Cleaning Tank/Gravel ?.

chralis

AC Members
Dec 21, 2008
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I'm a newbie so please be kind :evil_lol:... My ? is when i clean my tank do i need to remove all driftwood, plants and big rock to clean the gravel or just vacuum around everything. :help:
 
I usually vacuum the gravel after I have removed all of the big stuff, like plants and large rocks. Hope this helps.
 
When you clean your tank you shouldn't have to remove your decorations etc. every time you vacuum. I would remove a couple each time. Also when you do a water change you don't have to vacuum the gravel each time

Hope this helps
 
If you are going to be changing water using a gravel vac you might as well vacuum the gravel. I usually just vac around driftwood, etc. and then about once a month I will move things around and get some of the spots I normally couldn't.
 
Personally, I wouldn't take your decor out when you gravel clean. I only move my stuff @ a couple of times a year.You don't want to clean all of your gravel every time you do a water change anyway. It seems to be better IME to only clean part of the gravel when you do a water change.Granted this veries defending on how often you do a water change and how much of a water change that you do. Remember that gravel does contain beneficial bacteria and if you have live plants they also help to break down waste and convert it to food which they release in the form of oxygen(during "light" hours at least).
 
Welcome to the forum Chralis. It has already been said but there is no need to vac everywhere every week. I do about 1/3 of my gravel with each water change and when I get to the end I start over with the next change. For planted tanks, I go aound the plants and leave them alone. For other decor, I usually don't disturb them more than a couple of times a year.
 
Thanks for all the help. I'm glad i found you all here, its a great forum.:thm:
 
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