Witfull said:
is i t just me,,,or does the rock seem to shed diterus more? ive had my 210 up 6 months now,,,i know all this gunk isnt coming from my feedings and such...or does the sand hide that much?
The rock doesn't shed more detritus simply because you don't have a substrate in the tank, it sheds the same amount in a tank with a sandy bottom but for some reason, people have this mentallity that you don't need to clean the substrate. It's the misconception of the "set it and forget it" mentality that came about with the DSB that I feel is the major source of the problem.
The major difference that a bare
bottom tank allows is the ability to put higher current levels across the bottom of the tank and blow the mulm forward so you can see it easier.
I think the biggest mistake I made in my tank was to go with a very fine and therefore really light substrate like South Down. A heavier aragonite or even finely crushed coral thats 1/4" to 1/2" deep (basically enough to cover the botton and give my goby something to sift through) would allow for beter water flow coupled with
GOOD REGULAR VACUUMING of the tank would be just as effective as a bare bottom aquarium.