That's a good question.
It depends on the size of the LR pieces and the rate of flow. Rubble rock in marble sized pieces would require higher flow than larger pieces where water can flow around the rocks. In either case the ratio of types of animals on the LR will change when light is no longer as bright. Some will die but others will proliferate. To get more of the answer to your question, read on...
The Benthic Zone? Many important marine animals live under rocks where the flow is next to zero or between rocks where flow is much slower than in midwater. These are the areas where detritus falls out of the main water flow. These Benthic animals still include bacteria, bugs, and worms, some the same as in the display tank, but also include some that are completely different. These are animals such as Sponge, Tunicate, and Bryozoan. I believe that all of these animals (and hopefully more) were on the lively LR you got from me. Here is a great article that describes the benthic environment better than I can:
http://www.fisheries.is/ecosystem/marine-life/benthic-animals/
There's more.
Yes, detritus does collect in areas of slow flow, but when we consider that this environment, which typically has low or no light, is the ideal environment for many of these Benthic animals, we can cease worrying about detritus. To a certain extent, "nasty gunk" is a good thing. Also, as in the ocean, an occasional storm should stir things up and redistribute the detritus. One of the best benefits of a storm is that everything that it stirs up serves as food for one or more of the animal species in the tank. For example, coral love eating some of the stuff that makes up detritus. A turkey baster or large syringe makes a great localized storm.
Aloha,
Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - January 14 2017 at 9:37pm
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