Gravel Vacuuming

[shockshockshad]

Do you just hover the vacuum over the gravel, or push it in, pick it up, push it in somewhere else...

Also, how often? Some say once a week, some say once a month. I thought it was once a month, and water changes once a week, but i may be wrong!

 

[afishdude]

i push it into the gravel to get all the crap thats in it.
do a vac every 2 weeks, wc every week.

on my guppie tank i use gravel, so i have to vac it.

on my main tank, betta tanks, breeding tank, and betta fry tank i used sand. it needs no vac as the poo just floats along the gravel and into the filter.

 

[kinmad4it]

I use the gravel vac to syphon the water out during the weekly water changes. I push it right into the gravel to get as much crap out as possible.

 

[Chrispixx]

You can gravel vac every time you water change as most of the beneficial bacteria live in the filter not the gravel.

So basically its just personal preference, also fish size comes into play as bigger fish produce more waste thus the need for more cleaning.

My barbs are big poopers so i have to vac more often., if i could train them to poop into the filter intake tube it would be great. Mostly i vac to get the gravel back where it belongs as they are big gravel movers. They root though the gravel for hours after feeding, the gravel can get spead out and after a few days end up bare bottom in some spots.

 

[Yazan]

When i use to have my tanks i use to stick the vacuum in the gravel to get the 'bad' stuff out.
On my sand tanks i just hover the vacuum over the sand to get all the stuff.

I do this every 2 weeks and i do a water change EVERY week.

 

[corey01]

i hoover the top of the gravel and then start pushing it in to the gravel...you'd be surprised at how much crap comes out of it

 

[shockshockshad]

Yeah, i was going to push it in anyway. i will be waiting for that suprise corey01!

 

[corey01]

lol