If Detritus is settling . . . .

falconut · 12/22/2011, 07:18 AM

If detritus is settling on my rockwork (I'm assuming that is the small whitish crap that I have to blow off my rockwork every week) does this mean that I need more flow? Or a wavemaker?

I have a 90 gallon with 120 lbs of LR. I run a Koralia 750 & Nano 425, a MD 18 on a closed loop and my return is a MD 9.5. But all these pumps are just on at all times. If I change the angle of the 750 to blow over a different spot of the LR, all this detritus blows into the water column. If I leave the 750 this way, the corals seam to hate it, oh I have SPS, LPS, Softies and Clams.

My NO3 & PO4 test at or right near 0 using a Salifert and Hanna Checker. My skimmer produces, but not a ton. I run EcoBAK pellets, but they are still going after 1-1/2 years on the original batch, haven't dissolved much. I do have some crud algae in pockets on the LR and some cyano on the sand. I can't get chaeto to grow either, but my Magroves are growing slowly.

I was thinking my skimmer wasn't working right, but maybe it's my flow. I was thinking maybe I need to add 2 more PHs and point them against the others and get a SmartWave and alternate the cycle to move the flow back and forth. Maybe my problem is the settled detritus, not the skimmer.

What do you think? I'm limited with funds and can't do both.

Palting · 12/22/2011, 07:26 AM

How are your coral doing? If they are doing fine, I wouldn't bother with anything. If you go scuba diving or snorkeling, you'll notice that the prettiest reef, the one with the most coral life, will have rocks covered in turf algae where there are no algae yet growing. Wave your hand over this and you'll get the same whitish/greyish stuff. The coral will easily displace this stuff as they grow.

How old is your tank, BTW

falconut · 12/22/2011, 08:13 AM

My tank is 7 years old and I haven't moved the LR, since I put it in there in 2004. My corals are growing, but the SPS just don't have color, they're more brownish. From what I've read, that is usually a sign of high nutrients. Oh, I've lost most of my Zoas. They get chocked out by the brownish crude algae, then as I blow the rocks off, then dislodge and disappear.

Palting · 12/22/2011, 02:06 PM

Sounds like you have more issues than just powerhead placement.

To keep SPS, you need at least 30x tank volume for flow, preferably more.

Brown SPS could mean light issues as well as nutrients and the problem may be both, but zoas getting suffocated by the brown turf algae sounds more like nutrient issues. You need to get a reliable skimmer, feed less, more frequent water changes. That would be my guess.

falconut · 12/22/2011, 08:19 PM

I was possibly looking to get a few more powerheads and run them on a controller, so the water blows back and forth and around. It currently just moves one direction, until I aim them another direction.

I've been told that it sounds like my skimmer is producing just fine. I'm wondering if the lack of flow in my DT is allowing some of the waste to settle, where it breaks down and fuels the algae. Sound like a possibility?

12/22/2011, 07:18 AM	#1
falconut Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Blackwood, NJ Posts: 3,813	If Detritus is settling . . . . If detritus is settling on my rockwork (I'm assuming that is the small whitish crap that I have to blow off my rockwork every week) does this mean that I need more flow? Or a wavemaker? I have a 90 gallon with 120 lbs of LR. I run a Koralia 750 & Nano 425, a MD 18 on a closed loop and my return is a MD 9.5. But all these pumps are just on at all times. If I change the angle of the 750 to blow over a different spot of the LR, all this detritus blows into the water column. If I leave the 750 this way, the corals seam to hate it, oh I have SPS, LPS, Softies and Clams. My NO3 & PO4 test at or right near 0 using a Salifert and Hanna Checker. My skimmer produces, but not a ton. I run EcoBAK pellets, but they are still going after 1-1/2 years on the original batch, haven't dissolved much. I do have some crud algae in pockets on the LR and some cyano on the sand. I can't get chaeto to grow either, but my Magroves are growing slowly. I was thinking my skimmer wasn't working right, but maybe it's my flow. I was thinking maybe I need to add 2 more PHs and point them against the others and get a SmartWave and alternate the cycle to move the flow back and forth. Maybe my problem is the settled detritus, not the skimmer. What do you think? I'm limited with funds and can't do both.

12/22/2011, 07:26 AM	#2
Palting Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,912	How are your coral doing? If they are doing fine, I wouldn't bother with anything. If you go scuba diving or snorkeling, you'll notice that the prettiest reef, the one with the most coral life, will have rocks covered in turf algae where there are no algae yet growing. Wave your hand over this and you'll get the same whitish/greyish stuff. The coral will easily displace this stuff as they grow. How old is your tank, BTW __________________ Anything I post is just an opinion. One of many in this hobby. Believe and follow at your own risk of rapid and complete annihilation of all life in your tank :) Current Tank Info: Incept 3/2010, 150 RR, 50g sump, 20g fuge, 150w 15K MH x3, T5 actinics x8, moonlight LED x6, 1400gph return, Koralia 1400 x4, 300 g skimmer, 4 tangs, 2 mandarins, 2 perc, 6 line, 3 cardinals, 2 firefish, SPS, LPS, zoas, palys, shrooms, clam

12/22/2011, 02:06 PM	#4
Palting Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,912	Sounds like you have more issues than just powerhead placement. To keep SPS, you need at least 30x tank volume for flow, preferably more. Brown SPS could mean light issues as well as nutrients and the problem may be both, but zoas getting suffocated by the brown turf algae sounds more like nutrient issues. You need to get a reliable skimmer, feed less, more frequent water changes. That would be my guess. __________________ Anything I post is just an opinion. One of many in this hobby. Believe and follow at your own risk of rapid and complete annihilation of all life in your tank :) Current Tank Info: Incept 3/2010, 150 RR, 50g sump, 20g fuge, 150w 15K MH x3, T5 actinics x8, moonlight LED x6, 1400gph return, Koralia 1400 x4, 300 g skimmer, 4 tangs, 2 mandarins, 2 perc, 6 line, 3 cardinals, 2 firefish, SPS, LPS, zoas, palys, shrooms, clam

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12/22/2011, 08:13 AM	#3
falconut Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Blackwood, NJ Posts: 3,813	My tank is 7 years old and I haven't moved the LR, since I put it in there in 2004. My corals are growing, but the SPS just don't have color, they're more brownish. From what I've read, that is usually a sign of high nutrients. Oh, I've lost most of my Zoas. They get chocked out by the brownish crude algae, then as I blow the rocks off, then dislodge and disappear.

12/22/2011, 08:19 PM	#5
falconut Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Blackwood, NJ Posts: 3,813	I was possibly looking to get a few more powerheads and run them on a controller, so the water blows back and forth and around. It currently just moves one direction, until I aim them another direction. I've been told that it sounds like my skimmer is producing just fine. I'm wondering if the lack of flow in my DT is allowing some of the waste to settle, where it breaks down and fuels the algae. Sound like a possibility?