Vacuuming Ecocomplete?
- Thread starter Cypress
- Start date
Someone left this link on a thread that I started when I was asking the same question. Check it out.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/videos/cleaning_sand.php
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/videos/cleaning_sand.php
i only vac once a month, but water change once a week. things will change a bit now that i went to sand.
I siphon off mine into a 5 gallon bucket, stir it around, then pour off the mulm and water. I sometimes siphon off some more water and stir it around again. Generally, I just return it back to the tank. Once you return it to the tank, replant the plants in that section.
I do water changes without vacuuming, most of the substrate is planted so its not good for the plants to vacuum, I twirl the vacum above the substrate among the plants and some of the muck comes up. With enough water changes its not necessary to vacuum in a heavily planted tank.
"I twirl the vacum above the substrate among the plants and some of the muck comes up."
In a well planted tank, there is no need to vacuum. Plants use the waste as food. I also have EcoComplate and sometimes I get muck like decayed leaves that fell off or some other stuff that I don't know where they come from, I spin the vacuum head 1/2 - 1 inch from the substrate, the muck would lift up and get sucked up. Try it and see.
In a well planted tank, there is no need to vacuum. Plants use the waste as food. I also have EcoComplate and sometimes I get muck like decayed leaves that fell off or some other stuff that I don't know where they come from, I spin the vacuum head 1/2 - 1 inch from the substrate, the muck would lift up and get sucked up. Try it and see.
That's all fine and good in a tank with minimal fish, but in a tank with a heavy plant load and heavy fish load you still need to vac it out occasionally. I thought the way you did about not vac'n it until I started removing my Eco-complete to use it in another tank. Nasty!
Just siphon the nasties off the top of it. Most of the Eco is kind of fine, so stuff doesn't get into it like it does gravel....you'll be fine without doing deep vacs. Get the stuff off the top and change out the water.