Cleaning moss

[idris]

I trimmed my moss the other day for the first time (is it just me or does that sound euphemistic ) and was surprised how much crud seemed to be hidden in it.

Can this be a significant problem for ammonia / nitrate levels etc?
Also I'm thinking of getting some CRS which I hope will populate the moss. Is it better to disturb he moss and harass the shrimp to keep it clean or leave the shrimp to tidy up the detritus?

 

[hotweldfire]

Have discovered the same about my Fissidens recently - absolutely rank. I wouldn't worry too much about the shrimp, if there's too much dirt they won't be able to tackle all of it. I now use a pipette to squirt the dirt out then hoover it up.

BTW I'd check the state of the hoses on your external if you have one. Have discovered that's where most of the waste in my moss is coming from (gets puked in every time I turn the filter on and off).

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Can this be a significant problem for ammonia / nitrate levels etc?

Shouldn't be, all the mulm etc is mainly carbon and is left because it is isn't easy to degrade, all the proteins and sugars etc will have all ready been consumed. Nearly all carbon compounds are degradeable, so it may contribute very slightly to the bioload.

cheers Darrel

 

[idris]

Increase the bioload - excellent news Darrel!!!!

 

[frothhelmet]

shrimps clean the moss and keep it healthy. problem solved.