Gravel over soil - how to clean without mixing it all up?

[On_a_dishy]

I used to have a beautiful 245L tank and watched with amazement how the plants thrived once I started using Flora Base Pro substrate (I'd originally started off with just gravel). It looked amazing, but I encountered the same problem there that I'm encountering now.
I left the hobby briefly, then missed it, and have downsized to a 34L. In went the Flora Base Pro, and then the gravel over the top and, of course, I'm encountering the same problem - how to clean the gravel without sucking up the little Flora Pro 'soil' balls. At the moment they mix with the gravel and become a soil and gravel hybrid substrate.
Is there a cleaning trick I'm missing? I'm tempted to go back just to gravel, but I still have half a bag of this Flora Pro and I know how good it is. That being said, thanks to the location of my tank (on the side of the room away from the window) my plants are struggling regardless...

 

[jaylach]

No, you are not missing anything as to cleaning. The thing is that you just cannot mix gravel with soil or sand. The soil/sand is finer and will always sift through gravel leaving the gravel on top.

 

[On_a_dishy]

Ah, I wish that was happening! This particular soil is made up of weighty little balls which sit happily atop the gravel once I’ve gone in with my “hoover”. I’ve attached a pic - you can see the soil balls under the gravel and then a little pesky pile on top by the stone.
Also, for fun, the pic includes my Betta saying “hello” to a red and white cherry shrimp. He doesn’t go for them - but he loves to watch them.

 

[On_a_dishy]

Ah, I wish that was happening! This particular soil is made up of weighty little balls which sit happily atop the gravel once I’ve gone in with my “hoover”. I’ve attached a pic - you can see the soil balls under the gravel and then a little pesky pile on top by the stone.
Also, for fun, the pic includes my Betta saying “hello” to a red and white cherry shrimp. He doesn’t go for them - but he loves to watch them.

…and this time with photo

 

[Byron]

With just a betta for fish you should not have gravel cleaning issues. Feed minimally. The fish excrement will be broken down by bacteria providing plant nutrients. I had tanks that never saw any form of "cleaning" for the substrate.

These plant substrates are more trouble than they are beneficial. However, with just the betta and no substrate fish, this is not a worry. But never use any of the so-called plant or soil substrates with substrate-level fish, it causes serious bacterial issues.

You mention light from a window...that is not a good idea because being daylight it is uncontrollable and this can be detrimental to plants and lead to problem algae. A light over the tank that is not too bright, and of the correct spectrum for plants, is more contollable.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I almost never vacuum the substrate in planted tanks, I need the junk to sink and become mulm which feeds bacteria and plants. I sometime have to vacuum the plants as junk can settle on them.

I also am cheap and lazy when it comes to ferts. The lazy part makes me pay up for Tropica Ferts and the lazy part makes me use Jobes Spikes--> Jobe's Fern & Palm Indoor Fertilizer Food Spikes. They can be cut down to any size needed. For big plants I use several piece and for smaller plants just a single small piece. This is basically a macro fertillizer heavy in N and with minimal P and a bit more K.

I push them deep in to the substrate -around the leaf line for bigger plants and under the roots of smaller ones. This is as cheap as one can get. However, if you a a constant rescaper who pulls up plants and moves them, you must be warned, If you uproot the Jobes you will quickly be awarded your MBA (Mastered By Algae) degree.

https://jobescompany.com/product/jobes-fern-palm-plant-food-container-spikes/

Bear in mind these were designed to use in dirt and in a tank you need to push them deeper into the substrate in order to keep them from getting into the water above.

I have been using Jobes now for about 20 years and tropical ferts for a bit longer.

 

[On_a_dishy]

MBA
Thanks, both - reassuring and easily-followed advice. I’ll stop sweating the small stuff!