[nigle]

Oi!

Detritus, we all have it and we are all trying to get rid of it!

If all the coral books say that many if not all corals will use detritus as 'food' and if we all
have detritus in our tanks, and the corals can't get to it because its in the sand, then we
should get the detritus out of the sand, back into 'solution' in the water column and then
the corals can utilize it, right?

The 'books' are also telling us to 'get rid of the detritus' directly by physical means.

The 'books' also tell us NOT to 'mix' up the sand when we 'clean it of detritus' because it
will get back into the water column and 'foul the water and cause a nitrate spike'.

Those three concepts:

1. corals will use detritus

2. get rid of the detritus.

3. Don't get it in the water column.

seem to me a collective oxymoron.

So what I have been doing for the past couple of days is using a pipette and blowing
some water into the top of the sand at the corners of the tank and 'mixing up' some of the
detritus, getting it back into the water column and see what happens.

The result is that every time I did it, in every tank I have, the corals,
mushrooms etc. swell up and 'look' like they are feeding, the 'mouth openings' are open
and swelled.

Could this be part of the 'fad' in reefing in the 80's where they reversed the water flow
from the under 'sand' plates to force the water through the sand to get the detritus back
into the water column?

All I can figure is that a small 'bit' of detritus in the water at a time, if the corals can utilize
it before it settles back onto the sand [rocks, whatever] then 'shouldn't' this be a good
way to get 'rid' of the detritus?

Comments?

Cheers!
nigle
!~!