Best Way To Remove Gravel?

[KISSfn]

Vacuuming 60 pounds of gravel has become a pain in the #14###. What's the best way to remove most of it without disturbing the residents? Thanks in advance!

 

[dayzofspeed]

there is no way it can be done without disturbing them, unless you take them out. i have done this job in the past and i just took out all the decor, plants etc, and scooped out all the gravel with the fish still in there, its messy, its a pain in the bum but it didnt affect the fish at all, well they soon got over it if they were p'd off

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Are you going to go with sand, KISSfn?


I can tell you that sand is faily easy... once you get used to the method. And even if you do pull up a little sand with each vacuuming, it is cheap enough to just top off some more sand if it is needed.


I would say that if you have a powerful enough suction, you might be able to just suck up the gravel and the gunk at the same time. The greater the distance between the tank water level and the level of the bucket you are emptying into, the greater the suction strength will be.



It will take a while, but you might just be able to limit the amount of gunk kicked up that way. Of course, you might need to add more water just so that you can continue your gravel removal, but it might make it a bit easier - depending on the size of your siphon hose. Best wishes with it. No matter how you do it, you will enjoy the results. And if you have cories, just wait til you see them digging in it. It's awesome!

 

[KISSfn]

Thanks Dayzofspeed and Eaglesaquarium! I took one side of the decor out, vacuumed that gravel and scooped it out. I put the decor back in on the bare side so the fish wouldn't stress while I did the other side. Then I spread the remaining gravel in a much thinner layer over the entire tank. No gravel under the waterfall anymore so I don't have to vacuum under it. The fish are looking great. And I'm sure it will be much easier and faster to vac this amount of gravel.
Hey Eaglesaquarium: I found that adapter at Lowe's (quite a search) and it makes vacuuming a whole lot better! Not a perfect fit as bought but after modifications it's bone dry!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yeah, it took a little finagling, but mine is working great now. I did a 30% water change, and was completely finished in under 30 minutes!

 

[Geoff-]

Gravel is horrible stuff, the waste falls between the cracks and you are horrified when you gravel vac. So does a lot of uneaten food, and then the fish can't get to it.

With sand, and a few bottom feeders, I never have a problem. The bottom feeders keep shifting the fish waste until the filter gets it, and they also clean up any uneaten food, so the bottom of my tank is permanently pristine. I don't even have to "sand vac", I can just do water changes! (although I usually do stir the top layer of sand around a bit to keep things interesting).

 

[Stephan]

Please tell me what device you were talking about purchasing at lowes.

 

[eaglesaquarium]