Fish waste in dead spots.

[JasonChason]

Hi all,

New to the discus family and the forum.

Just wanted to find out more about the waste my discus produce. As I have a sand substrate with some driftwood and rocks, I know for a fact that some of the fish waste will be stuck under all these deco.
So my question is will the waste dissolve overtime and convert to nitrate?
I'm worried that as the waste in these dead spots are not being sucked into the filter, it's not getting the proper cycling treatment. If left untreated, could it cause ammonia, nitrite or nitrate spikes?

My current water parameters are 0/0/10.

Thanks,
Jason

[Clawhammer]

Waste should be removed by siphon, it should never be allowed to decompose in a discus tank, be it in the substrate or in the filter. I would suggest a sponge prefilter, which should get washed daily, along with the daily siphoning of waste from the bottom of the tank. I actually try to arrange my outlets in a way that the waste all collects in one spot, to make removal easier.

[Ryan925]

Hi and welcome. How often are you doing wc and siphoning tank bottom? Leftover food and feces can effect water quality if left for too long. With the required amount of wc and tank maintenance it should not be an issue.

This is also why bb tanks are often recommended to keep things clean.

I ended up removing all of my rock for this reason. I now just had a couple pieces of wood with limited contact area with substrate to prevent debris from getting trapped.

[Phillydubs]

Jason,

Welcome and great question, a loaded one, but a good one.

What most will tell you for starters is that, if you are doing the proper upkeep and water changes at least a few times a week, this really will not be an issue. Discus desire and require the best water conditions. By doing vacuums often and really getting around the decor, moving it, lifting it, this build up can't just hang out and create a nasty problem.

Yes, this waste will sit, decay and become toxins for the aquarium that you don't want for a healthy system. What some folks do who have planted or densely decorated set ups, they position a power head or some form of water flow towards their filters so that this waste is being pushed towards the filter direction and with that make sure you are doing good filter maintenance or cleaning pre-filters and socks or whatever you use so they don't build up.

I, myself, have a tank with some driftwood as well as rocks. I will tell you, they are a PITA! So much so, I pretty much contemplate each WC to remove them, yet I love the look so I deal...

Bottom line is you want to stay on top of this and not let it really build up. Also, you want to manage your feedings and really get a grip on what they will eat and make sure most of it is consumed. Some folks even have a designated feeding area thats more open and they force the fish to consume the bulk of their food in that section, again easier said than done.

[jim LI]

hi Jason, i have sand substrate also.. i had a large piece of driftwood, which has been replaced by a resin decor and a breeder cone in my tank,, i do w/cs every day and do a light siphoning to get the waste off the top of the sand and do a deep siphon into the sand once a week to break up any gas pockets. i move the decor every time, to leave no waste.

Jim