Vacuuming the gravel

[abstract]

well you need to be very careful with cleaning all of your gravel when you use an undergravel filter.....that is where all of the beneficial bacteria is, and if you're removing it all and cleaning in hot water, your tank will be cycling again everytime you do this...

i agree with bloozo that such an agressive method COULD cause problems at some time...although it's probably not too likely to happen...either way once a month is plenty enough to keep pristine condtions for our blackwater fish

 

[FalconStorm]

I've had trouble with fish getting too stressed out with such a heavy cleaning and change. When I changed my substrate, I lost a neon to stress.

I have a question, though. I have live plants in my tank. They, obviously, would not like being moved around too much because of their roots. How should I handle gravel vac-ing that? I don't have a lot of debris since I've got ravenous bottom feeders and low waste producing fish, but I'm still wondering what I should do about the plants when I need to clean.

 

[orientmatt]

i never bother to do any cleaning of the gravel with a vac as i think it upsets the balance of the tank. All i do is occassionally clean rocks, trim plants and wash the filter, and thats it.

I have noticed that when my Dad vacs his tank(which is quite small) there are often deaths a few days afterwards, which i think could be down to stress.

 

[Bloo]

Well all I can say to that is that I can clearly see my fish becoming stressed if I do *not* vac my gravel for 2 weeks (and only do a 7 day water change).
With plants, I tend to just go lightly around them so that I do not damage root systems.

 

[abstract]

if you have live plants you shouldnt be thoroughly vacuuming your gravel at all...they need the nutrients....and from my experience most plants can be uprooted, moved, etc no problem as long as you dont physically damage (severe) the roots....

 

[FalconStorm]

Well, I've read about some swords that will have roots covering the bottom of the tank. I imagine they would not appreciate being uprooted. For the most part, I use my vac to get the really big stuff that's lying on the surface of the gravel and to get the areas that aren't as heavy in plant growth, so I guess I've been doing it right, for the most part. I don't really have much trouble with nasty stuff in or on my substrate, especially since I have bottom feeders, I was just wondering what advice ya'll might have. Thanks.