Bottom cleaning in a Cichlid tank

MattyJFly

MattyJFly

Grad Student @ Notre Dame
Oct 28, 2004
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www.nd.edu
So, I've got a cichlid tank (29g, currently very understocked, just a couple of Africans in there).

I'm just getting back to the tank after a bit of neglect -- have been doing water changes, scrubbing the ornaments, rocks, etc. But, there's a lot of settled junk on the bottom in the substrate (2 inches of cichlid gravel). I stir it up and try to grab a bunch of it in the water changes (manual), but there is nonetheless a bunch of it.

I do not want to get a gravel vacuum -- the wife would not be pleased with more mayhem with the fish tank. So what can I do about that junk on the bottom?

1. Any general ideas?
2. Any fish that could do the job that wouldn't get destroyed by my two Africans in there already?
 
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5 Cichlid tanks and vacuum is the only way to go. Failure to vacuum is asking for heath issues and fish loss associated with it. Once-a-week vacuuming is not a big deal and can be done as part of PWC since you can use it to drain the water anyway (i.e. python type device).
 
By the way, be really careful putting African Cichlids in a small tank unless you plan on expanding. It is common to lose some in a 55 gallon or larger tank due to territorial violence. As they grow, I'd consider upgrading to protect your investments.
 
I don't get why a gravel vac could be 'mayhem'...its just an attachment to a siphon...

Anyway, depending on your africans you could be in trouble in a 29. You could have a few tanganyikans in there, but not malawis (well, most malawis at least). If you have a couple, soon you will have one and you don't have room to stock up to safe numbers.
 
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