Confused about gravel vacuuming and deep gravel vacuuming

[newaquariumguy]

Hi everybody. I have spent many, many hours reading on the internet, and this forum. I have learned tons, but get conflicting answers on the general internet, so I am asking for help from you. You people are the ones that really seem to care about the health of the fish and giving proper advice to beginners like me.

I realize we are only supposed to vacuum about 1/3 of the tank at any one time; cleaning filters alternately, so as not to kill my good cooties. I am using a gravel substrate. I normally quickly buzz around with the vacuum barely touching the gravel but covering most of the tank. I have noticed that if I go deeper, I get more "stuff". Do I go right to the bottom glass for 1/3 of the area or is this stealing too many good bacteria?

I have also read that a good portion of the BB live in the filter. I have a 60 gallon tank with a Fluval 305 and a Fluval 306 filter, so I am guessing there should be sufficient area in that regard. In both canisters I have replaced the carbon with Bio Max.

In the short time I have been taking care of my fish, they have become important to me--they are growing rapidly, look good, and I want to keep it that way. I really don't want to have the cycle crash because I took too much or not enough out.

Any help on this will be very appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[tanker]

Gravel Vac to the bottom of the tank.

 

[newaquariumguy]

Thanks Tanker.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Glenn, welcome to the site. It depends on your setup and the amount of waste produced, but like tanker said, you can vacuum right down to the bottom glass and you can vac the whole tank at once if you want or need to. There's no harm to the beneficial bacteria in doing this since they "stick" to all the hardscape and media in your filter.

I also have tanks with gravel and plants that I do not gravel vac at all.

 

[newaquariumguy]

Thanks FreshyFresh. I will keep all that in mind when I am doing maintenance.

 

[fishorama]

Well, I have many live plants these days & not much area without plant roots, so I mostly only shallow or surface vacuum. But in areas without roots, I vac right down to the bottom as tanker said. Get the crap out as best you can.

 

[newaquariumguy]

Thanks for all your help. It is nice to have a place to go to for advice where it is actual advice, not someone pulling pranks.

 

[The Frugal Aquarist]

If your gravel is 1" or less, vac all the way down. Don't even have to rotate areas.
1-2" - deep with rotation.

I don't advise deep vac (past 1/4") in a >2" deep unplanted gravel. Much better off hover vacuuming, allowing the detritus to decay with increased pwcs if needed, and allowing a deep bed to cultivate. (Adding plants or MTS will accelerate this process).

I know it's wordy, but how you vac gravel, ime, is determined by how deep it is and what you eventually want from it. >2" has anaerobic and anoxic BB developing. Vacuuming presses the reset button - but if that's what you want, and many do, hit that button.

I'm just a huge fan of deep beds (usually #20 filter sand), so I'm biased and want everyone to have them.

 

[fishorama]

I totally disagree...if you don't have plant roots, there is no reason not to vacuum all the way down to the bottom glass. Granted, my substrate has been only 2-3 inches of small gravel or pool filter sand...but if you vacuum & water change weekly or so there is nothing but tank health from this practice. I've done for more than 30 years with good success, even with UG filters & "moderate" planting. My attitude is get the "crap" out...but I do follow your advice of 1/4" deep vacuuming by plants or even less.

 

[newaquariumguy]

As I have read in hundreds of posts in this forum, what works for some might not be what others do. Before reading this tonight, I deep cleaned both tanks to the glass--except where I have plants. I guess I am about to find out what works best in my situation. At least I am confident that what I did, is not guaranteed to be wrong.

I am unfamiliar with proper etiquette on here so I am not sure if I further the conversation with The Frugal Aquarist here or not--but here goes. You say some people choose to hit the restart button. After my experience doing an accidental fish in cycling--why would some people choose to restart?