Should i not gravel vac every water change!

[Pufferpunk]

Gravel vacuming is how you remove nitrates from your tank.

Of course I never meant this was the only way you remove nitrates. Just that if you don't, you will have nitrate problems from waste build-up.

 

[mssassysan2000]

No i believe every other time but than it depends on what cichlids you keep.

 

[Mystix212]

Judging by the way people comment on my crystal clear water when they come to buy fish, I think it works.

Crystal clear water can be as toxic as all hell. All the impurities such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all INVISIBLE.

 

[Alistriwen]

I knew someone would say something to that effect, should have rephrased quicker heh. I will add that in addition to having the crystal clear water, I haven't lost a single fish in 8 months except a few guppies to a camanallus infection which was unavoidable and not related to water quality .

 

[bigspizz]

I knew someone would say something to that effect, should have rephrased quicker heh. I will add that in addition to having the crystal clear water, I haven't lost a single fish in 8 months except a few guppies to a camanallus infection which was unavoidable and not related to water quality .

Still says nothing about WQ.....Fish adapt. This does not mean the water is prestine....It ONLY means they have not died....Tests are the only 100% sure fire way to get a general assessment of your water quality...

 

[Peter McFarlane]

Very interesting thread, keep the comments coming!

 

[Loulou]

When you gravel vac, you do not release ammonia. By using any kind of gravel siphon, when you disturb the gravel, all the detritus should get sucked up and out, along with water. The bubbles you see are most probably hydrogen sulfide (H2S) which is the result of anaerobic decay, this is bad. Ammonia in the aquarium is dissolved in water, NH3 (ammonia) or NH4+ (ammonium), and should not be in a gaseous form.

Burt

Thank you for that, Burt.

So it's H2S, eh? Can you please be more explicit on this? I don't think it's a good thing to have this gas in the tank... It gets formed by the decaying of organic matter under the gravel (in the absence of oxygen)? How can this be prevented?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Loulou]

All I do is slowly place the gravel vac into the gravel, wait till everything has been sucked up then proceed to the next section of substrate. I do this every week with absolutely no clouding. Slow and steady wins the race.

This makes a lot of sense - such a gentle method would minimise greatly the amount of dirt going into the water column. Indeed, most of it would be efficiently sucked out.

On top of it, this would be less stressful for your fish (e.g. skittish pacus) than quick jerky movements.

 

[Mystix212]

This makes a lot of sense - such a gentle method would minimise greatly the amount of dirt going into the water column. Indeed, most of it would be efficiently sucked out.

On top of it, this would be less stressful for your fish (e.g. skittish pacus) than quick jerky movements.

Indeed it is the safest method, however my Bala's are still dumb enough to swim right up to the syphon, then I go to move it ever so slightly and they ram themselves into the glass at 10 m/ph and wonder why they have a bleeding nose.

 

[Loulou]