teenagers' den

[dwarfgourami]

The weekly gravel vacuum is coming up in the cory tank (5 peppereds in 70 ltr tank), and looking at it it suddenly struck me that the most disgustingly dirty part is going to be their den, the back of a stump of bogwood, where they spend most of their time piled on top of one another, bit like a teenagers' den really.
Should I move it and gravel- and if so, how often?
I don't want them to think I don't respect their privacy, but I don't want them to suffocate in their own filth either.
What do your reckon, how often?

 

[LoachLover]

I wouldn't move the bogwood very often, maybe just once in awhile to clean back there.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Thanks, that's sounds about right. Perhaps a monthly inspection or less?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi dwarfgourami

While it's necessary to clean all parts of your tank floor, it's OK if you don't clean the entire thing every time.

If your gravel vac fits down behind the bogwood, you could just tidy up a bit each time. If your gravel vac has a larger piece of plastic on the end of the round tube, you can remove it to make it easier to use in small areas. (I took that part off mine and threw it away.)

You'll also find that the dirt manages to get under the bogwood itself, as well as under rocks and other decorations, so you will probably just want to shift them around a little to get under them.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Inchworm, yes, that's what I meant. I am not intending to clean everything every week. But my gravel vac doesn't fit into the cave without moving the bogwood- and without shifting the corys themselves, so I was wondering how often I ought to do this more major spring clean. How often do you reckon?

 

[Discomafia]

I don't want them to think I don't respect their privacy

I'm sure they won't mind as long as you don't do it everyday. Their health is more important than their privacy, they just don't know it...

 

[Inchworm]

Hi dwarfgourami

If your tank isn't too heavily stocked, and if you can give the rest of it a good cleaning on a regular basis, why not start out with shifting your bogwood once a month.

Then, after you see what has actually accumulated back there, you will be better able to decide how often it needs to be done. In the meanwhile, keep a good eye on your fish, like you would when doing anything differently. If they stay healthy and the water parameters stay constant, you will know all is well with your new routine. Also, take care not to overfeed so that uneaten food won't wash into that area and become lodged there.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Brilliant, sounds good to me, I'll do that-