QUESTION ABOUT TANK CLEANING

[armandoaulet]

Hi guys Im new to fish keeping. I have a 40gal tank with 11 small fish and 2 small slider turtles. The filter is a fluval 307. My question is it a good idea to vacuum the gravel and sand with a vacuum that filters the water back to the tank? Or is it better to vacuum changing the water?
By the way im planning to put the turtles in a backyard pond when they grow up.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR RESPONSE.

 

[hansgruber7]

You should change the water. I usually just use a siphon and gently swish over the gravel or sand and suck up some of the debris that comes up when I do my weekly water change.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

No, don't vacuum the water back into the tank. That just puts all of the debris that you just sucked out of the tank, back into the tank.

I use just the tube part of the siphon, and then manually start it. The water/debris comes out of my tanks and into a 5g bucket. I then take the 5g bucket outside and dump it in my garden. (Don't dump your old tank water in any local streams or bodies of water)

 

[armandoaulet]

You should change the water. I usually just use a siphon and gently swish over the gravel or sand and suck up some of the debris that comes up when I do my weekly water change.

thank you for your response. i forgot to add that i have a filter in line where the water is going back.

 

[armandoaulet]

No, don't vacuum the water back into the tank. That just puts all of the debris that you just sucked out of the tank, back into the tank.

I use just the tube part of the siphon, and then manually start it. The water/debris comes out of my tanks and into a 5g bucket. I then take the 5g bucket outside and dump it in my garden. (Don't dump your old tank water in any local streams or bodies of water)

thank for your input. what i forgot to put in the post is that i use a filter in the line going back to the tank.

 

[Essjay]

It is usual to clean the substrate during a water change. If the substrate gets so messy it needs cleaning between weekly water chnages, then yes the water can go back into the tank, but once a week, around half the water should be removed from the tank and thrown away so that's the obvious time to clean the substrate.

 

[AbbeysDad]

thank for your input. what i forgot to put in the post is that i use a filter in the line going back to the tank.

Gravel vacs that 'filter' and return water, usually results in cloudy water. Although this will settle out, better to just gravel vacuum straight out as part of the partial water change.
Now if you have fine gravel or sand, you may only need to hover over the surface or do nothing at all*. Check out The Very Best Aquarium Filter.
(*I have 4" of pool filter sand in my 60g and haven't touched the sand in over 8 years.)
If you have coarse gravel, it may be best to dig deep to get the crud out of the system.