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How often do you siphon your gravel and how well do you do it? Is there really a danger of cleaning it too well because of beneficial bacteria? Thank you. One day I won't ask anymore newbie questions.
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I don't think its needed since you have powerheads. They generally keep most debris off the bottom. Crushed coral is odd since its between sand and gravel. You can siphon it, it won't do any damage to the tank. I would just siphon into a bucket since its lighter than gravel and might get sucked through the hose, and just toss back in the tank afterwards -
About once a month I get real aggressive with my vacuuming.
I think it help control the nitrite levels.Comment
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Andrew. I siphoned it a little and it didn't come into the hose because I would shake it before it did. It was super dirty though. Are you just saying do it in a bucket to prevent loss of rock? I will clean it better next week.Originally posted by Andrew_B View PostComment
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Ditch the gravel and go with some pool filter sand. Take it out slowly over a month. Then add the sand but only 3/4"-1" at the most. NO MORE VACUUMING the substrate.200
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Trophs & Petros ONLYComment
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+1. Gravel can hold nitrite and ammonia.About once a month I get real aggressive with my vacuuming.
I think it help control the nitrite levels.
+1 I agree. Having no gravel is a better way.Ditch the gravel and go with some pool filter sand. Take it out slowly over a month. Then add the sand but only 3/4"-1" at the most. NO MORE VACUUMING the substrate.Nothing Kills Evil Like a Sharp Stick...Comment
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I have a planted tank so I don't often touch the gravel to avoid upsetting the roots. The plants will take care of ammonia and nitrite in the gravel for me
I have the patience of a goldfish....
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I have gravel in all my tanks right now, but it depends on the ammonia and nitrite/nitrate levels when i vac the bottom. only one of my tanks has live plants right now, but usually its once a month. the rest is just water changes every 7-10 days.Comment
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Do vac your gravel fairly aggressively when you water change, as long as it's not a planted tank. That is a different story.
What you're pulling up is solid wastes that the bacteria colonies haven't broken down. You don't have to worry about losing good bacteria, it is colonized on the gravel itself, the decor, etc...you won't be disloging it to any meaningful degree.
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk 2"I think that God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability." -Oscar WildeComment
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+1 on the pool filter sandComment
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I just finally tracked down what I have from the person that installed the tank. It is torpedo beach sand. From what he said it is just a larger grain sand of some sort.Comment
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Yeah, it looks like small short grains of rice. You're ok to gravel-vac this. Pool filter sand is the best in my opinion, but there's nothing wrong with torpedo beach sand unless you're keeping sand-sifting species like geophagus.Originally posted by michelleraia View Post
Sent from my iPhone by one of my fishAll bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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How often should the gravel be replaced?Comment
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Natural gravel doesn't need to be replaced. Of course, if you're using the fake colored epoxy-coated stuff, the color will eventually wear off and whatever's left won't look so great.Originally posted by Renzo View Post
Sent from my iPhone by one of my fishAll bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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This. depends on your preference with the colors, but the "non-natural" colors do fade. I personally like the natural colored gravels anyway, so the only time i ever replaced my gravel was when i moved across country and didnt want to drag it along. otherwise you never really have to replace it.Originally posted by aquabee View PostComment
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