Annual tank clean

[John L]

No worries asting, I've only been reefing for 8 months. I was forced to take my rock out, so when I cleaned the sludge I found underneath it all, it got me thinking if it's a gd idea to add it to maintenance.

Gd to hear any opinions.

[seabass]

Didn't mean to be confrontational, merely saying that a thread asking about a method is likely to yield responses from those who use it.

Nah, it's a totally valid point. It is an uncommon practice, which, if done incorrectly, could cause other problems. I've mentioned in a few different threads that I've done it pretty regularly; however, I only recommend it to others when they are having problems which could be related to a saturated sand bed.

 

If someone new were reading this thread, they might believe this is a best practice and that they should be doing it. But while I think it works for me, I realize that it isn't for everyone.

[Nano sapiens]

This thread seems overwhelmingly one-sided. I think there are many successful reefs that are maintained without removing rock every few months, and I would hazard a guess that those that remove all their rock are in the minority.

 

Your point is noted as there are many ways to 'reef' that can result in success. Periodically cleaning under the rock work is just one method to help maintain healthy conditions in the aquarium.

 

My main concern is the prevention of OTS (old tank syndrome) which has been linked to accumulated waste material.. Not moving the rock work may be just fine for an extended period of time, but in these smaller tanks there is a tendency for the system to degrade more quickly than in a much larger reef system due to a typically much higher biomass to water volume ratio. Personally, I prefer to use a proactive approach and remove the crud from under my rock work slowly over about a year's time as well as weekly vacuuming of the exposed shallow substrate. Cleaning in this manner has the advantage of not disturbing the whole sand bed area all at once, so the release of noxious substances into the water column is minimal. Has served my 12g system well for 8-1/2 years.

[Clown79]

Ya, I am not one to do an annual cleaning.

 

The way I set up my tank would require me to rip it totally apart for an annual cleaning. I personally wouldn't want to risk any spikes or my livestock.

 

I think its personal preference and as well how one sets up the system and maintains it

[scruggyj]

I have had big tanks before and when I got back in the hobby decided to go with a nano.

 

I opted to keep it simple and bare bottom because I want my tank fresh and clean all the time. Once a month or when needed I will completely drain my mr aqua 12 and remove everything and clean it. I spot clean my rocks for any algea by spraying 3% peroxide also. This is a video from last month after my breakdown and cleaning.

 

Eventually I want to add some more big LPS to fill in some of the tank but this has been up and running for a year now. I just have not wanted to get my QT stuff back out so I have not added anything in a long while.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nano sapiens]

 

No issues with the corals as long as the rocks are put back in the same positions. I've been doing this for 8-1/2 years so I can assemble the rocks back into their respective positions in my sleep

 

I'll be doing my largest base rock this weekend so I'll see if I can take some pics of the process.

 

Top-down pics before today's 'under a base rock' cleaning:

 

 

 

Rearranged rock in order to vacuum under the right-most rock's area (notice sheet of acrylic on left side to protect tank glass):

 

 

 

All rocks back in their respective locations:

 

 

 

~10 months worth of detritus from just under this single base rock:

 

 

 

Elapsed time: 15-20 minutes . In ~2 months I'll start again from the left-most rock. Not one piece of rock lifted out of the tank, so little stress to the corals.

[John L]

Unfortunately I've got too much rock to lift it in situ, i put my corals in one container with tank water, rock in another.

I got a mouthful of sludge when starting the siphon and almost threw up... nasty stuff.