Question about keeping under tank decor clean

[Scrappy71113]

I have a 100 gallon bare bottom tank with two Oscars, a bumblebee cichlid, and a featherfin catfish (for those that follow and remember my posts, there used to be more cichlids, but the friend who gave me the cichlids came to get them back and left me with just the bumblebee. No I'm not upset. They were his babies and he didn't want to get rid of them). Well, I have some dragon stone in the tank for the bumblebee and the featherfin to hide in. The issue I'm currently coming across (and have been for a while) is that poop and food crumbs collect under the rocks. I have a fluval fx6 on this tank, as well as 2 wave makers, and 2 large bubble stones. I'm not sure, aside from just pulling the rocks out, how to keep the underside clean.

I see a lot of tanks online where people set up rock piles and never touch them.
Is there a way to help keep under these rocks clean without having to pull everything out of the tank? Or is it perfectly normal and expected to have to pull EVERYTHING out of the tank to clean up the poop?

 

[Tyler Fish]

Try to get lots of shrimp. Probably ghost shrimp there very cheap and they breed a lot. Your cichlids will make sure they don't overpopulate.

 

[Scrappy71113]

Try to get lots of shrimp. Probably ghost shrimp there very cheap and they breed a lot. Your cichlids will make sure they don't overpopulate.

Unfortunately I've tried shrimp. They don't make it past my Oscars. Snails are a no go as well. This tank was infested with pond snails when I got it. My Oscars took care of that issue with great joy.

 

[Tyler Fish]

Unfortunately I've tried shrimp. They don't make it past my Oscars. Snails are a no go as well. This tank was infested with pond snails when I got it. My Oscars took care of that issue with great joy.

Hhmmm...have you tried moving the rock to another place in the tank.

 

[Scrappy71113]

Hhmmm...have you tried moving the rock to another place in the tank.

I'll give that a try.

 

[jjohnwm]

You need a wavemaker or circulation pump directed strategically to flush debris out from under the stones. It'll likely take a lot of trial and error to experiment with the positioning of this pump (or pumps), but once you get it right it works beautifully. The idea is to direct all the stuff to the filter pickup/intake. Altering the arrangement of the stones may be necessary to get the perfect set-up.

If I know that a large tank will be decorated with large rock piles, I like to drill the bottom in one or two spots, and then install bulkheads with flat strainers on the inside and shut-off valves on the outside, either permanently plumbed to waste water exhaust points or at least equipped with threaded nozzles that allow the attachment of simple garden hoses to carry away waste water. I hardly ever use them, but when you need them...they are really nice to have.

 

[Scrappy71113]

You need a wavemaker or circulation pump directed strategically to flush debris out from under the stones. It'll likely take a lot of trial and error to experiment with the positioning of this pump (or pumps), but once you get it right it works beautifully. The idea is to direct all the stuff to the filter pickup/intake. Altering the arrangement of the stones may be necessary to get the perfect set-up.

If I know that a large tank will be decorated with large rock piles, I like to drill the bottom in one or two spots, and then install bulkheads with flat strainers on the inside and shut-off valves on the outside, either permanently plumbed to waste water exhaust points or at least equipped with threaded nozzles that allow the attachment of simple garden hoses to carry away waste water. I hardly ever use them, but when you need them...they are really nice to have.

I will definitely give this a try. I still have a few more wave makers, a power head, and some small pumps I can use. Thank you

 

[Fishman Dave]

If i was worried I would do a small water change, refill using my hose to tap and flush out the crap with that, then do the full water change, but since every tank I own has piles of rocks on gravel beds it’s something i cannot worry about or do.

 

[esoxlucius]

The fact it's a bare bottom tank makes this an easy fix. As John said, strategically placed powerheads work wonders at eliminating dead spots. Some trial and error is often involved regarding positioning but once you've found that directional sweetspot you shouldn't need to worry about crud building up ever again.

It's also worth noting that once that crud is off the bottom of your tank making it look nice and clean, it is still in your system breaking down and adding to your bio load. Good husbandry regarding your mechanical filtration solves this problem too.

 

[Scrappy71113]

If i was worried I would do a small water change, refill using my hose to tap and flush out the crap with that, then do the full water change, but since every tank I own has piles of rocks on gravel beds it’s something i cannot worry about or do.

I honestly pull everything out and pile it up in a bucket before a water change, then try to put it back the way it was (usually doesn't happen lol).