Live rock back of tank?
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Topic: Live rock back of tank?
Posted By: Zack801
Subject: Live rock back of tank?
Date Posted: January 14 2017 at 6:21am
| I bought a nuvo fusion 30, I had quite a bit of lr in my previous tank and realized a bit too much for this one. I added what I needed to the display and threw the rest in the back of the tank where the pump and media racks are. My question is, there isn't much flow and only some light. Am I going to have any issues with die off? The rock has been there for a couple of weeks now and everything seems fine but I'd like some suggestions or thoughts on this. |
Replies:
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: January 14 2017 at 7:21am
|
The bacteria that lives in/on the rock doesnt require much light, BUT the very little water flow could be an issue. I had a bunch of rubble rock in the middle chamber of my Biocube and also didnt have much flow. The entire bottom of the chamber trapped all sorts of detritus and nasty gunk. I ended up pulling it all out in favor of a media rack. |
Posted By: Zack801
Date Posted: January 14 2017 at 7:33am
| I considered add a powerhead back there but the extra one I have would probably be overkill. Honestly my main concern is that there will be an ammonia spike or something from die off. Though if it's been over 2 weeks I think maybe I'd have seen something by now? |
Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: January 14 2017 at 2:48pm
|
I honestly dont think the ammount of live rock that would fit back there would generate much ammonia from any die off. But the power head could be helpful, although a very small one would be best. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: January 14 2017 at 9:34pm
|
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/" rel="nofollow - 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
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