Husbandry

[gerajn01]

So... What do you all use to clean the detritus off of your rock/aquascaping? I feel like by the time I am done blowing off my rocks with my turkey baster, my entire tank looks like a swamp. Then when I do my water change I can only get out 10-20% of the mess I just made. Very frustrating. TIA
Jordn G

 

[Doctorgori]

I’m loving that Marineland polishing filter. Basically they married a Maxijet with the Marineland pleated cartridge…. I blast my rocks off with it then run it in the overflow to suck out all the loose particulates…

1 filter cleans up and polishes a 150g in less than 1hr

 

[anthonygf]

I use the same filter, works great. Petco has a sale on the cartridges for as low as $6 with subscription or $9 without.

 

[Timfish]

I use stainless steel straws to remove anything that collects where's it's visible when I do water changes. WHere it's not visible I'll leave it even if I can reach it as it's likely helping with the carbonates.

Fish as major carbonate mud producers and missing components of the tropical carbonate factory

Carbonate mud is a major constituent of recent marine carbonate sediments and of ancient limestones, which contain unique records of changes in ocean chemistry and climate shifts in the geological past. However, the origin of carbonate mud is controversial and often problematic to resolve. Here...

www.pnas.org

 

[Danroo]

So... What do you all use to clean the detritus off of your rock/aquascaping? I feel like by the time I am done blowing off my rocks with my turkey baster, my entire tank looks like a swamp. Then when I do my water change I can only get out 10-20% of the mess I just made. Very frustrating. TIA
Jordn G

Its food for my hermit crabs. Don’t really touch it. I remember when I bought a lot of snail by mistake and the end of the day my whole sand bed was filled with poop. The next day it magically disappeared.

 

[anthonygf]

I use stainless steel straws to remove anything that collects where's it's visible when I do water changes. WHere it's not visible I'll leave it even if I can reach it as it's likely helping with the carbonates.

Fish as major carbonate mud producers and missing components of the tropical carbonate factory

Carbonate mud is a major constituent of recent marine carbonate sediments and of ancient limestones, which contain unique records of changes in ocean chemistry and climate shifts in the geological past. However, the origin of carbonate mud is controversial and often problematic to resolve. Here...

www.pnas.org

Thanks for this idea. I have been using this method for a few weeks now since I first seen your video of this in action. i have been spreading this idea when I can but forgot who inspired me so could not give you credit for this, will try to remember next time. I bet this is very useful for aiptasia also.

 

[ninjamyst]

That's what your mechanical filtration is for...blast all the detritus off rock while pumps are running

 

[Gtinnel]

I don't clean detritus off of my rocks. When my tank was new I would do the same as you and blow it off and then suck it up while doing a water change. Now that my tank is a little older, and I've setup an AWC I no longer worry about it, and honestly I can't tell a difference. I have a pretty decent collection of mulm in my fuge that I keep saying I'll clean out some day, so maybe that is where all of my detritus ends up collecting at in my tank.

I struggle with no/low nitrates so that is one reason I'm ot real diligent on removing detritus.

 

[Timfish]

Thanks for this idea. I have been using this method for a few weeks now since I first seen your video of this in action. i have been spreading this idea when I can but forgot who inspired me so could not give you credit for this, will try to remember next time. I bet this is very useful for aiptasia also.

Thank you! But I can't take credit for it, or at least I know others have figured it out for themselves. Last year I was talking with one of my competitors (John Yule) and he started using a ~3/8" diameter rigid Ehiem about the same time I did back in the 90's.

 

[anthonygf]

Thank you! But I can't take credit for it, or at least I know others have figured it out for themselves. Last year I was talking with one of my competitors (John Yule) and he started using a ~3/8" diameter rigid Ehiem about the same time I did back in the 90's.

Well I did get the idea from you and thank you for that. I'm surprised I didn't think of this myself, retired bus mechanic of 20 years, auto mechanic for 25 years before this. Used to be able to dream up ideas like this, but since I retired 2 years ago my mind is getting a little lazy in that department. Take care.

 

[anthonygf]

I don't clean detritus off of my rocks. When my tank was new I would do the same as you and blow it off and then suck it up while doing a water change. Now that my tank is a little older, and I've setup an AWC I no longer worry about it, and honestly I can't tell a difference. I have a pretty decent collection of mulm in my fuge that I keep saying I'll clean out some day, so maybe that is where all of my detritus ends up collecting at in my tank.

I struggle with no/low nitrates so that is one reason I'm ot real diligent on removing detritus.

Mulm in the sump is ok. But on live rock it might clog up the pores and kill the bacteria, sounds logical. What do you think?

 

[Kyle_bania]

So... What do you all use to clean the detritus off of your rock/aquascaping? I feel like by the time I am done blowing off my rocks with my turkey baster, my entire tank looks like a swamp. Then when I do my water change I can only get out 10-20% of the mess I just made. Very frustrating. TIA
Jordn G

If it’s a visible surface there’s enough water current to not let anything settle. Of its in the hole of a rock it stays they’re there till I turkey baste it out and into the filter sock or sediment filters it goes

 

[Doctorgori]

Mulm in the sump is ok. But on live rock it might clog up the pores and kill the bacteria, sounds logical. What do you think?

certain types of algae grows in detritus pockets. The usual stuff you see is that dark green fluffy feather leaf stuff… gotta blast out dem dirty pockets

 

[anthonygf]

certain types of algae grows in detritus pockets. The usual stuff you see is that dark green fluffy feather leaf stuff… gotta blast out dem dirty pockets

Been blasting out my rocks several times a day for a couple of months since cyano and GHA started getting out of control, rocks are looking so much better with nice color and coraline starting to grow again. I notice most corals like the stimulating soft blast of water, they seem to multiply quicker.

 

[gerajn01]

Been blasting out my rocks several times a day for a couple of months since cyano and GHA started getting out of control, rocks are looking so much better with nice color and coraline starting to grow again. I notice most corals like the stimulating soft blast of water, they seem to multiply quicker.

What do you use to blast the rocks?

 

[anthonygf]

What do you use to blast the rocks?

For small areas I use a large turkey baster type coral feeding tool, if I need to do all my rocks I will use a cordless Oral tooth/gum flosser (waterpik) with a brush on the tip. I have arthritis in my hands and the flosser is so easy, only takes a few minutes and 75 gallon tank is done. Sometimes I will use an internal polishing filter to help clear the water quick, like the Marineland Magnum Polishing Filter.