Detritis removal with live sand

[domsbuddy]

I plan to take out all of my live rock, about 300 lb and vacume several years of accummulated detritis with the hope of it helping to lower nitates. I have 3 inches of live sand that is about 8 years old. How careful do I need to be about not disturbing it. Or should I disturb it?

 

[natclanwy]

I wouldn't disturb it or vacuum it, Dietrus doesn't stay around for eight years it actually probably only lasts a few days at best before it begins to break down into ammonia and nitrite. I would concentrate on making sure you have an adequate cleanup crew, check your feeding habits and make sure you are not overfeeding, and try to identify the source of nitrates. Possible sources are overfeeding, overstocking, using tap water with nitrates in it. Also if you are getting accumulated dietrus on the sand you need to increase the flow in your tank to keep it from settling to the bottom and accumulating.

 

[geoj]

I would remove every body out of the tank (rock, cuc, fish). Remove as much water as you can and save to put back after you do the clean up. Then siphon the sand till no more muck comes out for my 50 gal this may take 15 gals of siphoning with my set-up. Then add water back with every body else and some new salt mix to bring it back to full tank.

 

[salty gal]

Ok ... I admit it ... I'm not new to the hobby, but new to the forum and now realize I really don't know to much!!!
Is "Detritis" the dust looking stuff all over everything?

 

[geoj]

A little grayish in color then that would be it.

 

[domsbuddy]

GEOJ - thanks for the reply. I like the idea of vacuming the bleep out of the sand. I only have a few tangs, Can they handle the disturbance if I have to leave them in the tank. No where to put them. I have about 70 gallons of replacement water ready to go so I think I can get a lot of muck out and put the rock back in with a relatively quick turn around time - long evening.
I've read that disturbing the sand bed can cause problems. But maybe if you vacume the heck out of it and do a big water change it will be ok. Is that what you think?
Natclanwy - thank you also. I ordered a few korolla pumps to increase flow and plan to decrease feeding.

 

[stanlalee]

you will simply have to siphon out the top thin layer of sand and discard it. not that uncommon practice. doesn't cause any ill effects. I do it when need be.

 

[domsbuddy]

Thanks for all the help. In the end I moved all the rock on the right side to the left side and sucked up and out a bunch of junk. Then I moved the rock from the left to the right and did the same. Then I took all of the rock out and sucked up all the stuff on the bottom. Got alot of ugly looking stuff out.
It didn't take long before I was feeling like the rock was out of the tank too long, the fish were stressin out, crabs were getting pummeled by rock and I was wondering if I had enough replacement water to get things working again. I basically felt like Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 trying to line up the lem with earth - if haven't seen the movie - it's a classic.
But all the inhabitants seem to have survived so we'll see how it goes from here. Thanks again.