No prefiltration no problem.

[atoll]

Been years since I decided not to use prefiltration of any kind that is unless you call a skimmer some sort of prefiltration which technically I guess it is. Anyway, that not why you called by. So in other words I have no filter wool, no socks, no roller mat, nothing. I have a sump, the accompanying photograph I recently took looking at the front glass of it.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Nice. It is a good idea to siphon detritus out of the sump once in a while when you don’t run mechanical filtration. Im also a “no sock” enthusiast. Not only are they a pain, but they filter out lots of pods and stuff That’s beneficial.

 

[atoll]

Nice. It is a good idea to siphon detritus out of the sump once in a while when you don’t run mechanical filtration. Im also a “no sock” enthusiast. Not only are they a pain, but they filter out lots of pods and stuff That’s beneficial.

I don't bother siphoning my sump. Why do you think it's such a good idea?

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

I don't bother siphoning my sump. Why do you think it's such a good idea?

Detritus breaks Down over time turning into different pollutants. Some of which we don’t have test kits for. Basically, it will result in better water quality overall.

 

[atoll]

Detritus breaks Down over time turning into different pollutants. Some of which we don’t have test kits for. Basically, it will result in better water quality overall.

Not sure thats 100% correct. Detritus soon become inert. I have not read anything about detritus breaking down into anything that poses a threat after a week or two of forming.

Holmes Farley has a post saying he had several inches of detritus in his sump without causing an issue. I have not removed detritus in any of my tanks either.

BTW there are lots of things in our tank water we don't test for that isnt directly related to detritus. Even the likes of a triton test only test those that are more easily tested for. Doesn't mean they are the only things that could potentially cause issues.

 

[Billdogg]

No mechanical filtration for me either. I, too, siphon the accumulated detritus out of the sump, about yearly or if I get an unexpected algae bloom.

 

[Timfish]

I stopped using filter socks or sponge material a couple decades ago. The detritus is arguable beneficial and perhaps essential to a reef ecosystem. The sugars that are produced in reef systems that promote pathogenic shifts in coral microbiomes are what I worry about.

Research for detritus

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

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279061640_2013_deGoeij_Science_Sponge_loop


Sugars cause bleaching and microbiome shifts

Macroalgal extracts induce bacterial assemblage shifts and sublethal tissue stress in Caribbean corals - PubMed

Benthic macroalgae can be abundant on present-day coral reefs, especially where rates of herbivory are low and/or dissolved nutrients are high. This study investigated the impact of macroalgal extracts on both coral-associated bacterial assemblages and sublethal stress response of corals. Crude...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Error - Cookies Turned Off

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Coral and macroalgal exudates vary in neutral sugar composition and differentially enrich reef bacterioplankton lineages - PubMed

Increasing algal cover on tropical reefs worldwide may be maintained through feedbacks whereby algae outcompete coral by altering microbial activity. We hypothesized that algae and coral release compositionally distinct exudates that differentially alter bacterioplankton growth and community...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Excess labile carbon promotes the expression of virulence factors in coral reef bacterioplankton - The ISME Journal

Coastal pollution and algal cover are increasing on many coral reefs, resulting in higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. High DOC concentrations strongly affect microbial activity in reef waters and select for copiotrophic, often potentially virulent microbial populations. High...

www.nature.com

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Not sure thats 100% correct. Detritus soon become inert. I have not read anything about detritus breaking down into anything that poses a threat after a week or two of forming.

Holmes Farley has a post saying he had several inches of detritus in his sump without causing an issue. I have not removed detritus in any of my tanks either.

BTW there are lots of things in our tank water we don't test for that isnt directly related to detritus. Even the likes of a triton test only test those that are more easily tested for. Doesn't mean they are the only things that could potentially cause issues.

Sprung on Detritus

Maybe it’s up for debate and we get different answers depending on who’s being asked. I will continue to remove it from my system and it seems logical to do so.

 

[atoll]

Sprung on Detritus

Maybe it’s up for debate and we get different answers depending on who’s being asked. I will continue to remove it from my system and it seems logical to do so.

BRS did do some testing of detritus and its breakdown. They concluded that it mostly breaks down in the first 24hrs then with each passing day it breaks down less. Or something like that it's on their YouTube channel.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

BRS did do some testing of detritus and its breakdown. They concluded that it mostly breaks down in the first 24hrs then with each passing day it breaks down less. Or something like that it's on their YouTube channel.

That’s nice. BRS has done more damage to this hobby than anything else i can think of. i don’t consider them a source of information. i follow the hobby pioneers who don’t have a vested interest in getting youtube likes and subs.

 

[atoll]

That’s nice. BRS has done more damage to this hobby than anything else i can think of. i don’t consider them a source of information. i follow the hobby pioneers who don’t have a vested interest in getting youtube likes and subs.

Well people will believe what they will along with the must haves like prefiltration. I guess theres little money to be made of not using any prefiltration. Been in this hobby 40 years and proved many of the experts of the day wrong. I guess that makes me a pioneer
Wonder if there is any more to be made selling detritus

 

[Timfish]

. . . Wonder if there is any more to be made selling detritus

As I undersand the formation of mud depostis on reefs being in part composted fish poop I think the sellers of mud products have beaten you to it.

 

[atoll]

As I undersand the formation of mud depostis on reefs being in part composted fish poop I think the sellers of mud products have beaten you to it.

Drat! I knew I should have got in there first 40 years ago and even sold it as coral food but nobody would believe me

 

[Timfish]

Drat! I knew I should have got in there first 40 years ago and even sold it as coral food but nobody would believe me

The trials and tribulations of being before your time!

Just think were reefers would be if PaulB on bacteria, Lee Chin Eng on corals are filters and you on fish poop had been listened to all those years ago!

 

[Spieg]

Been years since I decided not to use prefiltration of any kind that is unless you call a skimmer some sort of prefiltration which technically I guess it is. Anyway, that not why you called by. So in other words I have no filter wool, no socks, no roller mat, nothing. I have a sump, the accompanying photograph I recently took looking at the front glass of it.

Good for you!

 

[atoll]

The trials and tribulations of being before your time!

Just think were reefers would be if PaulB on bacteria, Lee Chin Eng on corals are filters and you on fish poop had been listened to all those years ago!

Oh I have many more claims to fame than mere fish poop lol.

 

[Paul B]

I also have no filters of any kind. Oh yeah, I do run a reverse undergravel filter.

 

[hart24601]

I also have no filters of any kind. Oh yeah, I do run a reverse undergravel filter.

Don't you also do a 'hurricane' a couple times a year with a diatom filter that blasts and filters out detritus?

 

[Paul B]

Yes, but it's a typhoon.

 

[Timfish]

Yes, but it's a typhoon.

Good to hear someone else uses diatom fitlers! I've often wondered why they've fallen out of favor but I've found them very helpful at times.