cleaning gravel

[fishboy87]

Hey fish lovers, lol, I have a 55 gallon with 7 of my children in there .....I would like to know what's te best way to clean gravel.... I use a siphon ( not sure if I spelled that right) but I heard that only doing 25% of the gravel is recommended bc of the risk of removing beneficial bacteria.... Is that correct ??? I got that info from my local pet store......I was thinking about doing 50% of the gravel since Ima clean freak..... P.S. They also told me to do a 50 % water change once a month.....

 

[carey]

Hi there. I do a 10-20% pwc every week on my cichlid 55g. I also clean as much of the gravel as i can in the time it takes to get about 10-15 gallons out via my python siphon. I'd look into the python, hooks right up to the sink and has a 25 or 50 foot hose. makes a pwc really quick and easy every week.

 

[TraceyB4602]

If your tank is already established I wouldn't see why you couldn't do half the gravel when you vacuum. In my 45g I usually do a 30% water change weekly and 50% if the gravel every time, switching between the sides each week. The bacteria is in the gravel but mostly in your filter media. I know people that only do water changes once a month but for me I feel like it should be done weekly to keep the water fresh.

Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium

 

[Bettababe1011]

Fifty percent ONCE A MONTH? No. You should be doing PWC every week. You will learn that on here, most people just nod and smile at the fish store, because the advice they give you is normally off. Occasionally the advice is so terrible, that we correct them, and this just shows you that they don't give the best advice. They are a business that is trying to make a profit. They will tell you almost anything to get your business. The only way to truly know what is best for the fish is to do lots of your own research. BTW, not all lfs are like this, I'm gifted with a knowledgable staff at my lfs, but most stores aren't like that.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.

 

[Vircomore]

It really depends on the tank. A tank that is 100% fake decorations and fake plants will need water changes more often - whereas some heavily-plants tanks actually have enough live plants to "complete" the Nitrogen Cycle. Those tanks don't necessarily need new water as often because all of the plants consume a lot of the Nitrate.