Why is detritus bad?

[Nate Chalk]

I haven't found that much concern for detritus outside of nutrients. And I see a lot of ways to remove detritus.

Is there anything else long term we should consider with detritus build up.


For example. I have sand and rock In my sump and I haven't cleaned it in 2 years. I regularly dose nitrate and phosphate and sometimes bottom out.

Are there any other concerns with the build up?

#Cronies?

 

[jabberwock]

I would not say detritus is "bad". It is just part of the equation.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Detritus will eventually build up and block all the little holes and cracks in the rock. Over time it will basically remove most of the surface area on the rocks making them inefficient. I believe it’s part of the leads to ‘old tank syndrome’.

Detritus will also build up on sand and mature rocks and even on coral flesh. Detritus build up anywhere gives a space where algae will grow.

Detritus can build up on coral and smother the coral to death.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Great answers so far... Old tank syndrome is one I didn't fully consider. I've also found so far claims of pH lowering etc.

 

[sfin52]

time it will basically remove most of the surface area on the rocks making them inefficient. I believe it’s part of the leads to ‘old tank syndrome’.

May make it better at processing nitrates since bacteria in low oxgyne zones are responsible for processing nitrates.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Still puzzles me then why there's an assault on detritus.

 

[sfin52]

Still puzzles me then why there's an assault on detritus.

Unsightly can spike nutrients rotting stuff in tank could lead to bad bacteria.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Unsightly can spike nutrients rotting stuff in tank could lead to bad bacteria.

Bad bacteria?

 

[BristleWormHater]

Bad bacteria?

Hydrogen sulfide deposits can form in areas where detritus builds up. These aren't usually harmful to fish unless it's a goby (or other fish that stick around the sand). Snails will run into these and get blasted with it which usually kills them.
Edit: The hydrogen sulfide is released by anaerobic bacteria (bad bacteria) that forms in these spots.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Detritus will eventually build up and block all the little holes and cracks in the rock. Over time it will basically remove most of the surface area on the rocks making them inefficient. I believe it’s part of the leads to ‘old tank syndrome’.

I am not so sure that this is the case, albeit oft repeated. Also, efficient at what? We don’t appear to have a shortage of nitrifying bacteria in any reasonable system.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Great answers so far... Old tank syndrome is one I didn't fully consider. I've also found so far claims of pH lowering etc.

Maybe because nobody can really define it, let alone prove their definition. It has become a catch-all term to use when no other reasonable explanation for problems can be pinpointed.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Unsightly can spike nutrients rotting stuff in tank could lead to bad bacteria.

How are “bad” and “good” bacteria differentiated in this sense? Does good bacteria avoid “detritus” and things like mycobacterium marinum or vibrio thrive on it?

 

[BristleWormHater]

How are “bad” and “good” bacteria differentiated in this sense? Does good bacteria avoid “detritus” and things like mycobacterium marinum or vibrio thrive on it?

Hydrogen sulfide deposits can form in areas where detritus builds up. These aren't usually harmful to fish unless it's a goby (or other fish that stick around the sand). Snails will run into these and get blasted with it which usually kills them.
Edit: The hydrogen sulfide is released by anaerobic bacteria (bad bacteria) that forms in these spots.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Hydrogen sulfide is typically not a problem when there is reasonable flow. In a DSB or plenum system it is an expected as part (function) of the action of the DSB or plenum. That is why we avoid stirring them.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Hydrogen sulfide is typically not a problem when there is reasonable flow. In a DSB or plenum system it is an expected as part (function) of the action of the DSB or plenum. That is why we avoid stirring them.

I agree it's not a problem in the water column, but cuc members like snails could die if they run into a deposit.

 

[brandon429]

Old tank syndrome is vanquished in reefing now

the cause of old tank syndrome is compounding whole waste particles that blanket the interstitial sand grain zones and plug up the channels in live rocks- in some cases it's sheer overgrowth allowed from various invasions that plugs up the surface area on live rock combined with a thin veneer of...

www.reef2reef.com

Effects of waste accumulation in reef tanks are the before pictures

Effects of complete flushing of waste from the system are the after pics




In further pattern here are some fish kills originating solely from bed disturbance:

Sand Bed

I have a stable, successful (by my standards) tank for many years. I has a dsb which may or may not be relevant to that. Seems like all I read about DSB is anecdotal. So, I will add to it. I had to excavate a small section of my sand bed for a plumbing issue. With in 12 hours, both my tangs...

www.reef2reef.com

Cloudy water, Dead Fish

I Did a water change as well as cleaned the sand. i took the rock out and scrubbed the rock with a toothbrush to get all the hair algae off. Put everything back and did a water change. A few days later water is still cloudy and all fish are dead but one. Had 2 clown fish, 2 blue chromis and a bi...

www.reef2reef.com

what makes detritus seem inert is when we base the takeaway solely on how it presents in our tank, harmlessly (usually)

to encounter detritus in its bad form we have to get into the management of other people's reef tanks when it comes to materials handling and log a few yrs pattern. the bad forms will emerge occasionally. you don't want to be the author of that thread when a loss happens, excuses ring hollow.

when running tank transfer threads, or tank rehab threads, detritus matters most of all. with proper detritus management you can do a lot in other people's reef tanks without ever harming a single one.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I agree it's not a problem in the water column, but cuc members like snails could die if they run into a deposit.

That is not typically in issue. Again, in a tank with reasonable flow, anoxia doesn’t happen in the sandbed unless it is deep enough to be a DSB or plenum. In those cases, the sand sifting fauna occupy the upper layers of oxygenated sand.

Most bad events happen due to the aquarist moving large amounts of sand or rock, or somehow otherwise disturbing a large area of a DSB, etc.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Old tank syndrome is vanquished in reefing now

the cause of old tank syndrome is compounding whole waste particles that blanket the interstitial sand grain zones and plug up the channels in live rocks- in some cases it's sheer overgrowth allowed from various invasions that plugs up the surface area on live rock combined with a thin veneer of...

www.reef2reef.com

Effects of waste accumulation in reef tanks are the before pictures

Effects of complete flushing of waste from the system are the after pics

In further pattern here are some fish kills originating solely from bed disturbance:

Sand Bed

I have a stable, successful (by my standards) tank for many years. I has a dsb which may or may not be relevant to that. Seems like all I read about DSB is anecdotal. So, I will add to it. I had to excavate a small section of my sand bed for a plumbing issue. With in 12 hours, both my tangs...

www.reef2reef.com

Brandon, you are wandering from the point. A DSB or plenum by its very nature is meant to process organic matter. Substantially disturbing it is likely to have a rather negative impact. We don’t need linked threads to prove that. Hydrogen sulfide is not a common side effect in any system with adequate flow, even with detritus accumulation.

My 20+ year old reef has a sump full of mulm… the mostly inert leftovers of detritus.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Unsightly can spike nutrients rotting stuff in tank could lead to bad bacteria.

Any backing on this?

 

[Lavey29]

What about detritus in the sump? I have an inch of mulm build up from detritus in my refugium but I've never cleaned it once. I think it helps my fuge and tank nutrients. But it accumulated over bare bottom there. I wouldn't want a layer covering the sand in my tank because the sand is part of my filtration system.