When to vaccuum gravel

[Dasmms45]

Morning/afternoon all

Put some guppies into the aquarium yesterday which are doing brilliantly settling in.
Should I leave it a few days before doing any gravel vacuuming, filter washing etc?

 

[Lynnzer]

A water change of say 30% on a weekly basis is all you need just now. If you have plants theyll utilise the waste, and if you don't then GET SOME PLANTS.
Seriously, a substrate/gravel clean is entirely down to whatever your tank is filled with.

 

[Colin_T]

You do a gravel clean whenever you do a water change, which is normally once a week for an established aquarium.

Filters should be cleaned once a month after they are established (finished cycling). But don't clean it for the first 6 weeks because you can stop the beneficial bacteria from developing.

If you have a power filter, you squeeze the filter media/ materials out in a bucket of aquarium water and re-use the media. tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn.

 

[itiwhetu]

I have had another few Black Phantom Tetras show up today, I don't vacuum, and I do wonder if they would have survived if I had been vacuuming my substrate. I don't mind my substrate being a little dirty.

 

[Dasmms45]

Awesome thanks, was just thinking whether I should do the water change/gravel vac so soon, like 1 day, after introducing the guppies or give them a few days to settle?

 

[Dasmms45]

A water change of say 30% on a weekly basis is all you need just now. If you have plants theyll utilise the waste, and if you don't then GET SOME PLANTS.
Seriously, a substrate/gravel clean is entirely down to whatever your tank is filled with.

I have plants I have plants lol

 

[Craiglufc]

Loads of beneficial bacteria in your substrate. I do a 25% water change weekly and clean the substrate and filter every 3 weeks. Works well for me

 

[gilpi]

Keep your "filter washing" to a minimum, this is where most of your beneficial bacteria resides, just a light rinse once in a while with aquarium water.