Is it better to vacuum to do a water change or scoop from the top.I usually use the vacuum.Is this wrong?
water changes from the top or bottom.
- Thread starter arowanaoscar
- Start date
I always start at the bottom and once I clean up any debris, I just let the hose sit mid level and siphon however much I decided to do that day.
if you just scoop from the top and dont vaccum out detrius, the water change is pointless. definitely clean the bottom
I clean poo and other wastes off the bottom of the aquarium then I really just open the valve in a bulkhead on the bottom of my tank and drain from the middle.
bitteraspects;2689541; said:
Why, are all the nitrates only at the bottom of the tank? I only clean the gravel once a month, yet do water changes once a week. So your telling me three of the four W/Cs I do a month are pointless?
pretty much.
the water quality will be fine for a few days with the introduction of new water, but with the detrius build up on the bottom, it will mix right back in, thus defeting the point of the WC. now, if youre scooping the top, 4 times a week, then the wather quality should be fine untill you decide to stop being lazy and actually vaccum the gravel. while the nitrates arent "only" at the bottom, as you so eloquently put it, a lot of the build up, is. and that it effecting the water quality more then the fraction that is floating more towards the surface of the water.
best practise is 25-30% weekly. INCLUDING VACCUMING THE GRAVEL.
the water quality will be fine for a few days with the introduction of new water, but with the detrius build up on the bottom, it will mix right back in, thus defeting the point of the WC. now, if youre scooping the top, 4 times a week, then the wather quality should be fine untill you decide to stop being lazy and actually vaccum the gravel. while the nitrates arent "only" at the bottom, as you so eloquently put it, a lot of the build up, is. and that it effecting the water quality more then the fraction that is floating more towards the surface of the water.
best practise is 25-30% weekly. INCLUDING VACCUMING THE GRAVEL.
Hmmm....my test results state you are wrong. I'lll use my 180g for example, Nitrates are at 40ppm before WC and then they are reduced to 20ppm after a 50% WC. These results are the same for all four monthly WCs, which includes one with gravel vac.
congrats, youve justified letting your fish swim in their own toilet. i however suggest a more realistic and caring approach to fishkeeping.
lol, pointless to wc from the top. funny
i aswell do gravel vac once a month as my gravel is never really very dirty at all.
I WC once a week and i always go from around 40ppm before WC to 5-10ppm after WC.
i usually do a quick spot clean of the gravel but i always just have my hose about 10 inchs from the top of the tank for the main if the WC
i aswell do gravel vac once a month as my gravel is never really very dirty at all.
I WC once a week and i always go from around 40ppm before WC to 5-10ppm after WC.
i usually do a quick spot clean of the gravel but i always just have my hose about 10 inchs from the top of the tank for the main if the WC