Do you remove Detritus ?

nashorn · 04/18/2017, 08:39 PM

I have a friend that is obsessed about removing detritus.
I have never and wondering what happens if I don't ?

mpderksen · 04/18/2017, 09:37 PM

Decays and results in higher Nitrates. If your biological filter is robust, you can get away with some limited detritus. It also matters if you are fish only (most tolerant), LPS, or SPS (least tolerant). Can't think of a reason NOT to aggressively remove it, other than the tine it takes.

nashorn · 04/18/2017, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpderksen

Decays and results in higher Nitrates. If your biological filter is robust, you can get away with some limited detritus. It also matters if you are fish only (most tolerant), LPS, or SPS (least tolerant). Can't think of a reason NOT to aggressively remove it, other than the tine it takes.

At what point does it become inert ?

reret10 · 04/18/2017, 10:19 PM

I mean siphoning It out is generally a really good idea. That and having good bioturbation. Otherwise it builds and honestly, I just think it looks really unsightly. Eventually I guess all the nutrients will be leeched out and it'll be just dust but it'll still take a while to decay and look bad while it's doing that. It's always just a good idea to remove all decaying matter from the tank when possible.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Timfish · 04/18/2017, 10:33 PM

Only when I move a system. It's been 11 years since I moved this system here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...ht=skimmerless

And here's research showing "detritus" is an important component of the carbonate loop on reefs: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/10/3865

jda · 04/19/2017, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nashorn

At what point does it become inert ?

I am going off of memory, but RHF used to post that there is not very much phosphate in it... most of that is in the urine. Within a few days or a week, the nitrate is all out of it.

...so after a few days or week, it won't contribute to nitrate anymore, but it will clog up your rocks and sand (if you have it) and won't allow the microfauna to do their job effectively.

I use a large low-flow sump that allows most of it in the water to settle. This is easy to siphon or vacuum out. I also will vac my sand in small sections every once in a while where I try and get to all of it in a year or two - the corners are especially nasty.

I like to think of the sandbed as a temp trap for it. I don't want to leave it in there forever, but a few months or a year will not hurt anything.

DivingTheWorld · 04/19/2017, 09:21 AM

I think if you have sand, it's not very noticeable. But if you have bare bottom like I do, it becomes more noticeable. I blow off my rocks every couple days prior to my sock changes, but only suck out detritus every two weeks with my water change, purely for aesthetics. With my high flow it collects in two small spots in my tank so it's super easy to suck out.

sirreal63 · 04/19/2017, 10:16 AM

Every 6 months or so I typically clean the sump, what is left in there is mostly inert. If you have a healthy system, full of life other than fish and corals the useable nutrients are removed from it pretty quick. There are very few places in the world where nutrients can collect without something feeding off of them.

As a test, pull some of it with a syringe, swirl it good, decant and test the water. It should be no different than what the tank water is. I have done this several times and found this to be accurate.

If someone has a tank with very little life other than fish and corals, meaning no pods, worms and bacterial life then the results may be very different. I suspect very few people have a tank like that. Life typically grows to the available nutrients. The more life in our tanks, the better.

themagicman · 04/19/2017, 10:39 AM

I would definitely get into the habit of removing detritus from your tank, one way or the other. It doesn't have to be done every single week, but developing a routine and sticking with it will definitely pay off in the long run IMO. Just as an example, if you have any sand in your tank you might want to stir it up or vacuum it once every month or so and see how the tank responds. (right before a water change) Make sure to clean any mechanical filters you might have on a regular basis too. Keeping a happy healthy reef tank for years on end doesn't have to be so difficult just as long as your willing to do a little work. Things like a refugium, algae turf scrubber, protein skimmer etc can all be avoided with a little common since and some elbow grease.

ktownhero · 04/19/2017, 10:52 AM

I don't go out of my way to do it and I don't do it at all, ever, in the display tank -- only the sump occasionally.

I'm a big proponent of "balanced" tanks that use heavy biological filtration -- sump packed full of live rock and chaeto and light to medium load of fish and corals.

04/18/2017, 08:39 PM	#1
nashorn Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1,693	Do you remove Detritus ? I have a friend that is obsessed about removing detritus. I have never and wondering what happens if I don't ?

04/18/2017, 10:19 PM	#4
reret10 Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Riverside, California Posts: 421	Do you remove Detritus ? I mean siphoning It out is generally a really good idea. That and having good bioturbation. Otherwise it builds and honestly, I just think it looks really unsightly. Eventually I guess all the nutrients will be leeched out and it'll be just dust but it'll still take a while to decay and look bad while it's doing that. It's always just a good idea to remove all decaying matter from the tank when possible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ Some people take things with a grain of salt, others take it with a half a cup per gallon.

04/18/2017, 10:33 PM	#5
Timfish Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,985	Only when I move a system. It's been 11 years since I moved this system here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...ht=skimmerless And here's research showing "detritus" is an important component of the carbonate loop on reefs: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/10/3865 __________________ "Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek

04/19/2017, 09:21 AM	#7
DivingTheWorld Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: San Ramon, CA Posts: 1,963	I think if you have sand, it's not very noticeable. But if you have bare bottom like I do, it becomes more noticeable. I blow off my rocks every couple days prior to my sock changes, but only suck out detritus every two weeks with my water change, purely for aesthetics. With my high flow it collects in two small spots in my tank so it's super easy to suck out. __________________ Current Tank Info: LeeMar Rimless (40x24x22), ATI 8x39 Dimmable w/Reefbrite XHO, 2x Vortech MP40w QD w/ Battery Backup, Apex Gold, Trigger Systems Ruby30S, Reef Octopus POV-DC1 w/Auto Waste Collector

04/19/2017, 10:16 AM	#8
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	Every 6 months or so I typically clean the sump, what is left in there is mostly inert. If you have a healthy system, full of life other than fish and corals the useable nutrients are removed from it pretty quick. There are very few places in the world where nutrients can collect without something feeding off of them. As a test, pull some of it with a syringe, swirl it good, decant and test the water. It should be no different than what the tank water is. I have done this several times and found this to be accurate. If someone has a tank with very little life other than fish and corals, meaning no pods, worms and bacterial life then the results may be very different. I suspect very few people have a tank like that. Life typically grows to the available nutrients. The more life in our tanks, the better. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

04/18/2017, 09:37 PM	#2
mpderksen Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Manteca, CA Posts: 1,853	Decays and results in higher Nitrates. If your biological filter is robust, you can get away with some limited detritus. It also matters if you are fish only (most tolerant), LPS, or SPS (least tolerant). Can't think of a reason NOT to aggressively remove it, other than the tine it takes.

04/19/2017, 10:39 AM	#9
themagicman Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: California Posts: 126	I would definitely get into the habit of removing detritus from your tank, one way or the other. It doesn't have to be done every single week, but developing a routine and sticking with it will definitely pay off in the long run IMO. Just as an example, if you have any sand in your tank you might want to stir it up or vacuum it once every month or so and see how the tank responds. (right before a water change) Make sure to clean any mechanical filters you might have on a regular basis too. Keeping a happy healthy reef tank for years on end doesn't have to be so difficult just as long as your willing to do a little work. Things like a refugium, algae turf scrubber, protein skimmer etc can all be avoided with a little common since and some elbow grease. __________________ "Abracadabra Holmes."

04/19/2017, 10:52 AM	#10
ktownhero Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,426	I don't go out of my way to do it and I don't do it at all, ever, in the display tank -- only the sump occasionally. I'm a big proponent of "balanced" tanks that use heavy biological filtration -- sump packed full of live rock and chaeto and light to medium load of fish and corals.