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Shane H 
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Joined: March 09 2003
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 Topic: Cuke in sump
Posted: November 24 2003 at 12:22pm |
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What are your thoughts about adding a cuke to my refugium? There is a ton of detritus that accumulates down there. Would adding a cuke destroy the whole refugium concept? I have a tiger tail in my main tank and I really like it. Keeps the sand clean. But I don't know about in the refugium ????
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crazy-sps
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Posted: November 24 2003 at 2:12pm |
Not a bad idea. Depends on what you are trying to achieve with your refugia. My goals of a refugia are:
Raising pH at night.
More bugs to feed fish and eat detritus.
DSB for filtration.
I think the bugs can get out of the way of the cuke. The cuke is not going to eat the caulerpa (I hope). Cukes only clean the top 1/4" or so of the substrate. Looks like no worries to me. Anyone else have any ideas that I missed?
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 24 2003 at 7:09pm |
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Sounds like a good idea to me too. I would be interested to see how it does over several years.
Also, detritus coming down from the main tank can be collected in a large, 50 micron bag like Cindy has on the 150 gal that she and Joe are selling.
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crazy-sps
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Posted: November 24 2003 at 7:37pm |
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I agree with Mark, filter bags will help a ton with catching detritus and other debris. I am also a big fan of gravel vacing tanks before the detritus gets out of hand. I would only vac the top 1/2" so you don't disturb the denitrifying bacteria. Then finish it of with a 10-20% water change every month. Just my recipe.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 24 2003 at 8:18pm |
Crazy-sps, How often do you vacuum how much surface? And what size tank do you have? I assume it's packed full of sps  Any pics?
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crazy-sps
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Posted: November 24 2003 at 8:22pm |
I try to whip some up. I do a monthly cleaning that involves a vac and a water change.
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ffc3
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Posted: November 24 2003 at 8:23pm |
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I used a filter bag before but it also caught a lot of pods. I tried dumping some of the pods back in but it also puts a lot of the detritus back in also so I stopped using the bags. Is there a solution for this?
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crazy-sps
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Posted: November 24 2003 at 10:34pm |
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The solution would be to clean or change the bag more frequently. I always put the pods in the main tank to feed my fish, and some particles may get back into the main tank, but they'll get taken out by the bag again. Just don't ever wash the bag with any detergent. The best thing to do would be wash it in your sink with bleach or your a garden hose and a high-pressure nozzle.
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Shane H
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Posted: November 25 2003 at 8:06am |
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I think I'll throw a cuke in my sump and see how it goes. I'm not a huge fan of the filter bags - but I have vacuumed my refugium before. It's just a pain! I'm all about low maintenance. If I can get an ugly worm to do it for me - that's the ticket. I know, I know, cukes are not worms - but you get the idea.
I havn't ever needed to vacuum the gravel in my main tank. I don't get much detritus build up due to the water movement. I do occasionally get some brown algae growth on the surface - that is quickly cleaned by the cuke.
I'll post if I have problems.
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Carl
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Posted: November 25 2003 at 12:35pm |
My $2 on this (I ain't cheap)...
de·tri·tus  ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d -tr  t s)
n. pl. detritus
- Loose fragments or grains that have been worn away from rock.
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- Disintegrated or eroded matter: the detritus of past civilizations.
- Accumulated material; debris: “Poems, engravings, press releases
 he eagerly scrutinizes the detritus of fame” (Carlin Romano)
In hoddy terms, many view anything on the top of the substrate as detritus including organic waste, etc. This would certainly be applicable to Shane's usage of the term as opposed to erosion of rock. If this is the case, why wouldn't we consider increasing the cleanup crew population? My hermits practically follow my fish around waiting for something to drop (eeeewwww).
I used to vac the substrate occassionally... OK religiously. However, if ORGANICS are the issue, and it is not due to overfeeding, would it not be of benefit to your bacterial and scavenger populous? If the desire is to stir the substrate, Mother Nature has been kind enough to make many animals that do this for us. I don't know, perhaps I view vac'ing as trying to create too sterile of an environment without creating benefit. And it's a pain.
Just a thought... whatever works!
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In Syracuse
"I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf
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jfinch
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Posted: November 25 2003 at 12:49pm |
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It's been my experience that even when vacuuming there is always an overabundance of "floatsom and Jetsam". But that may be due to my lack of a dsb...
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Diverdan
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Posted: November 25 2003 at 12:50pm |
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I agree with Carl, shouldn't all the pods and stuff eat all of the detritus? An ounce of anything organic doesn't last a minute with my clean up crew. It is happily eaten. My refugium is the same way, packed with pods and spotless. I feed fairly heavy too.
I have nothing in my refugium that would eat pods/small worms(no snails or hemits), so the population is huge. I think this is one of the keys to the refugium working properly as a filter. I am at the point that it is my only filter, no protein skimmer whatsoever.
My $.02, I guess I am cheap!
Rich
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75 Gallon Reef
15 Gallon Reef
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 25 2003 at 8:17pm |
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I understand that detritus in an aquarium is a term describing a wide range of decomposing yet growing organic matter. It could describe the morning's uneaten food or a kind of bacterial and fungal matrix surrrounding and connecting bits of old uneaten food, poop, dead organisms, exoskeletons from shrimp, grammerus, pods, etc.
Every tank has this matrix stuff in the pockets of LR and even the cleanest sand. To find it, just squirt and collect the dirty water from the back or undersides of LR or take a cup of LS. These materials can be examined with a magnifying glass or a microscope.
The critters in the rock and sand "eat and excrete" their own favorite parts of organic matter/detritus making it usable by ever smaller organisms. But in my experience, it never totally disappears.
Edited by Mark Peterson
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Carl
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Posted: November 26 2003 at 8:52am |
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Mark, That being said would you consider yourself pro vac or con vac? Just curious...
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In Syracuse
"I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 28 2003 at 10:06am |
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pro vac
Though I never have actually needed to vacuum! I constantly trade LS for new to all my hobby friends.
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