Gravel Vac controversy

[Mr Tomato]

Question later, but first..
Everywhere in the hobby it's said over n over.. gravel vac.
But the strangest thing is.. when we see on YouTube.. Dan Hitshew, ..Father Fish, and a few others, not gravel vac-ing, and there are the fish, shrimps, snails, all thriving and breeding sucssefully too, not mention, Nitrite Nitrate readings saying just fine. A thriving mass culture of Aerobic and Anearobic bacteria seemingly having a good ol' time of it..it poses the question.. are Gravel Vacs all they're made out to be.

The last part was my question.

I dare say subject could be an irritation to some but there it is.
Thanks.

 

[aqua.land]

Hi.
I have had a bad experience with a gravel cleaner.....
I bought a really expensive one, you shake it to start it up but I found it so complicated to use and it just fell apart in my hands.

I now have a pump siphon - you squeeze it a few times and its starts up. I use it as a gravel cleaner also.
I think that the most important part is that you get all the dirt and food out from the gravel, to prevent bacteria spreading and to ensure that your fish are healthy.
In my opinion I think that as long you have a siphon that cleans your gravel, as long as you make sure your gravel is clean, buying a special gravel cleaner is unnecessary.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Gravel cleaning is to get all of the gunk out of the substrate. Would you want to live in a pool of sewer water filled with poop and bad bacteria? That is a breeding ground for diseases.

 

[Colin_T]

I have been using gravel cleaners since the 80s and they are useful when it comes to removing gunk out of the substrate. They are extremely useful if you have undergravel filters. They keep the gravel clean and allow the filter to work more effectively.

If you have a heavily planted tank, then use the gravel cleaner to clean open areas of gravel where there are no plants growing. You can gravel clean around plants but leave a couple of inches between where you gravel clean and the plant.

If you don't use a gravel cleaner on a regular basis, the substrate eventually becomes full of rotting fish waste and this can cause water quality problems and disease outbreaks.

I used and recommend using a basic model gravel cleaner like the one in the following link.

Aquarium Cleaning Made Easy

Aquarium cleaning should take 30 minutes every two weeks. Learn how the professionals do it in 18 easy steps.

www.about-goldfish.com

You can also make a gravel cleaner out of a 1, 1.5 or 2 litre plastic drink bottle and a garden hose.
Cut the bottom off the bottle and throw the bottom bit away.
Remove the cap and plastic ring form the top and throw those 2 bits away.
Put a garden hose in the top of the bottle and you have a gravel cleaner.

 

[Mr Tomato]

I have been using gravel cleaners since the 80s and they are useful when it comes to removing gunk out of the substrate. They are extremely useful if you have undergravel filters. They keep the gravel clean and allow the filter to work more effectively.

If you have a heavily planted tank, then use the gravel cleaner to clean open areas of gravel where there are no plants growing. You can gravel clean around plants but leave a couple of inches between where you gravel clean and the plant.

If you don't use a gravel cleaner on a regular basis, the substrate eventually becomes full of rotting fish waste and this can cause water quality problems and disease outbreaks.

I used and recommend using a basic model gravel cleaner like the one in the following link.

Aquarium Cleaning Made Easy

Aquarium cleaning should take 30 minutes every two weeks. Learn how the professionals do it in 18 easy steps.

www.about-goldfish.com

You can also make a gravel cleaner out of a 1, 1.5 or 2 litre plastic drink bottle and a garden hose.
Cut the bottom off the bottle and throw the bottom bit away.
Remove the cap and plastic ring form the top and throw those 2 bits away.
Put a garden hose in the top of the bottle and you have a gravel cleaner.

It's amazing how controversial this subject has become. I watch with interest. As the Vacs Vs the anti Vacs.. collide. Even back in the 60s this was going on.
Personally, I eventually settled for an even keel approach, that being..a little vac is helpful if readings get out of control, testing is quite important but complacency is best avoided.
In real time, I vac about once every three months, avoiding going too near the plants of course.

Obviously, this is just what I do, because it works for me..but I wouldn't presume to tell others to follow my methods.
But, this is a very interesting topic.
Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I have always vacuumed my substrate, for the reason that @Deanasue mentioned.

 

[Bub]

I will hover over the substrate to vac up anything on the surface in the areas that I can get to, but I don't bother moving anything or getting in between the plants, and I very rarely ever vac deep into the substrate. Haven't done so in quite a long time. Fish poop is my only fertilizer.

 

[Byron]

The reason this topic is so varied in what aquarists do is because every aquarium is biologically unique, and what works in tank "A" may be disastrous in tank "B." The other thing to keep in mind is that beginning aquarists will tend to seriously overcrowd a smallish tank, and getting them into good habits (regular substantial water changes including good substrate cleaning) may save their fish. For those who are experienced, cleaning the substrate may--depending upon the biological system--not even be necessary, nor advisable.

The substrate, not the filter, is the primary biological basis of a healthy aquarium. We talk about filters but they really only do mechanical filtration (keeping the water clear of suspended particulate matter) and some biological filtration which here means the nitrifying bacteria that deal with ammonia and nitrite. Many end the discussion there, but this is only the beginning. There is the further issue of nitrates, and the organic sludge which has to either be removed manually (the cleaning of the filter and vacuuming of the substrate) or be able to function on its own in a balanced aquarium.

My 40g tank with a sand substrate is home to my 41 cories along with a dozen or so upper fish. I never touch the substrate, and it is as clean as you can imagine. Before I moved last year, these fish were in my larger 70g which had 2 inches of sand and in five years was never touched (the substrate); when I tore this tank down, it was noticeable that the substrate was almost as clean as the day I set it up, in spite of five years of 100-150 fish being fed and no substrate cleaning. My other tanks also have sand, and I usually just stir up the top in open areas. It all depends upon the fish load, feeding, having live plants, snails, etc.