Dirty Tank

[Crucio]

Hey!

My Names Tomm and i owne a 200liter tropical tank including : 3 Planties, 3 glowlight tertes and 1 moonlight gourigmi.

My question is about the clenliness of my tank, Ive had it since April 2008 and just recently ive been having a problem with keeping it clean. i do a 30% water change every 3 weeks but my problem is i sython all the travel and when i do this it kicks all the dirty up into the tank, when i finish cleaning all the gravel the dirt settles again and the gravel is no cleaner than it was to start with. i was wondering if it would be safe to do a 90% water change to sort this problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[marksayer10@tiscali.co.uk]

Hey!

My Names Tomm and i owne a 200liter tropical tank including : 3 Planties, 3 glowlight tertes and 1 moonlight gourigmi.

My question is about the clenliness of my tank, Ive had it since April 2008 and just recently ive been having a problem with keeping it clean. i do a 30% water change every 3 weeks but my problem is i sython all the travel and when i do this it kicks all the dirty up into the tank, when i finish cleaning all the gravel the dirt settles again and the gravel is no cleaner than it was to start with. i was wondering if it would be safe to do a 90% water change to sort this problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

hi there. i do a 30% to 50% water change weekly. i use a good gravel vac and my i dont have any problems with dirty gravel. ok it does cloud the water up slighty but when it settles you would not see and dirt anywhere.

hope this helps

 

[loraxchick]

Hey!

My Names Tomm and i owne a 200liter tropical tank including : 3 Planties, 3 glowlight tertes and 1 moonlight gourigmi.

My question is about the clenliness of my tank, Ive had it since April 2008 and just recently ive been having a problem with keeping it clean. i do a 30% water change every 3 weeks but my problem is i sython all the travel and when i do this it kicks all the dirty up into the tank, when i finish cleaning all the gravel the dirt settles again and the gravel is no cleaner than it was to start with. i was wondering if it would be safe to do a 90% water change to sort this problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

hi and WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
while it would be ok to do a large water change, id recommend doing more frequent changes while gravel cleaning each time. also, cutting back on feeding might be a good idea for a while.
all the best

 

[Crucio]

Thanks for all suggestions i will take them all on board

 

[wilchil64]

Sorry for hijacking thread - would welcome some advice re. this topic too.

I wondered what sort of gravel vac people use?

We do a 25% - 30% water change every week using a syphon to pick up dirt off the gravel. Is this sufficient or should we be buying a special vac? If so, what do you recommend?

 

[Wills]

I just use the syphon for the hoovering on my 125 but on larger tanks I have used the battery ones with the little sock on you can get air powered ones as well but you need to find replacement socks because they get very very very very messy .

Wills

 

[drobbyb]

I use the No-spill system by Python except that I don't use the sink's water to pull the water from the tank seeing as gravity is free.

To the OP: You can safely do a 90% waterchange as long as the water going isn is of a similar temp (within a few degrees) and has similar pH and hardness. I would up your waterchanges to 30% once a week with gravel vac each waterchange. It's a little more work, but your fishy friends will love you for it!

 

[wilchil64]

I use the No-spill system by Python except that I don't use the sink's water to pull the water from the tank seeing as gravity is free.

Thanks, I'll have a look at that.

 

[Inchworm]

Hey!

My Names Tomm and i owne a 200liter tropical tank including : 3 Planties, 3 glowlight tertes and 1 moonlight gourigmi.

My question is about the clenliness of my tank, Ive had it since April 2008 and just recently ive been having a problem with keeping it clean. i do a 30% water change every 3 weeks but my problem is i sython all the travel and when i do this it kicks all the dirty up into the tank, when i finish cleaning all the gravel the dirt settles again and the gravel is no cleaner than it was to start with. i was wondering if it would be safe to do a 90% water change to sort this problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Crucio

Looking at the fish you have in the tank, there shouldn't be that much dirt and debris flying around during a water change. Perhaps you are overfeeding them or feeding them a kind of food that has a lot of filler such as grain. If uneaten food settles into the gravel you could have problems down the line. If your gravel is deep, try removing some of it. Unless you have rooted plants, your substrate only has to be 1" or so deep. With less gravel it's much easier to keep clean.

Another cause of this might be that you are using a technique of siphoning that stirs up a lot of dirt instead of sucking it up and out of the tank. Are you using a Gravel Vac or other brand that has a wide round end? Some brands have a flatter end that can be removed. A plain hose will not remove enough of the dirt to be worth using for this. Try plunging it straight down into the gravel and letting it pull up all the dirt it can, then move it over a little bit and repeat the process without stirring the gravel very much. Once most of the dirt is removed, then stir it around to get the rest. If you have a lot of dirt in the tank, this work might need to be spread over two or more cleaning sessions.

Weekly water changes and cleanings are better for the fish because it will keep the nitrate level more stable and will also allow you to increase their number if you wish.

While an occasional 90% water change should be safe, if you are going to go to that extreme, why not think about changing the gravel to sand while you are at it? The dirt will lay on top of the sand instead of sinking into it and will be easily siphoned away.

 

[Crucio]

Hey!

My Names Tomm and i owne a 200liter tropical tank including : 3 Planties, 3 glowlight tertes and 1 moonlight gourigmi.

My question is about the clenliness of my tank, Ive had it since April 2008 and just recently ive been having a problem with keeping it clean. i do a 30% water change every 3 weeks but my problem is i sython all the travel and when i do this it kicks all the dirty up into the tank, when i finish cleaning all the gravel the dirt settles again and the gravel is no cleaner than it was to start with. i was wondering if it would be safe to do a 90% water change to sort this problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Crucio

Looking at the fish you have in the tank, there shouldn't be that much dirt and debris flying around during a water change. Perhaps you are overfeeding them or feeding them a kind of food that has a lot of filler such as grain. If uneaten food settles into the gravel you could have problems down the line. If your gravel is deep, try removing some of it. Unless you have rooted plants, your substrate only has to be 1" or so deep. With less gravel it's much easier to keep clean.

Another cause of this might be that you are using a technique of siphoning that stirs up a lot of dirt instead of sucking it up and out of the tank. Are you using a Gravel Vac or other brand that has a wide round end? Some brands have a flatter end that can be removed. A plain hose will not remove enough of the dirt to be worth using for this. Try plunging it straight down into the gravel and letting it pull up all the dirt it can, then move it over a little bit and repeat the process without stirring the gravel very much. Once most of the dirt is removed, then stir it around to get the rest. If you have a lot of dirt in the tank, this work might need to be spread over two or more cleaning sessions.

Weekly water changes and cleanings are better for the fish because it will keep the nitrate level more stable and will also allow you to increase their number if you wish.

While an occasional 90% water change should be safe, if you are going to go to that extreme, why not think about changing the gravel to sand while you are at it? The dirt will lay on top of the sand instead of sinking into it and will be easily siphoned away.

I did have a Big sailfin pleco a few weeks back but unfortunalty he died. this is probs were the waste is coming from. I use a sypthon gravel cleaner ... this one http/www.koicarp.net/Aquatic_Section/Int...l%20Cleaner.jpg could you take me though changing to sand... i always thought it was not safe to change as the gravel contains all good bacteria? what sand would i need and would i remove all the gravel?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Crucio

I did have a Big sailfin pleco a few weeks back but unfortunalty he died.

Plecos do eat a lot and produce a lot of waste. You might find that once you get your gravel really clean, the cleaning troubles you are having will disappear.

i always thought it was not safe to change as the gravel contains all good bacteria?

While there is some bacteria living on the surface of the top 3/4" to 1" of gravel, most of the beneficial bacteria is on your filter media. If you go much deeper than that, there isn't enough water circulation to provide the amount of oxygen they require.

If you decide to switch to sand, try Argos play sand if you live in the UK. I see that recommended a lot. It's inexpensive and safe for even cory cats with their delicate barbels. Don't use more than 1" or so and give it a stir with your hand every few weeks to keep it fresh. Avoid builder's sand because it's more apt to have sharp edges.

If you want to make the change, wash the sand thoroughly, a little at a time, until the water runs clear. This is the hard part, but once it's done it will be worth the effort. I wash a few cupfuls at a time in a dishpan. Then move the fish to a bucket, the filter to another bucket of water, (don't clean the filter at this time) and drain the tank. After you remove the gravel and clean up any algae or hard water residue that might be a nuisance, simply add the washed sand, replace the filter and add dechlorinated water the of the same temperature. Put the fish back in the tank and you're just about done. If bubbles form from the new water, brush them off the sides with your hand.

It's always important to test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for the first few weeks, just to be sure you don't have a mini cycle. This shouldn't happen if you've been careful with moving the filter, but it's best to be careful. Give it a few weeks to be sure before adding any new fish.

 

[Crucio]

Hi Crucio

I did have a Big sailfin pleco a few weeks back but unfortunalty he died.

Plecos do eat a lot and produce a lot of waste. You might find that once you get your gravel really clean, the cleaning troubles you are having will disappear.

i always thought it was not safe to change as the gravel contains all good bacteria?

While there is some bacteria living on the surface of the top 3/4" to 1" of gravel, most of the beneficial bacteria is on your filter media. If you go much deeper than that, there isn't enough water circulation to provide the amount of oxygen they require.

If you decide to switch to sand, try Argos play sand if you live in the UK. I see that recommended a lot. It's inexpensive and safe for even cory cats with their delicate barbels. Don't use more than 1" or so and give it a stir with your hand every few weeks to keep it fresh. Avoid builder's sand because it's more apt to have sharp edges.

If you want to make the change, wash the sand thoroughly, a little at a time, until the water runs clear. This is the hard part, but once it's done it will be worth the effort. I wash a few cupfuls at a time in a dishpan. Then move the fish to a bucket, the filter to another bucket of water, (don't clean the filter at this time) and drain the tank. After you remove the gravel and clean up any algae or hard water residue that might be a nuisance, simply add the washed sand, replace the filter and add dechlorinated water the of the same temperature. Put the fish back in the tank and you're just about done. If bubbles form from the new water, brush them off the sides with your hand.

It's always important to test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for the first few weeks, just to be sure you don't have a mini cycle. This shouldn't happen if you've been careful with moving the filter, but it's best to be careful. Give it a few weeks to be sure before adding any new fish.

Thanks alot! i think i might just do that, so as long as i dont clean the filter at that time i would be ok, and the fish will be ok in a bucket of aquerium water for the time it takes me to drain the tank? Also i put the fish in one bucket and the filter in another, would i use the old aquerium water for the filter? its an external Fluval 205 so might be hard getting it into a bucket... is it essential to keep the filter running?

 

[K-Holed]

Just another quick question, what sort of filter are you using?

 

[llamalord305]

its an external Fluval 205 so might be hard getting it into a bucket... is it essential to keep the filter running?

 

[K-Holed]

Okay, seems that I can't read