Hi folks...first post even though I have been lurking for a few months. Sorry for the newbie question. Just curious for those with heavily planted tanks (especially where the bottom is covered in plants) how do you clean the gravel? Do the plants just eat up the fish crap etc so no need to vacuum the gravel (just water changes)? Or do you have to move everything around to clean gravel? Thanks guys!
Cleaning a planted tank
- Thread starter Fabricator
- Start date
Powerheads keeping water moving fast on the bottom, will keep the detritus up off the bottom, and your mech filters will pickup the detritus. It is wrong to think that plants will "eat up the fish crap". Detritus has no effect on the plants, the nutrients released from the detritus will.
I use the python gravel cleaner and go over the tops of the plants to suck up all the waste. Also, when I am using the python, I turn off the faucet, to reduce the suction power so none of plants get uprooted.
I see how that would clean and debris on top of the gravel but what about underneath it? I know when I clean my gravel I agitate it to get all the dirt up from underneath. The reason I ask is cause I see these really cool heavily planted tanks and I have always wondered how they are cleaned.