Cleaning your gravel

[Guess]

Can i just please have a list of replies on how you clean your gravel in a planted aquarium? I'm just curious whether you people remove rocks or anything to clean the gravel under.. I wonder if it stirs a dwarf gourami because i havent cleaned my gravel yet; its the 3rd day since i got my gouramis after days of thinking whether i should have swordtails, balloon mollies or dwarf gouramis. But i ended up in a mall in town with a fish store in it and saw some really nice looking dwarf flame gourami.

 

[purple_drazi]

Apparently there's all kinds of guck under the rocks and such but I heard that the plants use it as fertilizer. Whether that's true or not, I don't move anything - it would filthy up the water and disturb the plants which wouldn't be healthy for fish or plants.

I tend to drop cory pellet food in the same place every day for my panda, an open unplanted corner that's easy to clean. As for the rest, I just siphon in the gravel in the open places, reach around where I can and leave it at that. The tank has been cycled and the readings have been good and stable since the end of September.

 

[ddm18]

I wonder if it stirs a dwarf gourami

Eh??? You wonder if what stirs a dwarf gourami? Cleaning gravel? Lifting up rocks? I'm very confused!!!

 

[purple_drazi]

I wasn't sure what he meant by that either
but I just assumed he was asking the ever popular "how do I clean a planted tank" question.

 

[toggle]

i think he mean, "stirs" as in disturbes

 

[ddm18]

i think he mean, "stirs" as in disturbes

Well I thought that, but what would a dwarf gourami be doing under a rock???

 

[the caretaker]

The way to clean your gravel is to by "a gravel cleaner" the nozzle at the end is shaped so as to easily be directed. you plunge the tool into the gravel and twist it around a bit and lift it up, the gravel drops to the place you lifted it from and the junk goes up the pipe and into your bucket. I use mine to do my water changes it kills two birds with one stone. you get your gravel cleaned and your doing a water change at the same time
ta daaa!

 

[Jen]

you plunge the tool into the gravel and twist it around a bit and lift it up

you jab the syphon through the plants? wouldnt that cut all the roots up?

 

[ioNightShade]

you plunge the tool into the gravel and twist it around a bit and lift it up

you jab the syphon through the plants? wouldnt that cut all the roots up?

I'm almost certain he means around plants (assuming he has plants).

JT

 

[yvez9]

i don't worry about that.

the gravel will get dirty but the biggest part will be stirred up by the fish if they swim there and aught by your filter or gravel vac.

Just go around them as much as you can and forget about the rest

 

[the caretaker]

I have plenty of plants I just go fairly close to them you'll be supprised what you get from the gravel! and you won't do anything to the root systems, they a very hardy
plants that we put in our tanks. just look out for you smaller fish you don't want to cut one in half!

 

[Guess]

Oh, ok thanks Caretaker, thats what i really meant. To describe my tank, i have a 12g with 5 neons and a pair of dwarf gourami. Not too understocked and not too over-stocked as i heard you can get a 10g with 8 neons and a pair of dwarfs. it has black rocks resting on the gravel to help hold my two types of plants to the ground. The 5 neons have been there for ages and roam around freely as though they are the kings of the tank, while my new dwarfs lurk around the vegetation; still shy. All the vegetation and the rocks are pushed back to the back the tank and thats how my question takes place: would i stir my new-bought gouramis if i moved the rocks, siphoned that part then put the rocks back after? i was wondering if that could stir - i mean disturb my dwarf gourami by a great deal if i did it weekly. thanks for the replys . i will think about it later when my mind is not dead.

btw to the people who are reading this post, plants are not dieing if you see some parts change to a darker green color ITS ALGAE!! Brush it off with your hands if you dont have a plant algae eating fish already!

The way to clean your gravel is to by "a gravel cleaner" the nozzle at the end is shaped so as to easily be directed. you plunge the tool into the gravel and twist it around a bit and lift it up, the gravel drops to the place you lifted it from and the junk goes up the pipe and into your bucket. I use mine to do my water changes it kills two birds with one stone. you get your gravel cleaned and your doing a water change at the same time
ta daaa!

i'm not a newbie too fishes sorry ive had a few casualties that i dont want to tell


P.S. alot can happen in a few days! this was listed 2 lists off from the first list of topics!

 

[Dubby]

I have plenty of plants I just go fairly close to them you'll be supprised what you get from the gravel! and you won't do anything to the root systems, they a very hardy
plants that we put in our tanks. just look out for you smaller fish you don't want to cut one in half!

I agree, The muck that collects is amazing!!! I have now switched over to sand and you can now see the muck easily And makes life easier to clean as well..... I dont have to dig into the sand and risk injuring roots.