Dust, Debris And Pet Hair Vs The Reef Tank

[curiousphil]

Random thought that I had yesterday while working downstairs... I looked briefly at my new tank which is sitting there empty, and I was shocked about how much dust and debris was sitting on the euro bracing. The bracing was totally dust free when I moved the tank in.

What effect does all the random junk in our air have on our reef tanks? I assume it doesn't have much of an effect but it's something to ponder. With effective surface skimming all that stuff likely gets pulled out of the display in a timely manner but does it rot and decay in our sumps if our sumps are not regularly vacuumed out? Is dust and air debris a contributer to the detritus we all see in our tanks?

This thread is just a conversation starter. It's not something I am really concerned about, just a random thought as I mentioned above.

 

[Poseidon]

I've often wondered this as well, following along!

 

[theyangman]

My display tank has a canopy over it so I can't imagine a ton of stuff gets in there, I do have a dog myself, but she doesn't shed much really. Also I do agree that if you have a proper skimmer and filtration (filter socks) most of it gets caught up and cleaned out pretty quickly. Now if you dumped your vaccum cleaner canister into your tank then we'd be talking something totally different. My sump is downstairs in the basement and is away from any high traffic areas even though it is completely exposed and I don't see any negative effects.

 

[saltyair]

i have an air purifier in the same room as my tank. i have an older house so a little dusty - but I have a standard poodle so no dog hair.

 

[scubasteve]

would prob add to the nitrate and phos for sure but like you said it gets pulled off the surface almost instantly and gets caught in sock or floss and if makes it by them then skimmer would get it