Gravel cleaning help

[earhtmother]

Anyone have a tried & true way to clean gravel without sucking up juvies etc? I usually use a Python to clean & do water changes (on a well so no additional additives used) & worry that when moving it from spot to spot I am going to suck little ones up before I see them

 

[Mebbid]

If you're concerned about juvies then the best bet is to switch out to sand as it doesn't need to be vacuumed since the detritus will just sit on top of it. Other than that, I can't offer a whole lot of advice other than just be careful.

When I kept smaller fish I kept a mesh bag rubber banded around the intake tube of the siphon. But if you end up on top of a juvie with it then it will likely die regardless.

 

[Fresh2o]

I️ remove water near the surface. I still need to be wary of wandering shrimp.
My shrimp tank had 2” of EcoComplete but so much crud would get built up in it. Probably good for the crypts. I never vacuumed it. Eventually I removed it and went with a very thin layer of black sand.
If you go with sand, perhaps you can use a turkey baster to stir up the debris so that the filter can pick it up.

 

[kashif314]

I am having a a hard time cleaning my carpet. If I use filter media it filters some debris etc. If I do without it then it will suck up the juvis. Sigh.

 

[coralbandit]

I run my tanks with fry BB[Bare Bottom]. That being said ,for me not sucking up fry is rare when it happens.So I vacuum like this ;
I use a clean white bucket to vacuum into.It is easier to spot fry in.
I use a properly sized vacuum /syphon.
Large vacuums draw water much harder in a wider path then smaller ones. A 1/4 inch ID hose should be much slower and more controllable then a python IMO.
I tap my syphon on the bottom or side glass through out cleaning to scare fry away.As they get older they get wiser...
I like the swirl it up with a turkey baster idea also as I use a turkey batser with rigid tubing to clean the dip and pours where I hatch the fry...
CLEAN WHITE BUCKET and a small net/turkey baster to catch them after depending on size....Maybe a flashlight also depending on lighting in room to see clearly into bucket...

 

[kashif314]

I run my tanks with fry BB[Bare Bottom]. That being said ,for me not sucking up fry is rare when it happens.So I vacuum like this ;
I use a clean white bucket to vacuum into.It is easier to spot fry in.
I use a properly sized vacuum /syphon.
Large vacuums draw water much harder in a wider path then smaller ones. A 1/4 inch ID hose should be much slower and more controllable then a python IMO.
I tap my syphon on the bottom or side glass through out cleaning to scare fry away.As they get older they get wiser...
I like the swirl it up with a turkey baster idea also as I use a turkey batser with rigid tubing to clean the dip and pours where I hatch the fry...
CLEAN WHITE BUCKET and a small net/turkey baster to catch them after depending on size....Maybe a flashlight also depending on lighting in room to see clearly into bucket...

Hmm. Very nice. I love the idea mostly white bucket. I am sure a small white bucket is very easy to see if some fries sucked in accidentally. My tank is 6 gallon so its way to easy for me. Also I noticed my carpet is not very dirty. Its shrimp only tank which have very minor bio load and I feed every other day and little.

 

[earhtmother]

Yeah my guppy/molly/platy fry tank is bare bottom & that's pretty much how I do it, even had to frankenstein my own syphon as it is almost 30" deep so it needed a longer rigid tube to work properly.
My shrimp tank unfortunately is situated in such a way that using this is awkward because of it size but I am thinking its time to head back to the lab & make something up