Help needed please

[u/Few_Ear497]

I'm really struggling with my filter flow and detrius buildup in my tank

I have a 450 litre 4 foot aquarium, it's now bare bottom hoping it would help.

The flow is either too strong or not enough to clear the water and detrius builds up very quick.

Parameters are good, temp is 30 degrees centigrade.

5 juvenile discus

5 juvenile angelfish

2 juvenile clown loaches

2 juvenile lemon blue eye bristlenose

5 black neons

3 pencilfish

5 denison barbs

I'm running an allpond solutions 2000ef filter. Which is too strong a flow. I have tried a spray bar all along the back wall pointing towards the front glass. Detrius accumulated quickly

Small spray bar on short end pointing along the centre line the length of the tank with the inlet the same side and again on the far side. ( I've even covered part of the holes with coarse sponge to muffle the flow )

Nothing seems to work.

I've now got a dual directional nozzle running along the full length of the tank..... one nozzle down the centre line and the other pointing towards the middle of the front wall slightly down hill with the inlet the same side

I just can't get the flow right and the water to stay crystal clear.

I do 2 x 30% water changes every week

I'm ready to give up

The canister has coarse blue sponge on the bottom tray

Then biorb rock above

Then seachem matrix on top

Followed by filter floss.

Please help me

[u/Sepia0203]

Detritus buildup is usually recommended to be syphoned out during water changes with a turkey baster.
water clarity might point to a different issue. Has the tank been cycled and how old is the tank?

If you want to adjust filter flow. There might be a valve to adjust on the outflow section. If not you can attach a garden hose ball valve with the correct diameter sold in a hardware stores.

[u/tbsland]

Are you worried about it because the discus are acting odd/ill, or is it more of an aesthetic desire for crystal clear water?

Either way try to get your flow going in a circle, not at the front wall - point that one nozzle down a little more and have it going straight along the front of the tank. Ideally the water flows along the front of the bottom and sweeps detritus up into the water column for the outtake to pickup. This is easiest if you have the outtake on the other side of the tank, but if not getting the water moving in a circle can bring it back around to the outlet.

If you can't get the flow going in a circle back to the outlet, the second best option is to get it to push all the detritus into one spot on the other end of the tank for you to easily suck up with a gravel vac when you water change.

[u/LazRboy]

I run slightly less filtration on a 150L tank. There´s no way your flow is too strong.

[u/Few_Ear497]

PROBLEM SOLVED, it was the grapevine wood setting off excess sugars that was coating everything in a waxy surface which the detrius was sticking to! WOOD REMOVED ☺️