How do you?

[Wildfire]

How do I clean my gravel with live plants? Do I remove them or jut go around them without bothering changing them place? Should I clean the gravel since I know the plants use the poo as fertilizer (I think)

Please help! I need to do a water change.

Also I wanted to know should I clean the glass or leave the algea for my Clown Pleco?

 

[gadazobe]

Go round the plants and try not to disturb the roots. I also have a planted tank and I only very occaisonally clean the gravel (mine is very fine just a couple of grades up from sand) when it starts to look really bad.. You can still do regular water changes, but just lightly skim over the gravel with the syphon.

I expect that you feed your clown plec algae wafers or veggies as well as him heating the algae on the glass, so there's no problem cleaning the glass. In fact the only time my bristlenose eats the algae from the glass is after I've cleaned it and fresh algae is starting to appear.

 

[Wildfire]

I expect that you feed your clown plec algae wafers or veggies

No I don't I just added him to the tank about a week ago! Should I be giving him some algea wafers. The algea in the tank is not sufficient? What kind of veggies can I give him?

 

[DrOizo]

I try not to hover the floor but leave it to SAE's and cories. I hold the vac near the floor and suck up the floaty bits and my plants don't seem to mind.

 

[Dubby]

If you have pea sized gravel, the muck tends to collect right at the bottom. You need to dig the syphon right into the bottom to suck it up. When you come close to the plants (say 2cm radius) dont dig but hover over the top. The plants can utilise the muck as fertiliser.

I tend to clean 3 sides of the tank but leave the back for my algae eaters to clean up.

 

[gadazobe]

No I don't I just added him to the tank about a week ago! Should I be giving him some algea wafers. The algea in the tank is not sufficient? What kind of veggies can I give him?

You should throw in an algae wafer after lights out at night or give him courgettes, cucumber, shelled peas, that sort of thing. Wash the veggies well and secure them to the gravel with either a clip or do what I do. I spear the veggies (apart from peas which I just drop in) with a ice cream stick and then "plant" that in the gravel.