom of the tank so it pushes lots of water through the tank bottom and pushed all the detritus to one place. Anyone have other suggestions or comments?
Here are some updated pictures:

You can see I even tried pointing the seios down. But this seemed to have minimal effect. Now instead of it being ont he outsides its in the center. I wonder if I can get it all over to one side of the tank?

 

[chadfarmer]

looks like you need more flow

 

[Conceyted]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7680105#post7680105 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chadfarmer
looks like you need more flow

I dunno, I thought I had quite a bit of flow... maybe I need more?


Some tank background... The tank is a RR 90gallon oceanic. It runs a 20 gallon long glass sump. (30x12x12) with an asm g3 (gatevalve modded). I also run ozone at 25mv/h with an orp rating of 400 or so overall. The tank water is filtered with carbon and then runs through a phosban reactor running rowaphos. Then it is returned through a mag7 into a 1/10hp JBJ arctica chiller. The lighting consists of a dual pfo 250watt magnetic balasts running two 10k 250w xm ushio bulbs. I am also running two 48" superactinics powered by a 660 icecap ballast. As far as flow goes, my return is also accompanied by two seio1100's. Originally I had them in the corners facing diagonal and crossing at the front of the glass, now I have them pointed down. Also we have a precision marine kalk reactor plummed with an aqualifter pump we are using for topoff on a controller. The tank also runs on a Reefkeeper 2 which controls various aspects like temperature and ph, etc.

 

[twon8]

once you get corals in there you wont' notice it. now there is nothing to look at but the imperfections. my bb is covered in zoas and corraline, which yours will be eventually.
more random flow will help keep stuff off the bottom, some streams would certainly help. With the flow you have now stuff will get trapped, but if you have flow that varies it will help dead spots.

 

[Crazysps]

How much flow do you have in this 90? I have a 75 BB and am running about 4500 gph. I only get one little detritus spot whch i siphon once to twice a week. I also run a sump and skim very wet. I will be adding another 1500-2000 gph when I get back home from vacation. My tank is only SPS.
HTH, also if you let the poo just sit around it will start to rot on you.
Ian

 

[Conceyted]

I was thinking of getting soemthing like a brittle star or something that will eat this detritus without needing sand to survive in.

 

[Conceyted]

My 90 has about 30x turnover. 2700 gph or so. And my skimmer also skims very very wet.

 

[Covey]

When I was runing my 75G I had 2x1100 SEIO, 2 MJ1200, and 600 GPH after head loss and that was with a sandbed.

BB is pretty simple if you have detritus settling add more flow.

Now with the 150G BB I only get one little settling area and I have gotting that to settle in a place that is easy to siphon.

 

[twon8]

why are you running ozone with no fish in the tank? I don't see a need for it.

Figuring you were just starting up I was not going to tell you but since you listed all the stuff you have already, I will say you def. need more flow. At least 3 times more. I have a 90 with a 6100 stream, 1100 seio and two maxi jets, and a dsb, so with bb, you need at least 50x turnover in the tank.

 

[Conceyted]

I am running ozone because it polishes the water. Also it helps me skimmer to produce better skimmate. And finally my tank just started, why not run ozone? Even if there is no fish in the tank (there are two) there will be very soon and I would rather know the equipment is working right BEFORE I add the fish

Ok so I need more flow. I guess thats my next step... Adding more. Do you think that adding one vortech pump will put me where I need to be?

 

[chadfarmer]

i would say try one icecap if more flow is need move the other powerheads around for better flow

 

[Conceyted]

cool thanks a lot guys. Any other advice/comments please keep them coming.

 

[RichConley]

I agree on the more flow.

I've got 3x what you have, in a smaller tank, and I have sand.

 

[Cody Ray]

Much of that probably came from your liverock, I am suprised because though seios are pointed right at the bottom. You would think nothing could settle like that???

 

[AlgaeMan]

Your rocks are shedding. Most of what your seeing on the bottom is noty detritus, but small pieces of rock.. This will happen for many months. To help this process along blow your rocks frequently with a power head to remove this stuff. You will need to siphon it out.

 

[twon8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7680391#post7680391 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ChinChek787
Much of that probably came from your liverock, I am suprised because though seios are pointed right at the bottom. You would think nothing could settle like that???

but with no change in the flow, dead spots will develop, even with the seio's pionted right at the bottom.

 

[R33f3r]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7680731#post7680731 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AlgaeMan
Your rocks are shedding. Most of what your seeing on the bottom is noty detritus, but small pieces of rock.. This will happen for many months. To help this process along blow your rocks frequently with a power head to remove this stuff. You will need to siphon it out.

I agree. My turbo snails actually eat detritus. I have seen them. Weird, right? Anyways, the rocks are shedding crud, dirt, whatever is embedded in them. Just keep the flow up and maybe add a filter sock to the overflow side of the sump. It catches all my crud and I don't have to siphon as much. I also have a kole tang that actually eats detritus all day off the starboard.

I just have little rubble piles here and there, my rock is full cooked so it's almost nonexistant now. But the filter sock is what I would do and crank up some more flow to the crap in suspension.

 

[clkwrk]

IMO if you are having detritus settling I would add more flow . My 90BB softie tank has more flow than that . Its around 52x and I still get some build up that I siphon out @ waterchanges but I am fine with the buildup as it helps keep my nitrates detectable and thats what my corals seem to like in that tank . On the other hand my 180BB SPS has 141x plus the flow added by a wavebox. Hardly anything settles and it ends up in my sump or skimmer for easy removal.


I will also agree that your rocks will continue to shed till their clean

JM.02

 

[Conceyted]

Ok. So I need more flow. I am wanting to take out the seios and add two new pumps. I am looking at tunze and vortech. I see the pros and cons of both. My question is what setup will allow me to have absolute random flow? I am thinking the tunze kit with two 3100gph pumps and a multicontroller. Will this replace my seios and solve all of my problems?!

 

[clkwrk]

I love tunze I have 3x6100's and 2x6200's and a wave box in the 180 and I also use a 6060 and turbella 7310 in my BB 90 to aid my seio 1100 and closed loop spraybar.

I will say 2 tunze 6100's may not solve your problem placement is everything. I will say one high and one low o nthe other side will produce alot of flow . Just make sure its open below your rock . Or even both high just oppisite sides the multi contoller is nice.

BTW you would be doubling your flow with those 2 pumps so I will go out on a limb and say you will be very happy . If any thing keep one seio and put it in the bottom corner blowing across the bottom to help .