cleaning gravel

H

half0tempo

AC Members
Apr 22, 2005
55
0
0
38
columbus, ohio
ok, so im new to the fish world and im really confused as to how to go about cleaning my gravel. i don't own a gravel siphon yet, but plan on getting one soon but I really don't know how i can clean the gravel without destroying the tank setup. any information would be nice. do i just go around or will i have to move things. im guessing i should leave the decorations in place because good bacteria might grow on them? also, if i were to start to work on a planted tank in the future, does the gravel or substrate need to be cleaned, and if so in the same way?

thanks for the help guys..
 
When you get your vac going water is flowing from the high point (Top of the tank), to the low point (your bucket). This creats a suction at the bottom of the gravel vac. You then push it into the gravel, and all the dirt come out, with the water. It is a lot of work to get the who take clened, so I just do half the tank at a time. I move the rocks and decor every month, because a lot of dirt is stuck there. This does not take out that much bacteria, because most of it is stuck to the rock. With my planted tank I just vac the places I can get to. Every so offten I take out the plants, do a good vac, and re arrange the tank.

More info on cleaning a platned tank: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=379552&posted=1#post379552
 
Last edited:
I would vacuum under the decorations at least once a month if not more! It seems like there is always alot of gunk there when I do it. It is a bit of a pain, but sometimes I just take out most of the larger decorations and do a good clean that way
Also, consider getting a python or one of the better vacs. If you ever upgrade you'll have it and everyone on here really says good things about them, so I think it would be worth the money, something to consider!!
 
Depends--I don't move the decorations that are buried in the gravel, but will move stuff that just sits on top, or close to the top. Cleaning the substrate doesn't remove beneficial bacteria--they hold on pretty tightly. If you have an undergravel filter, this regular cleaning is essential to the filters effectiveness. With all unplanted setups, it helps maintain water parameters by removing organic matter before it can decay.
 
I take the decorations out of my tank every time I clean the gravel. This is once a week for me. Like everyone said, it won't have much of an impact on the beneficial bacteria, if at all. Also, make sure you get the right size for your tank. I got one too big and the water was coming out way too fast. I didn't even have time to vacuum all the substrate in time before the water went down to half!
 
I've read that you should only vac one area of the gravel at a time and not do the whole lot in one go?
 
No reason for that. Some people divide up their tank and do a portion with each change, but it's not required or based on any problem from doing the whole thing at once.
 
Cleaning

HI I AM NEW AT THIS. WHEN I CLEAN THE GRAVEL IF I PUSHHARD UNDER THE GRAVEL WILL THAT ALLOW MY TANK TO GET A MILKLY LOOK CAUSE I CLEAN MY TANK OUT A WEEK AGO AN I STILL CANT GET THE MILKY LOOK OUT. I HAVE CHANGED THE WATER SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN AND IT STILL LOOK SAME.

half0tempo said:
ok, so im new to the fish world and im really confused as to how to go about cleaning my gravel. i don't own a gravel siphon yet, but plan on getting one soon but I really don't know how i can clean the gravel without destroying the tank setup. any information would be nice. do i just go around or will i have to move things. im guessing i should leave the decorations in place because good bacteria might grow on them? also, if i were to start to work on a planted tank in the future, does the gravel or substrate need to be cleaned, and if so in the same way?

thanks for the help guys..
Click to expand...
 
The milkiness is probably not from the gravel, really, it's from a release of 'food' that is feeding free-floating bacteria. How often do you normally clean the tank? What kind of substrate do you have?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom