How Do You Keep Substrate Clean?

[Ilya]

I vacuum and I vacuum and after I'm done, it relatively looks clean. Then I pour in fresh water (bucket) and the first thing I see is crap flying around . How do you guys keep your substrate clean? PS, I have tiny polished pebbles .

 

[rdd1952]

You may be pouring the water in too fast and disturbing the gravel. I always pour mine into a plastic cup so that the force doesn't displace my sand.

 

[Ilya]

I guess.... I'm just always in a hurry for some reason.

 

[Dark Wolf]

Yeah, it's almost impossible to get all the crap out of the gravel, so yeah it's all about puring it against something before hitting the gravel, anything does the job really, plants, ornaments etc

 

[iihay]

Yeah, it's almost impossible to get all the crap out of the gravel, so yeah it's all about puring it against something before hitting the gravel, anything does the job really, plants, ornaments etc

I siphon it in as I have stairs above the tank to sit buckets on. Takes a bit of time to refill but doesn't disturb the gravel at all

 

[dthoffsett]

You'll never be able to get all the crap out of your gravel. I have sand in my mbuna tank, and as soon as I syphon all the poo off the surface, they all start crapping at once (I swear it's a conspiracy) and by the time I'm done it looks like I've never cleaned at all. Ok, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it's a never ending cycle, clean, poo, clean, poo. Just a part of the joys of fishkeeping. As long as you are syphoning the gravel regularly, and your nitrates aren't spiking, don't worry about it.