whats going to happen if i have great flow and only change water not vaccume the substrate? is it good for the plants bad for the fish? bad for the plants bad for the fish? or good for both? i have brown pea gravel as substrate so it dosent look bad at all with no vaccuming. i have been trying this for about 2 months now and no problems yet. do yall see any problems in the future? i am also taking my plant trimmings and letting them dry out and then grinding them up and placing them back in the tank.
NO substrate vacuming!!!!
- Thread starter iamvictor2k
- Start date
i figure it will compost. good for the plants i would assume. and i just dont like to vaccume.
I know vaccuming is a PITA but if you don't vaccum, there's gonna be too much in your substrate that if you somehow disturb the gravel, it will go in the water column. At least vaccum the parts where there are no plants.
Yeah, but that's more vaccuming later on.
tanker
Josh Holloway--Be mine!!!
Yea, I did this with my planted tank with sand. I'd say make sure there is a ton of plants to suck everything up. I had readings at 0, with or without water changes.
And for drying and adding the plants back, your right that you would be returning nutrition back into the tank. I would just watch the fish and readings and if they don't go down hill, why stop.
And for drying and adding the plants back, your right that you would be returning nutrition back into the tank. I would just watch the fish and readings and if they don't go down hill, why stop.
If you're able to get around the plants, from time to time a good vac is good. The time when this would really be beneficial is for shrimps (not sure on other inverts). The TDS will get increasingly high which in turn would not be so good for them. I'm sure others can advise better than I.
I don't think it will have any ill effects on plants for fish. Plants might actually like it.
I don't think it will have any ill effects on plants for fish. Plants might actually like it.
i used to suck the gravel alot ,, half the tank one month the other have the next month,, didnt work out to well,, now i have a half sand half pebble tank,, i suck the top of the sand and every once in while i vaccum the gravel.. but only the open areas,, and not close to any plants.. works great for me,, no spikes at all.. i had spikes when i did too much vaccuming though... you will get planaria if you dont vaccum at all though which isnt nessesarily bad,, live food for your fish and you didnt have to pay for it... lol.........
um a spike of what exactly? and no i just thunk it up on my lonesome. i mean call me crazy but that stuff is in lakes and rivers and the fish still thrive. i understand that it isnt the exact same thing but i cant see it hurting. any one have any viable information? not just opinions please. any one else do this? i kinda like the planarea or how ever else you spell it. my fish ate it up last time i had it.