Getting rid of the snowstorm

[Beckmola24]

Everytime I blow off my rocks I get a snowstorm from the debris that comes off of them. Is there any way to get rid of that?? Would more flow keep the stuff from settling in the first place??? My rocks are aquascaped pretty loosely. How do I get rid of the debris? Thanks!

 

[Curtswearing]

You have to describe your system a little for us to help you. For instance, if you have an overflow and a sump, you can buy a low micron filter sock (1, 5, 50 microns) and put it in your sump whenever you turkey baste your rocks.

You can also buy a canister filter with a micron filter and run that periodically when turkey basting if you don't have a sump.

More flow will help to a large degree but no amount of flow is going to stop all of the detritus because not all of this detritus is getting there from settling. A lot of it is actually coming out of the rock itself. Bacteria are pushing it out of the rock by bacterial turgor (pressure). It is good that you are turkey basting because the junk that the bacteria push out is nutrient-laden algae food.

Okay....with all of that said. Most of us are guilty of two things.....overfeeding and not basting often enough. More food equals more uneaten food plus more fish poo. Regularity of turkey basting also has an effect on how much snowstorms we have. We can't control the bacteria inside the live rock but we can control these two issues.

 

[NaH2O]

I agree completely. It is important for the live rock to shed the detritus - that way it won't get trapped in there and cause issues. More flow isn't necessarily the answer....I would say the "right kind of flow" would be more accurate. Directing your powerheads/outputs in a way that detritus stays in the water column will better the chance at it being removed by other means. Make turkey basting a part of your routine.

 

[Beckmola24]

I turkey baste everyday(sometimes twice a day) and it seems like I'm not getting anywhere with the snowstorms. I have a small tank and I am very particular with my fish. I actually use a toothpick to feed with. I will only put another piece of food in the tank when the previous one has been consumed. I still get a lot of detritus. My bi-color is a large producer of detritus as he eats a lot of algae during the day along with what I give him. My clarkii isn't bad at all. I have 4 nassarius, a conch, and 2 astreas in a 20 gallon fishtank (not a large bioload). I don't have a sump (no room where the tank is located) I have a CPR backpack skimmer and a Aquaclear 200 powerfilter and a MaxiJet900 powerhead. I have ok flow, but I am thinking about upping the flow by adding another powerhead (Maxi1200). Are the snowstorms bad for the fish and should I turn off the powerhead after I baste so the filters can pick up more?? Also, does the rock stop producing detritus or is this something that will be continual?? Thanks for your help. I didn't know about the rock producing detritus by itself.

 

[Ritsuko Nashida]

More of the right type flow would help keep it suspended long enough for your filter system to get more of it out of the tank.

My 135 has only 5 small fish and about 35 coral colonies and I still get a good bit considering the amount of flow I have and how skimpy I am on divying out the fish food. I blow my tank down with a power head weekly without fail. I also hook a skimmer up for a few hours and an extra filter in a effort to remove as much as possible too while I have it all stirred up. Keep all of the powerheads going as this will keep it in suspension longer! Its not bad but I hate "suprises", so I just really stay on top of it!