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Ongoing Detritus Issue

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  splattered 
#1 ·
Hello TPT!

I've been having an issue with detritus building up in my 50 gallon tank. Its been established for about 4 months now and I've been fighting detritus the entire time.
Its pretty heavily planted (10 giant hygro, 20 rotala indica, 12 crypt lucens, 12 crypt parva, and ~4 large java ferns).
I have an Aquaclear 70 running with a 50gph powerhead. I've been nursing a common pleco (will be rehomed when healthy) and he produces so much waste I feel the need to gravel vac almost 3 times a week. However, I think most of the detritus is plant waste.

My question is:

Should I be concerned about this buildup? If it is an issue I should address, how do you veteran planted-tankers remove detritus without disturbing all your plants and decorations?
 
#2 ·
My routine once a week..... I do a water change,clean glass,trim off dead/dying/damaged plant leaves,vacuum the top of the substrate and deep vacuum where I haven't put root tabs in , do filter maintenance . This takes care of my tanks , but I only keep small fish . I have had Plecos in the past and they are big eaters and big poopers , so if you want to keep them you may have to clean the substrate more often .
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the info! That sounds pretty similar to what I do so that's good to know. I'm still curious though, Do you vacuum the gravel between/under the plants? My Rotala and crypt lucens are so dense I find this hard to do. :confused:

I had a leopard sailfin pleco until it got to 13" (they max out at 18") before re-homing. I was doing water changes 3x a week and unclogging the monster size eheim xl3 canister filter just as often! They are real poop monsters! There's no getting ahead of the mountain of poop they make. It'd be better to not have them in a planted tank-they will eat your plants- best option is bare bottom (no substrate) with driftwood/hides. Easier to clean, less stuff for them to destroy/eat.
All great stuff to know about Plecos!
Well it looks like my plec. is the root of the problem... And obviously I need to clean my filter more while I keep him lol. I've never seen anything more shocking than those huge chunks of detritus that flew into my tank :hihi:
 
#3 ·
I had a leopard sailfin pleco until it got to 13" (they max out at 18") before re-homing. I was doing water changes 3x a week and unclogging the monster size eheim xl3 canister filter just as often! They are real poop monsters! There's no getting ahead of the mountain of poop they make. It'd be better to not have them in a planted tank-they will eat your plants- best option is bare bottom (no substrate) with driftwood/hides. Easier to clean, less stuff for them to destroy/eat.
 
#7 ·
Tank cleaning advice looks good... but it may also be the food you're feeding. Many fish foods are made with fish meal and copious amounts of grain/grain starch as binder/filler. Fish can't process grains so it just passes through as excess waste. Try Omega One, New Life Spectrum, or Almost Natural as they seem to be leaders in less grain.
 
#10 ·
I do this on a smaller scale in some of my nanos (shrimp tanks) with a tiny plastic pipet instead of turkey baster. Makes it easier to not suck up shrimplets. The method also works well on sand substrates.
 
#11 ·
How much manual cleaning do you really wanna do? I try to keep my hands outta there as much as possible. With proper flow and drainage all this can be avoided. Don't be afraid to cut glass. It's easier than you think. I also tend to only cut holes in tanks i get for free anyway so it's not a loss if something goes wrong. Keep an eye out on trash day in a nice suburb you'll be surprised what you find. As long as all the floaty bits can find their way to the overflow the tank should sparkle. I use poly fibre before it returns to the tank and it really is crystal clear. A canister can be utilized in this way as well. Try keeping detritivores in the sump and you never have to feed them. Overfeeding is the main thing I feel contributes to mulm/detritis and I tend to underfeed. Having said that I don't think detritis is bad but just unsightly. There's lots of good stuff going on in all that ugly mess. I don't use heaters either and my fish don't get all crazy big but they live a long time. I have more time to find new/better homes for them. Powerheads are an option but i feel like it's putting a blender in the tank so I don't use them. Just get a good strong pump and use flexible tubing for the return for maximum pressure. Riverine species love it and you can see some great natural behavior.
More flow.
 
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