Filthy Water

[chrisG]

Hi

I have a 150ltr tank with a Fluval 4 Filter.
The tank is about 2 months old, and i went through a fishless cycle as per instructions on this site.

My stock at the moment is -

5 Zebra Danios
4 Gold Tetras
4 Cardinal Tetras
2 Small plecs (cant remember there exact name)

I have 5 real plants and a couple of fake plants, plus some ornaments etc.
On a bed of white gravel.

The problem i have is, everytime i do a water change, or "stir" the tank up by moving things etc, the amount of "bits" that are in the water is really bad
you can barely see the fish for about an hour afterwards until it has all settled down.
I presume its fish waste and food, but it cant be healthy for the fish can it?
After its all settled, the water is crystal clear.
Ive tried a gravel cleaner from pets at home, but quite frankly thought it was pretty naff, its one that you just move up and down until a syphon
begins then hover it above the gravel and its meant to draw the dirt out, im not impressed by it, i dont mind paying for a decent one, but dont want
to pay out and end up with something just as crap, so if anyone can give me a link to a good highly recomended gravel cleaner then
id be happy!

Any suggestions?

P.S I change about 15-20% of the water once a week, and check levels regulary.
I give the filter sponges a shake in a bucket of old tank water when im doing a change.

 

[ox5477]

A gravel vac needs to be plunged into the gravel to suck up the poop. For sand... then you hover over the surface... but to get all the bits out, you need to put the end of the large tube into the gravel. Here is a Movie. The music is quite cheesy but it shows you what I mean.

Ox

 

[chrisG]

Thanks for that.
Is it just the power of a syphon, or do you get ones that are powered by a motor?

 

[MHunt]

The motor ones are better as you don't need to get a syphon going to start the water flow. Otherwise a normal manual gravel vac should do the trick.

 

[Corleone]

The siphon itself is enough. A gravel vac is just a siphon hose with a big plastic tube at the end. There's some battery powered ones, but you can save your money. Unless the tank is close to the ground, you'll get good suction just with the siphon.

 

[ox5477]

def... no need to use powered ones. About the only special kind of trube I would recommend is a python brand vac. This uses an adpater to your faucet to create suction and has a long hose and will empty the water directly down your drain. Also, makes for easy refil. But, for smaller tanks... there is nothing wrong with the bucket method. I still use that for my small guppy breeder tank.

Ox