Turds on substrate.

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

ChileRelleno

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Feb 7, 2004
Messages
1,031
Location
Alabama,USA
Having a slight problem with Oscar -n- Plec turds (alot of the plec turds float, particularly sweet potato turds :lol: ) not getting sucked up by my filters and just laying/drifting around on the substrate (small/med gravel).
I have two AC500's in my 75 gal and the uptakes, media and outflows are unimpeded, it just seems like the turds are too heavy to get sucked up.
The uptakes for both filters are aprox 3-4 inches above the substrate, I can't add another extension tube without burying the uptake in the substrate.

Ideas... Need input.

Put some type of cup or something in the substrate to hold the gravel away from the uptake (kinda like a cofferdam for the substrate), add the extension tubes. The uptakes would actually be below the substrate surface level and perhaps with stronger flow the poop would find its way into these cups?

And/or, should/could, I add a powerhead (direct flow or spraybar?)to increase flow on the bottom to stir up the turds?

Or just resign myself to vacumn them off the substrate?
I would need to do this like every third day atleast and that would mean I'd be doing two 20%+ water changes per week, counting regular weekly gravel vacumning



If riding in a airplane is flying,
then riding in a boat is swimming....
Experience the element... Get out of the plane, SKYDIVE!
 
JMO here but........... 2 20% wcs per week is good for your fish. I'd rather siphon the turds up then have them clogging my filter. :wink:
 
Back
Top Bottom