waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Yes, agree with Inchworm. The bacteria that are beneficial to us for processing the nitrogen cycle (the autotrophs) are only very, very rarely free in the water. Most of the time they are attached like glue to the hard surfaces they can find. The vast majority of them are of course in the filter where the best flow of ammonia and oxygen is, but there will also be some out in the gravel substrate if you have that.
If you "gravel-siphon" the gravel, it will not disturb these autotrophs as they will remain tightly stuck to each piece of gravel. But the debris (debris meaning decomposing plant materials and fish waste and dirt that landed on the water surface in the form of household dust) is a different story - it will not usually be tightly attached to the gravel and much of it will float free and come out with the water being siphoned out. There will be a few autotrophs (and a lot of heterotrophic bacteria just in the water) that will come out on the debris but that loss of autotrophs is not significant and the loss of all that organic matter that is being decomposed into ammonia and giving off smells along the way will be a wonderful thing for your tank.
The weekly water change and substrate clean is the most powerful and important aspect of tank maintenance for a beginner. If you have gravel then its the deep gravel clean. If you have sand then its the frequent suction surface clean operation. Either way, its very important. The periodic filter clean (we like to recommend a 2-week clean for small filters or a monthly clean for bigger filters just as a starting point for beginners, who can adjust the interval later if needed) is important too but, if anything, perhaps a little less urgent than the regular water-change-substrate-clean.
Also, I agree about the plecs - I think of them as messier fish than average and definately causing a tank to be dirtier. But they are also interesting and beautiful and a very popular fish in our hobby!
~~waterdrop~~
If you "gravel-siphon" the gravel, it will not disturb these autotrophs as they will remain tightly stuck to each piece of gravel. But the debris (debris meaning decomposing plant materials and fish waste and dirt that landed on the water surface in the form of household dust) is a different story - it will not usually be tightly attached to the gravel and much of it will float free and come out with the water being siphoned out. There will be a few autotrophs (and a lot of heterotrophic bacteria just in the water) that will come out on the debris but that loss of autotrophs is not significant and the loss of all that organic matter that is being decomposed into ammonia and giving off smells along the way will be a wonderful thing for your tank.
The weekly water change and substrate clean is the most powerful and important aspect of tank maintenance for a beginner. If you have gravel then its the deep gravel clean. If you have sand then its the frequent suction surface clean operation. Either way, its very important. The periodic filter clean (we like to recommend a 2-week clean for small filters or a monthly clean for bigger filters just as a starting point for beginners, who can adjust the interval later if needed) is important too but, if anything, perhaps a little less urgent than the regular water-change-substrate-clean.
Also, I agree about the plecs - I think of them as messier fish than average and definately causing a tank to be dirtier. But they are also interesting and beautiful and a very popular fish in our hobby!
~~waterdrop~~
