The Importance Of Gravel Vacs.

[xoedusk]

I just want to share an experience we had a while back with the weekly cleaning of the tanks.

We used to clean our tanks with oridinary air tubing (for air pumps/airation). We would stir up the gravel with our fingers or a chopstick, then siphon out all the big particles (food, waste, dead plant, etc.) that would float up from the substrate. This of course left the tiny particles to have free room and board in our gravel -- impossible to get all of them out.

Now it must be said that the air tubing is pretty small in cross section, so it didn't suck much (or, it sucked very much, however you want to read that). Would take a good 5 minutes maybe (?) to filter out 5 gallons.

Then we purchased a gravel filter. They usually have a larger diameter hard tubing on the end that goes into the water that is attached to a smaller, longer diameter flexible tubing. Once we put this baby in the gravel, a cloud of nasty old waste, which was collecting for a few weeks, came up from the substrate. I really mean a cloud. The larger diameter allowed much more water flow, which was able to pull the particles from the substrate up. I cringe to think of the water quality then.

So if you are doing what were doing or simply dipping an empty bowl in to the water and doing water changes that way, you are missing all sorts of nasties that will contaminate your tank and make your sick fish. I mean your fish sick (damn that mild dyslexia).

So please, for your fish's sake, use a real gravel vac or something that works just as well.

 

[fishdawg]

most people use one... mine costs me $1 from lfs its 2.5" in diameter. it sucks 5 gal in 2 min

 

[xoedusk]

most people use one...

Good to hear! I hope new comers do as well.

mine costs me $1 from lfs its 2.5" in diameter. it sucks 5 gal in 2 min

Nice find!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Yeah, wouldn't be without mine for the world. And they're so cheap, there'd really be no reason to try to save on them.

 

[blue acara]

gravel vacs are priceless- the stuff that comes out of my tank glad ive got one-gravel vac every water change.

 

[wanda]

Yep, used 'em for years! work a treat!

Mike

 

[themissingelf]

Anyone any bright ideas for keeping the gravel clean in a heavily planted tank?

I have a heated cable which, in theory, should help to keep the gravel sweet (although not removing particles).

 

[Liam]

In a heavily planted tank you don’t need to gravel vac, I mean actually stick the vac in the gravel, in my tanks it would be impossible as all the gravel is planted. I move bits of wood and clean under it otherwise I just point the gravel vac near the roots for water changes that removes detritus sitting on the top of the substrate. With plant substrate you would just be taking out the substrate, much the same with sand. The plant roots will keep the substrate sweet and 'eat' the muck. It doesn’t build up. I guess the invisible ‘dirt’ is much more dangerous than all that muck you can see.