Gravel Vacuum

[s410k]

Hi guys,

I've had my fish tank since before Christmas, and everything is going well. Only one fish (a neon tetra) has died, but I think he was ill as he was very lethargic and was really small compared to the others.

Anyway, I was under the impression that my filter and a weekly 20% water change would keep my tank clean. I went in to a different fish shop on Saturday and bought a couple of Julii Cory's. I got talking to the guy there, and he asked me about my setup. He asked if I vacuumed my gravel. I had to be honest and told him I didn't even know what he was going on about!

Cut a long story short, he reckons my fish won't last long as the tank is not being kept clean properly, and the only way to be safe is to buy and use a gravel vacuum.

Now, bear in mind that I've had my fish since before Christmas with only one loss so far. Is this guy being serious, or is he just trying to make a sale? If I buy the vacuum, are they easy to use? I suppose I will have to disturb my ornaments and stuff to vacuum under them? :confused:

[hungryhound]

I don't know that your fish are in dire straights, but vacuuming your gravel from time to time is a good way to rid the aquarium of waste and rotten food that over time can make your water parameters go haywire.

I would recommend a gravel vacuum as it is a worthwhile investment. It is fairly simple to use and also aids in water changes. I personally vacuum my tank every time I do a water change (which is once a week).

Gravel vacuums come as simple as a large tube attached to a siphon to as complex as a python (they're not really that complex). Pythons are similar to a regular vacuum, but instead of having to drain into a bucket, they allow you to drain directly into the sink. Another added bonus of a python is that they can also be used to fill your tank directly from the sink (i.e. no need to haul buckets through the house).

Gravel vacuums are relatively cheap, whereas pythons can get quite expensive (it depends on the size) on average $30 for a 25ft to $60 for a 50ft.

Hope that helps!

[Drumachine09]

Alot of people NEVER vaccuum. I do everytime i water change. They are extremely easy to use, and it would clean up your tank ALOT. You dont have to move your ornaments, because solid waste cant really get under them, unless a fish can get under them.

[willisrad]

When I had "normal substrate" I always vacuumed when I did water changes.

It was pretty amazing all the GUNK that came out of the gravel.

Now I have florite.

I haven't really done a water change since I put the florite in, but I don't really plan on vacuuming the gravel since florite makes such a nasty mess.

[Lady Hobbs]

Alot of people NEVER vaccuum. I do everytime i water change. They are extremely easy to use, and it would clean up your tank ALOT. You dont have to move your ornaments, because solid waste cant really get under them, unless a fish can get under them.

Me too. Every week with my 50% water change.

[Lady Hobbs]

s410k......it's not so bad that you didn't vac before now. You can't vac during a tank cycling and your tank probably wasn't really in need of a vac until maybe the last month. Vacuuming gets rid of all that fish waste and food waste that fall to the bottom and it's good to get into a routine of keeping it clean. Keeps the nitrates down, as well.

[SkarloeysMom]

I also vacuum with each water change. I have very small tanks and I've always used a small gravel vac that was probably around $5. I think it really helps keep the water quality good.

[xoolooxunny]

I have fluorite, and I don't vacuum. Not because of the mess it makes, but because it stays clean with my MTS/clams/plants. All is well, I actually have to start dosing to increase my nitrates because they are too low..

[blue fin]

Me too. Every week with my 50% water change.

I'm with her! Weekly vacuuming with 50% water change... your fish will love you for it!

[xoolooxunny]

I'm with her! Weekly vacuuming with 50% water change... your fish will love you for it!

trust me, i am way understocked for a 75g heavy planted pushing 600+ gph!

[blue fin]

trust me, i am way understocked for a 75g heavy planted pushing 600+ gph!

I'm not disagreeing with you... I'm agreeing with Hobbs about s410k.. with your setup you don't have the same needs as us "Unplanted" folks

[xoolooxunny]

I'm not disagreeing with you... I'm agreeing with Hobbs about s410k.. with your setup you don't have the same needs as us "Unplanted" folks

oh.....the UNplanted folk....ppffff!!

We have a name for the unplanted folk around here....its...wait, oh....yeah....or....no, its....oh, i guess its just the unplanted folk, i guess we dont really have a name for you at all then. no worries!thumbs2:

[cocoa_pleco]

oh.....the UNplanted folk....ppffff!!

We have a name for the unplanted folk around here....its...wait, oh....yeah....or....no, its....oh, i guess its just the unplanted folk, i guess we dont really have a name for you at all then. no worries!thumbs2:


lol, the unplanted are... the forgotten.

JK

[s410k]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the input. It seems the general consensus is to use a vacuum. I will go and buy one this Saturday, and use it on my next water change. :22:

[balawill]

Ok so if you have plants it is not good to vacuum the gravel? Because I have plants and they don't seem to be growing. I have been cleaning the gravel every water change.

[willisrad]

There is a lot more to getting healthy plants then not cleaning your gravel.

"Dirty" gravel will help your plants grow, but only if you have proper lighting, proper substrate, and adding co2 will help as well.

All are good investments if you plan on having a decent looking planted tank with healthy plants.

[Lady Hobbs]

Originally Posted by blue fin
I'm not disagreeing with you... I'm agreeing with Hobbs about s410k.. with your setup you don't have the same needs as us "Unplanted" folks

About every other week, I put a towel on the floor and move everything right out of my tank and do a super-doper cleaning. The week in between, I just vac around the decorations and change out the filter media.

I keep my tanks very clean and I think this is probably the reason HOTB filters have worked for me so far altho for convenience I hope to get a canister for my 55 as well as the 75 on my "wanted" list. I believe it's the reason my nitrates are nearly obsolete.

I also don't believe that unplanted tanks are a thing of the past! Everyone has different needs and different fish and planting several large tanks is certainly way more costly than planting one or two small tanks. Not only does everyone not want to mess with plants, everyone doesn't have the money to lay down $120 for substract, $100 for plants and $200+ for lights which is what it costs for a large tank. And obviously, large tanks that are planted should have the proper CO2 set-ups.......not dozens of pop bottles and bubblers which is what would be needed. There's another $150.

I would sooner spend more on the fish I buy rather than having a ton of money into plants and then getting cheap fish.

[gm72]

I have not yet ventured into planted tanks but am considering doing so with one of my 10 gallon tanks to see if I am willing to work with them or not.

[blue fin]

Originally Posted by blue fin
I'm not disagreeing with you... I'm agreeing with Hobbs about s410k.. with your setup you don't have the same needs as us "Unplanted" folks

About every other week, I put a towel on the floor and move everything right out of my tank and do a super-doper cleaning. The week in between, I just vac around the decorations and change out the filter media.

I keep my tanks very clean and I think this is probably the reason HOTB filters have worked for me so far altho for convenience I hope to get a canister for my 55 as well as the 75 on my "wanted" list. I believe it's the reason my nitrates are nearly obsolete.

I also don't believe that unplanted tanks are a thing of the past! Everyone has different needs and different fish and planting several large tanks is certainly way more costly than planting one or two small tanks. Not only does everyone not want to mess with plants, everyone doesn't have the money to lay down $120 for substract, $100 for plants and $200+ for lights which is what it costs for a large tank. And obviously, large tanks that are planted should have the proper CO2 set-ups.......not dozens of pop bottles and bubblers which is what would be needed. There's another $150.

I would sooner spend more on the fish I have rather than having a ton of money into plants and then getting cheap fish.

Very well stated!

It's not about desire sometimes, its about priorities sometimes, mine are fish first, plants second. I'd like to change my 75 to a planted tank but it's a huge undertaking when you consider that I would have to empty the tank entirely, find a place to keep the fish healthy during the transition, and make all the changes. Right now the fish are healthy and happy and I see no reason to make that substantial of a change. Maybe if I can convince my wife to let me get a 20-30 gallon tank I can start from scratch and make a nice planted tank. It will be difficult to convince her though, she doesn't seem to like my fish, or maybe it's having the tank not actually the fish that is the problem.

[blue fin]

oh.....the UNplanted folk....ppffff!!

We have a name for the unplanted folk around here....its...wait, oh....yeah....or....no, its....oh, i guess its just the unplanted folk, i guess we dont really have a name for you at all then. no worries!thumbs2:

Lol! Yeah..the forgotten sounds about right.....

[gm72]

I'm with you, blue fin. All is well now, I like how my tanks look, so why bother? Although my wife doesn't care. I do all of the setup/maintenance, she just helps with the feeding and likes having them.

[Lady Hobbs]

Very well stated!

I'd like to change my 75 to a planted tank but it's a huge undertaking when you consider that I would have to empty the tank entirely, find a place to keep the fish healthy during the transition, and make all the changes.

What might work is to buy the plant plugs. You stick a plant in this plug then bury it in your gravel or sand tank. Saves the tank going into another cycle by changing out all the gravel and you wouldn't even have to move the fish out.

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

I've been thinking of these myself to add a few plants to my 55 gallon.

[cocoa_pleco]

I NEED THOSE PLANT PLUGS!

Also, why does it say those plugs are good for FW and SW? what could you put in SW that needs to be anchored?

[Lady Hobbs]

What these plugs do is replace the substract around the root systems instead of trying to grow them in just gravel or sand or replacing all your substract to top soil, eco-complete or fluorite.

Pet Solutions also has them in different sizes

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I think they would be ideal especially if you just wanted a few larger plants instead of tons of plants. I will try a few of the bigger plugs for my angel tank, I think.

[blue fin]

Cool stuff Hobbs....thanks had no idea, I have a few plants in my tank but most don't do well due to the lack of a reasonable substrate. this could be just the thing to give them a good foundation.

[Chrona]

Those plugs only hold the plants down. They don't do much in terms of nutrients, and it's no different from putting the plants directly in gravel (though they won't uproot as easily) If you just have a few larger plants, just stick a Flourish tab underneath each one and you will see better results. No substrate change needed.

Gravel vacuuming is generally not desirable or practical with planted tanks, unless you are overstocked with heavy poopers. It IS a good idea to uproot everything once a year and stir up the substrate a bit so it doesn't go stale though.

[blue fin]

Those plugs only hold the plants down. They don't do much in terms of nutrients, and it's no different from putting the plants directly in gravel (though they won't uproot as easily) If you just have a few larger plants, just stick a Flourish tab underneath each one and you will see better results. No substrate change needed.

Gravel vacuuming is generally not desirable or practical with planted tanks, unless you are overstocked with heavy poopers. It IS a good idea to uproot everything once a year and stir up the substrate a bit so it doesn't go stale though.

Good advise, I put some live plants in while I was still loosing the Green water battle.... three are still living, three have already been "removed" Of course I am extremely carefull vacuuming around the plants but I try to agitage the gravel just around the plants to get as much waste vacuumed up as possible when I clean the rest of the gravel

[Lady Hobbs]

Cool stuff Hobbs....thanks had no idea, I have a few plants in my tank but most don't do well due to the lack of a reasonable substrate. this could be just the thing to give them a good foundation.

If they help with the root system, it's worth a try. At least maybe they won't keep floating to the surface like I had so much trouble with. Gives the roots a better chance to hang onto something.

[blue fin]

If they help with the root system, it's worth a try. At least maybe they won't keep floating to the surface like I had so much trouble with. Gives the roots a better chance to hang onto something.

Exactly what I was thinking when I saw your post, two of the plants I have are doing well but if I disturb the gravel a little too much they float away and I have to catch them in the current and replant.... I figure that is traumatic to the plants and therefore not such a good thing to do.

[Lady Hobbs]

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Here's how the darned things work. I hate bunch plants and won't ever buy another. Give me roots!

My featherfin would tear mine up every night and every morning I'd plant them again. No wonder they never could get a decent start. The fluorite was too light to hold them down even when I tossed gravel on top for weight. I figure these things are cheap enough to give them a try. If they don't work, at least I'm not out $60.