Substrate cleaning Pbass

[yzf450motoxrider]

I keep my tank bare bottom for ease of maintenance but the tank is upstairs at the new house and I care a bit more about aesthetics. Those of you with sand and gravel or both with large pbass how do you maintain it? I’m not going to gravel vac a 10x4 area.

 

[TheWolfman]

I had about a 11/2” of sand in my 220 and had to gravel vac it quite often. It was like a cloud of death going up the syphon when I did clean it. I couldn’t imagine cleaning a area that big on a your tank. That’s why I did away with it and painted the bottom of my new tank black.

 

[cigars]

I keep my tank bare bottom for ease of maintenance but the tank is upstairs at the new house and I care a bit more about aesthetics. Those of you with sand and gravel or both with large pbass how do you maintain it? I’m not going to gravel vac a 10x4 area.

I would tile it, you could seal the tile to the bottom of the aquarium with silicone I never do I just lift the tiles and stir up the detritus that collects under let the filters do there job and then do the maintenance on the filtration it’s a lot easier then gravel.

 

[johnny potatoes]

I had a Ultima II filter with the intakes about a foot from the bottom. I also had a couple rays and 2 large geos with the peacock bass to stir up the sand. I did gravel vac once in awhile to see if anything was in the sand but determined it wasn't necessary. Lots of flow, intakes near the bottom and fish that stir up the sand did the trick for me. Good luck

 

[Rhyno8]

I’ve got a 10x3 with bass and rays with pool filter sand and I never vacuum it, the bottoms always spotless I have an inlet to a pool filter around 10” from the bottom and some good flow in the tank I never even see the ray poop laying about. I just backflush my pool filter every few days and do my water changes by back flushing it so it’s kept clean.

 

[yzf450motoxrider]

So it seems I need some bottom fish that stir the substrate and large canisters where the intake can be placed low. Both of which I do not have. I have external overflows and unfortunately the boxes don’t extend to the tank bottom. Only intake on each box is at the top. Works great for skimming, not great for getting debris off the bottom. I may go with the tile.

 

[dr exum]

Got a couple mp40d’s coming, they push water... hoping this keeps poop going where the poop goes...

I added a 400gph power head to a 120G I have tried to get it to shoot down the back of the tank where the poo collects, seems to be helping...

Also got a 1000#s of this for when my tank gets here.... (8’x4’)

Getting a 30” python adapter too..

Good luck!

 

[LBDave]

Gravel vac.
Only sure way to Do it right.
It is a lot of work. I hear you. So I do understand the tiling or bare bottom.
My tank is in the living room but it’s not that big.
My bass also like to move the plants and gravel around. They appear a bit unhappy without some plants.

 

[LBDave]

Gravel vac.
Only sure way to Do it right.
It is a lot of work. I hear you. So I do understand the tiling or bare bottom.
My tank is in the living room but it’s not that big.
My bass also like to move the plants and gravel around. They appear a bit unhappy without some plants.

As a side note I enjoy looking at the posts from R1_Ridah (rip)
Inspiring
Some of the aquascaping from these old members are amazing.
Talk about a lot of work!

 

[Nove Sedici]

I keep my tank bare bottom for ease of maintenance but the tank is upstairs at the new house and I care a bit more about aesthetics. Those of you with sand and gravel or both with large pbass how do you maintain it? I’m not going to gravel vac a 10x4 area.

I would just add some bottom feeders (geo's) and a living vacuum cleaner (platydoras costatus) to keep it clean. I only vacuum a little bit when doing a water change (just using the hose for it) and thats all...