I have a 75 gallon tank with 2 Ac70's. I want to figure out how to keep any leftover food or poop off the gravel. Any ideas?
Best way to keep junk off the gravel?
- Thread starter FavCatfish
- Start date
Im trying to skip the weekly vaccum to more of a monthly vaccum. You say powerheaded but how would i align them to work properly. I have one but its main job is air supply. Need more ideas?
The idea would be to point the powerhead toward the substrate so that it keeps the debris moving - ideally - toward a filter input. It may take a couple to even mildly achieve this and it usually only works to a degree. And it works best with sand substrates since the waste stays on top of sand for the most part, where as it gets trapped in the crevices created by larger gravel.
Another option is to let the fish do some of the work for you. For example, I have a Geophagus Jurupari "Eartheater" in one of my tanks than continually picks up gravel and gets what he wants out of it and spits it back out. Of course, all this is doing in the long run is creating more fish poo, but it does help in between cleanings.
Implementing an undergravel filter in with your existing filtration would also help. And since you already are using powerheads, all you'd be adding would be the filter plate and uplift tubes. They really do work well as a second type of filtration, despite popular rumor.
Another option is to let the fish do some of the work for you. For example, I have a Geophagus Jurupari "Eartheater" in one of my tanks than continually picks up gravel and gets what he wants out of it and spits it back out. Of course, all this is doing in the long run is creating more fish poo, but it does help in between cleanings.
Implementing an undergravel filter in with your existing filtration would also help. And since you already are using powerheads, all you'd be adding would be the filter plate and uplift tubes. They really do work well as a second type of filtration, despite popular rumor.
This may sound harsh but the best way is to not to have gravel at all. Junk will settle in gravel, no questions about it. Although there's a thread around here wherein a member DIYed something that eliminated dead spots in his tank with the use of a pump/powerhead and then customizing the piping to his dead spots.
My method is to use two powerheads with pivoting heads.
position both of them towards the front of the tank, with one higher than the other, and point them in downward criss corssing directions. the difference in height position makes it so that the water flow doesn't intersect, and the front of your tanks gravel remains free of surface debris, and everything is pushed towards the back corners where your filter intakes should be.
hth
position both of them towards the front of the tank, with one higher than the other, and point them in downward criss corssing directions. the difference in height position makes it so that the water flow doesn't intersect, and the front of your tanks gravel remains free of surface debris, and everything is pushed towards the back corners where your filter intakes should be.
hth
UGJ - Have to admit I don't have any experience with them but they're on my plan of works too.FavCatfish;2508998; said:
