I have mentioned this before, but siphoning the gravel is the big pain in the ass with all the props / rocks I have in there.... so I was wondering, is it REALLY necessary? I mean I do water changes, but do I have to siphon with my water change in order to really make a difference? Or is cleaning it just for aesthetic appeal?
Is Cleaning Gravel Necessary?
- Thread starter josephjeon
- Start date
You absolutely do have to. If you don't your nitrAtes will never go down, and your fish will suffer.
If you don't like vacuuming the gravel, do what I did, and go bare bottom. All of my tanks are bare-bottom save the planted tanks, which do not require vacuuming, since the mulm feeds the plants.
I have potted plants in all of my bare-bottom tanks as well as driftwood, and it looks very nice!
If you don't like vacuuming the gravel, do what I did, and go bare bottom. All of my tanks are bare-bottom save the planted tanks, which do not require vacuuming, since the mulm feeds the plants.
I have potted plants in all of my bare-bottom tanks as well as driftwood, and it looks very nice!
Agreed. You HAVE to. I don't do it every weekly WC, but every other WC I do. There is ALOT of crap stuck in the gravel.
Yes you need to. I have a ton of driftwood in my tanks and I just never really get used to it being in the same exact spot for longer than a week or two. I pull it up, vaccuum underneath and put it back. Your fish will suffer if you don't
Oh, and I should mention, any time someone comes over and sees my bare-bottom tanks, they LOVE it (they actually use those words) even non-fish people.
What if i coat the bottom with Java Moss? Will that eat up a lot of nitrate? And how would I be able to clean it when there's java moss on the bottom?
No, java moss doesn't effectively "eat up" nitrates.
Take that gravel out, no use for it! You can bag it up into tied off stockings (panty hose) and every week, remove one "bag" of it, so you don't disrupt your cycle.
Take that gravel out, no use for it! You can bag it up into tied off stockings (panty hose) and every week, remove one "bag" of it, so you don't disrupt your cycle.
Laticauda;4782511; said:
haha thanks for the advice! but where does the poop go on a bare-bottom tank?
