Liquid Gravel vac

[Jason the Lost]

Anyone tried this stuff? Somthing new at fosters and smith....some type of waste eating bacteria?

Curious cause cleaning a planted tank with driftwood is a real pain, my angels are poop machines and the stuff really accumulates around plant bases and places the python can't normally get to.

 

[smn723]

I saw this product also but thought it was a little skeptical. Gotta wonder if it's doing any damage rather than good. Would kinda add up fast too. I'd be interested in hearing if it works from someone and if it causes any poor effects in their tank.

 

[Alshain]

I have to jump on the skeptic train. In my experience, any "quick way out" is usually a trap.

 

[JeffreyL]

Saw it too, and figured it to be another snake oil. Then got curious and looked at it.

So, from the product info section at Drs Foster Smith

"Depending upon population and bio-load of the aquarium, traditional gravel vacuuming should be performed"

"One of the key components is billions of Mother Nature's own "housekeepers" - aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. These little overachievers provide all natural, stress-free removal of detrimental aquarium pollutants such as uneaten fish food and fish waste through healthy bioremediation. "

I take that to mean the stuff is likely to just, maybe, help speed up the breakdown of organic waste to nitrates. Thus PWCs still needed to romove nitrates. Despite the first quote concerning gravel vacuming, if this stuff can reduce vacuming ...... might be worth a try. But I think I will pass. LOL

Seriously, I understand what you mean about poop machines and tank "stuff" in the way. Have you tried getting a smaller end tube for the python? A couple of times someone has posted doing this. Or you can just bite the bullet and use a conventional small syphon for the hard to reach places. I use a 1/2 inch id syphon tube with a 5/8 inch id straight tube jamed on the end. Usually sucks stuff off the surface pretty good.

If you do try the Liquid Gravel Vac, let us know how it works.

 

[Jason the Lost]

I actually just bought an extender tube off F&S so I'm going to clip the shorter tube from the line and use that one as the smaller tool. Trying to think of what I can use to hold that portion of tube straight/rigid though to get it down without it coiling up.

I probably wont buy the stuff for the same skeptical reasons as above.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

I'll buy some next paycheck and try it in my white sand tang tank and report back as an experiment and let you know how it goes.

 

[Jason the Lost]

Looking forward to the results of this study

 

[Zagz]

I am skeptical because of the if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true motto. It will be interesting to see the results of your experiment MCD.

 

[kansei]

The part I like is :

"Depending upon population and bio-load of the aquarium, traditional gravel vacuuming should be performed"

So if you have more than a single guppy fry in a 20gal - you may need to gravel vac
They covered themselves if/when it don't work . Too good to be true .

 

[BillD]

I believe heterotrophic bacteria produce ammonia, not nitrate. In a filter that contains solids, they compete with nitrifying bacteria for available oxygen. They are already present in your system, and since bacteria grow in proportion to their food supply, there should be more than enough to consume solids, given time.

 

[gheitman]

This sounds very similar to Cycle. Doesn't that also contain heterotrophic bacteria?