Why so much detritus?

[ZzyzxRiver]

Even if I blast my rock every single day, I get a ton of detritus coming out into the water. I know some of it is just resettling, but it seems like there’s never any reduction. I guess my coral probably likes it, but is this a problem? My nitrates are 5 and my phosphates .15 (and dropping as I’ve been doing better husbandry)

 

[KrisReef]

Live rock always seems to have a bunch of life that lives inside the crevices that rain out dirt, like termites eating the wood and crapping out tiny balls of digested funk.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

I’m dealing with nitrates that keep dropping. Would leaving the detritus in place help keep it from dropping even more?
I’m using Phosguard to manage phosphates right now, but starting to wean off. Is detritus a bigger nitrate or phosphate factory?

 

[sgdnycct]

I’ve found that if I just leave the detritus alone, over time processes that create it balance out and it becomes barely noticeable. I believe organisms start to reproduce that use the detritus.

Not scientific or anything I’ve read- purely anecdotal based on my experiences.

I suspect some of it actually gets incorporated into or other parts of the rock or maybe even the coraline. Just suspicions.

 

[CHSUB]

I’m dealing with nitrates that keep dropping

This is a strange statement. Nitrates dropping is not something you need to “deal” with….ideally with feed fish, nitrates should be undetectable with hobby testing.

 

[sgdnycct]

I’m dealing with nitrates that keep dropping

This is a strange statement. Nitrates dropping is not something you need to “deal” with….ideally with feed fish, nitrates should be undetectable with hobby testing.

Good point. I hadn’t paid enough attention but looking at OP numbers look fine. OP may be doing too good a job!

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Good point. I hadn’t paid enough attention but looking at OP numbers look fine. OP may be doing too good a job!

“Too good a job” is absolutely not a sentiment I’ve ever had in my tank, LOL. I feel like after 16 months I’ve only just reached “doing okay”!

well, I run a primarily softie tank so I’m trying to stay in 5-10 nitrates and sub .1 phosphates (for my handful of LPS’ sake).
But I can certainly blow detritus less often! I just have the last gasp of a GHA outbreak, and I’m trying to keep them from becoming detritus traps. Maybe I only blow the remaining GHA patches in between manual removal?

FTS:

 

[exnisstech]

Looking at the tank I say just keep doing what your doing. I appears to be working well.

 

[atoll]

I’ve found that if I just leave the detritus alone, over time processes that create it balance out and it becomes barely noticeable. I believe organisms start to reproduce that use the detritus.

Not scientific or anything I’ve read- purely anecdotal based on my experiences.

I suspect some of it actually gets incorporated into or other parts of the rock or maybe even the coraline. Just suspicions.

^^^ what he say^^^