How often should I vacuum??

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Maya~4Ix12chen

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Is it nessary to vacuum the gravel ?


I mean some say no but, Poo and decomposing plant matter seems to not get all sucked up in my filters 100% (2 large corner filters, & a Bio Wheel 330)

I have ottos and I feed them brochli & of course some of it ends up between the gravel & rots after time.
so my question is , Am I suppose to vacuum my gravel every other water change ?? or should I ?
BTW , it's a 55 gallon planted aquarium.

Err fish keeping is hard work!! :blink:

thanks
 
You're going to get different answers from everyone. I have a 35 galon, and I do a 30% water change and sand vacuum every 2 - 3 weeks. Some people do it every week - two weeks, some more. It's really up to your preference. You should avoid having too much food and waste matter decomposing as it will cause all the bad levels of nitrate and ammonia rise, cause stress and possibly death.
 
fish load has alot to do with it.... if your stocking levels are still the same as in your sig you can go 3-4 weeks IMO. also you have to remember... even tho the filter picks it up dosnt mean its not in your tank....
 
Actually no, My stock has decreased..:rip:
I lost 5 due to an out break of that horrid Flexibactor Columnaris:-(
And that is what has me rethinking about not vacuuming, see some people say not and some say to vacuum.
The last water change I did was actually just before the out break & at the time of the water change I vacuumed and stirred up the tank with debris. That makes me wonder if my vacuuming caused the nessary stress for that out break.
But either way if I had left that stuff in there the levels of ammonia could have rose too.
It's just so hard to get a nice balance going.
I just started fish keeping again & was just about at my own personal stocking limit with :
8 Orange Von Rio Tetras, a pair of black Mollies, 2 Gourami, 2 ottos, 2 cae, & 4 ghost shrimp.

Now I only have 5 Rios left, 1 Molly & some fry, my 2 ottos, 2 cae, and the 4 Shrimp.

It'll be a few weeks before I even think about any additions :S
 
The last water change I did was actually just before the out break & at the time of the water change I vacuumed and stirred up the tank with debris. That makes me wonder if my vacuuming caused the nessary stress for that out break.

If you do regular vacuums then that stuff wont be in your gravel in the first place. I dont think its good for any tank to not vacuum. Think about it this way. How often do you vacuum your house? If you go without vacuuming for a long time, you get dirty socks, and you start sneezing and it gets dusty. You only walk on this - your fish live in it. They thrive on clean water. If you are only scared of doing it because you are afraid that your fish will get sick, I would be more scared of them getting sick and drowning, basically, in their own poo. Of course, that's only my opinion
 
Thanks for you input. I have heard both sides to vacuuming and have decided that I agree with you.
I will be vacuuming when I do my water changes as part of regular mantanence from now on :)
 
I gravel vac every week when I do my water changes on my planted tank. Even a small amount of waste over time will will build up
 
I vacum all my tanks with out fail once a week, it has to be done.
 
I'm doing frequent small water changes right now. (15% 3-4 x per week) At the very least, I siphon water from very near the bottom when doing a water change - along the edges, in the corners and other dead spots where things tend to accumulate. You can quickly pick up a lot of the waste that collects on the surface of the substrate without stirring things up. Doing this between water changes makes a huge difference, you can pick up an awful lot in a short period of time and won't have to vacuum as often. I have sand so debris tends to sit on top a lot longer, with gravel it will work it's way down a lot quicker and the only way to get at it is to vacuum.
 
I do a 40% or so water change every week using the gravel vac. Most of the time I use the siphon to dig up the gravel even if it meens having to replant the weeds since a lot of crap gets settled in the plant base or roots. Do not be afraid to go after the crap as most plants will not be bothered by being up rooted. Those that die from it were most likely not right for your system. I say it is better to lose a plant then a fish. :sly:
 

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