Maintenance And Gravel Question

[jason8888]

I started my fish in cycle last tuesday and was wondering when I should clean the gravel ? should I do this weekly even when the cycle is happening or wait till its over ?
 
Also would it completely mess things up if i decided to add more gravel to the aquarium ?
 
Also im still confused about if I should change out the power filter system monthly or just clean it out in a bucket of aquarium water when I do a water change ?

 

[Warrey123]

i would clean the gravel now. yes it will not harm your cycling process.
no you should be okay to add more gravel just make sure you have cleaned it, 
do you mean change the media in the filter? e.g the filter foam or wool? 
what type of filter do you have? you should clean the media every month and do water changes every week about 20-30%,

 

[the_lock_man]

 do water changes every week about 20-30%,

 
You obviously mean this once the cycle has established.
 
Jason, since you have chosen to do a fish-in cycle, you will need to be doing much larger water changes, on a daily basis for some weeks until your bacteria start to establish themselves. Other than that, the advice that Warrey has given is pretty sound. WIth regard to changing out the filter, I assume that you do mean the media in the filter, and the short answer to that is "No". THe long answer is that your filter bacteria live on the media, so if you throw the sponges etc away, you are also throwing away the bacteria. Sponges, wool and similar should only be changed when the old stuff is falling apart. Ceramic media (bioballs, etc.) should NEVER be changed. Don't bother with carbon/charcoal type filter media, but if you have, don't change that either (in spite of the manufacturer's instructions that you should, you will just be lining their pockets for little discernible benefit in your aquarium).

 

[jason8888]

i would clean the gravel now. yes it will not harm your cycling process.
no you should be okay to add more gravel just make sure you have cleaned it, 
do you mean change the media in the filter? e.g the filter foam or wool? 
what type of filter do you have? you should clean the media every month and do water changes every week about 20-30%,

yes my other post got locked due to some people with some tempers towards one another lol. But yes I had another bad experience with a pet store advice on buying fish first. So I am doing 80 percent water changes daily. My filter type is a hang in whisper filter. it has a foam like filter in it as well as a bag of what feels like charcoal material. I just wasnt sure to change it monthly or not.

 

[the_lock_man]

The theory behind the charcoal is that it removes heavy metal pollutants from the tapwater, but it only has a lifespan of a few weeks, after which it stops performing this task, thus the manufacturers tell you to change it. However, all the decent dechlorinator products also neutralise heavy metal pollutants in the tapwater before it gets anywhere near your fish anyway, so the charcoal isn't needed.
 
I always keep a spare charcoal cartridge in the cupboard, in order to remove medications from the water once the course has been finished. Many fish meds are based on heavy metals.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

I also did the fish in cycle as I have an impatient 5 yr old. For the first 2-3 weeks I was changing the water twice daily, at 30-50% each time. I am now going 2 days before I change the water. I am 7 weeks down the line with fish in.
Also if you don't have 1 yet, get a water test kit. Make sure its a liquid one. If I see ammonia rising to 0.25 I do my 50% WC.
You can clean your gravel when you do WC. However, do NOT go too deep into your gravel as the good bacteria grow there as well. If you want to do a deep clean of your gravel, no more than 25% at one time.
A light skim over the top of your gravel is enough to suck the fish waste and rotten food.

 

[jason8888]

I also did the fish in cycle as I have an impatient 5 yr old. For the first 2-3 weeks I was changing the water twice daily, at 30-50% each time. I am now going 2 days before I change the water. I am 7 weeks down the line with fish in.
Also if you don't have 1 yet, get a water test kit. Make sure its a liquid one. If I see ammonia rising to 0.25 I do my 50% WC.
You can clean your gravel when you do WC. However, do NOT go too deep into your gravel as the good bacteria grow there as well. If you want to do a deep clean of your gravel, no more than 25% at one time.
A light skim over the top of your gravel is enough to suck the fish waste and rotten food.

ok thanks for the tips