My tank at the office is in need of a good gravel cleaning. I do weekly 50% water changes but do to it being at that office I have been neglecting the gravel. I want to change the landscape in the tank but I am nervous that since I have not vacuumed the gravel recently I am going to release too many trapped gases at once and hurt the fish. Is this a genuine concern? Should I clean the gravel one section at a time over a few cleanings or would I be OK doing it all at once? Thanks!
Should I be concerned about gas build up?
- Thread starter EVP
- Start date
Its fine. I use sand substrate which traps more gas and the gas bubbles don't effect the fish. It floats up to fast for the gas to dissolve into the water, and if you really want to you can do a partial water change. I would be more afraid of the debris floating around the tank though so maybe you should vacuum the gravel. 
if i were you, i would just do a really good vacuuming of the gravel during the next WC and then scape as you like. how long has it been since you cleaned the gravel?
I feel that gravel vacuumings are an essential part of using gravel as substrate...
Not doing so allows waste to collect in the gravel which has several effects, none of them desirable/beneficial.
One possible result is the PH can crash. When most people put off cleaning the gravel, when they finally get aroudn to it, they clean it very thoroughly, including a large water change. Well if the PH crashed, and you do a large water change, the PH swing that results is hazardous...
Since fish living in water with high nitrates (and other waste byproducts) will have a complromised immuse system, this PH swing can often push them over the limit...
This is the process that leads many people to wrongly believe they are better off not doing water changes. In my opinion the reality is we are better off not using gravel, as it hides to much waste. "Out of sight, out of mind" is an aquarists enemy...
Not doing so allows waste to collect in the gravel which has several effects, none of them desirable/beneficial.
One possible result is the PH can crash. When most people put off cleaning the gravel, when they finally get aroudn to it, they clean it very thoroughly, including a large water change. Well if the PH crashed, and you do a large water change, the PH swing that results is hazardous...
Since fish living in water with high nitrates (and other waste byproducts) will have a complromised immuse system, this PH swing can often push them over the limit...
This is the process that leads many people to wrongly believe they are better off not doing water changes. In my opinion the reality is we are better off not using gravel, as it hides to much waste. "Out of sight, out of mind" is an aquarists enemy...