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Quick Question about Gravel vaccuming.

3K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,

I recently consolidated my aquariums into a 50g tan and will be getting rid of some fish shortly as well as plants. (Got really busy and couldn't take care of the tanks, so some plants got neglected etc =/ I feel bad about it already.) But I know I can handle a 50g tank and it's in my room so I will be reminded daily to take care of it. :)

So, my question is : How do you keep the gravel clean with plants? I have about 2-3 inches of black gravel. It seems like quite a bit. But I noticed in my 44g tank before, even with a TON of plants, the gravel got DISGUSTING!!! I thought you did not need to vacuum it with plants... And, the plants roots, like the small saggitaria, do not reach out very far. So how do I help the bottom of the aquarium from getting so bad? =/ My tanks seemed to get so dirty before and I never vacuumed the gravel because I thought the plants took care of it....

Edit: :p It's actually not so quick... sorry!
 
#3 ·
I'd like to know what you mean by "disgusting" and "so bad."

I have planted tanks with a fair number of fish in some of them, and I never touch the substrate. I don't see anything...and yes, I know my eyesight may be that of an old geezer, :brow: but I wear my glasses when sitting in front of the fish and I would notice anything if it were there.

The less disturbance to the substrate the better. But of course if the fish load is beyond the capacity of the tank and detritus is everywhere, that is quite another matter.

Byron.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yea, I guess it is mulm. I can see the mulm against the glass in the rocks. This brown stuff settled into the rocks. Do you have to clean the gravel in unplanted tanks? It seems my fish never do too well and im wondering if this causes bad water. My water has always looked clean. Like, for example, a large potion of my tank will be plant free, but it is a hassel to gravel those certain areas.... i might just suck the stuff of the top part of the gravel but i don't want to steal the nutrients either. When I gravel vacuum, the water is BLACK. It is disgusting and I do not feel like that can be healthy for the fish to be living with that...
 
#6 ·
As Mikaila and I have both indicated, the substrate is meant to be "dirty" when you have plants. And that is not unhealthy, quite the opposite. There is an army of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria living throughout the substrate and these break down organics (fish waste, uneaten food, dead plant/animal matter, dead bacteria, etc) into various substances including nutrients. The plant roots are part of this "team" and provide considerable oxygen, and a steady flow of water throughout the substrate (this occurs naturally) is another important part; Malaysian livebearing snails are also a good component because they work through the substrate helping to keep it loose so all this occurs even better, and they break down large bits into smaller bits that are more easily handled by bacteria and plants. Provided the tank is not overstocked such that the organics are overloading the system, this is not unhealthy.

The fish not doing too well is something we can explore, if you could be more specific. And if so, please include tank size, fish in it, and plants. If something is out of balance, it will affect the natural biology.
 
#8 ·
Well, I just don't understand... if you do not have plants do you have to vacuum?
 
#9 ·
If you don't have plants, and you have the recomended inch (no more) of substrate, then yes, vacuum all you want. The substrate will not be deep enough to choke bacteria on the gravel by turning it..

If you have the typical 2-4 inches, then it's 50/50... I don't think it will hurt, since the nitrogen-fixing bacteria is mostly in your filter. The bacterial films in the sludge are great at breaking down mulm into nutrients, but without plants you don't need it as much...
 
#10 ·
Are the nutrients toxic to the fish? Like, should I bother vacuuming the unplanted areas?
 
#11 ·
In normal amounts, no. Everything goes back to balance. An aquarium, planted or non-planted, that is "balanced" will be healthy with regular maintenance. "Balanced" means the fish load is not beyond what the natural processes can handle in that volume of water, substrate, etc. Problems occur when this balance is out, usually due to too many fish for the tank's capacity, and/or insufficient maintenance for the fish/water ratio.

As for your second question, that also depends upon the balance. In some of my tanks I do, in some I don't.

Byron.
 
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