What Is The Correct Way To Gravel Vac?

[Dutchie]

Should I simply surface vac the top of the gravel OR should the vac be going down around a 1cm and slightly vacuuming.

Need to know as I have a Ammonia problem in my new 3 week old tank.............

cheers

 

[nukeonekitty]

I try to stir up the gravel while vacing it to get all the junk out of it. I just push the vac done to the glass (through the gravel) and get as much as I can.

 

[xoedusk]

I do the same as nukeonekitty.

 

[crazie.eddie]

Yep, me too. I usually just insert the gravel tube through the substrate with a little twisting action, until it reaches the bottom of the tank. Then I slowly lift the tube up. This stirs up the gravel and the detritus stuck in there.

 

[Biff0r]

sorry for high jacking thread. I vac as well (only been doing it 2 months just about), but i find it disturbs my plants.

Any suggestions?

I tend to vac the big part which is unplanted but not touched anywhere near plants as they are not fully established yet!

Recommendations would eb great.

 

[crazie.eddie]

Why not just wave the vac close to the substrate or maybe even lightly touch the substrate, not digging all the way through it?

 

[nukeonekitty]

Yeah, you could just simply gently vac the surface and ignore going deep around the plants. You wont have an ammonia spike leaving that amount of debris.