the 15 minute oil change…

[Fishmanic66 182]

Those of you who lower tank water with a pump.....how often and by what method do you clean your substrate?
I only have 2 tanks...a 5 gallon Betta tank and a 29 gallon tank. Even with only 2 tanks, I don't look forward to water changes and substrate cleaning. I use a python water changer for the 29 gallon and use a siphon hose to lower the water in the 5 gallon after which I use 1/2 gallon containers to refill with fresh water. The siphon is gentle enough to do a substrate cleaning while doing the water change.

 

[Magnum Man66 181]

I have an out of tank canister filter, that I use for vacuuming the gravel on an as needed basis… fish tank's also with neocardia ( now several ) in them need gravel vacuuming less often…

 

[GaryE26 24]

I don't use a pump, but this morning when I did 20 tanks, I might have picked a tiny bit of clump algae out of two of them. They were small pieces, a 2 second hover. Mostly, my siphon takes water from the top half, in the open water column.

How would a Betta in a 5 gallon generate enough waste to worry? I never gravel vac as my plants take care of it. Sometimes I get a little mulm or debris in some tanks, but it isn't common. If I used a pump, I wouldn't use it exclusively. Every now and then I'd gravity clean the little mulm that gathers.

I imagine if you don't have plants it might be different.