Converting a Gravel tank to Planted: The Process

[wicked_chicken]

I see. Are these snails the same as what I've heard called nuisance snails?

 

[ashleynicole]

I see. Are these snails the same as what I've heard called nuisance snails?

Malaysian trumpet snails are awesome, and no they are not like common pond snails. Malaysian trumpet snails stay mostly buried in the sand during the day so you don't see them a lot... and then climb up the sides at night, although they will come out to eat uneaten food during feeding time.

Their population will explode if you over feed, but its easy to scoop them out at night when they crawl up the sides if you feel that you have too many, or crush them and feed them to your fish, their shells are too hard for most fish, even loaches, to be able to eat them.

I like snails actually.

 

[wicked_chicken]

OK cool. I'll see if I can't track some down. Will I have any issues with ghost shrimp?

 

[ashleynicole]

OK cool. I'll see if I can't track some down. Will I have any issues with ghost shrimp?

These snails are fine with just about everything. I had ghost shrimp for a while.. till my angels ate them.

I saw some in the planted tank at the local pet store and they gave me some.. I also bought some from severum mama when I ordered my bolivian rams and bristlenose pleco from them.

 

[richpowell1989]

I do have plants, but it's all new and hasn't filled out yet. Snails eat poop? Or am I misunderstanding?

In my tanks I never vacum the gravel or sand, in a very heavily planted tank your not meant to vacum it because the plants use the waist. Everyone on here who have a heavily planted tank do the and thing. I have dirt in all mine under flourite and still don't vacum

 

[abrahamavelar]

same here i used to vacuum the sand but its been like 2 months since i dont, and if u are worried about the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates that it might cause doing atleast 50% weekly will help alot plus the plants are gonna love the big changes of water

 

[aqua_chem]

In my tanks I never vacum the gravel or sand, in a very heavily planted tank your not meant to vacum it because the plants use the waist. Everyone on here who have a heavily planted tank do the and thing. I have dirt in all mine under flourite and still don't vacum

I vacuum the bejesus out of my heavily planted tank. Controls nitrates, organics, and general cleanliness of a tank.

 

[ashleynicole]

I vacuum the bejesus out of my heavily planted tank. Controls nitrates, organics, and general cleanliness of a tank.

Doesn't it disrupt your root system?
I can't seem to get enough nitrates in my planted tanks. They are always around 5 and I actually dose it occasionally because the leaves start to turn yellow in my anubias if the nitrates get too low.

 

[aqua_chem]

Its never been an issue. I dont necessarily stick my vac down into the substrate though, but rather make sure that I get all the detritus that I can every time I do a WC. I use a 50' python with passive syphoning, so the water moves slow enough that heavier sand particles can fall out of the vac and not get syphoned out, but lighter detritus and poo gets removed. Pretty much anything in the top 1/4" is fair game.

Now, in my low tech 10, I have crypts in gravel, and I stick the vac right down into it. The crpyts, heavy root feeders that they are, do fine, and Im not particularly gentle with them.

I dose KNO3, so I have pretty good control of my nitrate. Whenever you have something rotting and decomposing, it will set off an ecological cascade that I usually dont want to deal with (usually ending in algae).

 

[richpowell1989]

I vacuum the bejesus out of my heavily planted tank. Controls nitrates, organics, and general cleanliness of a tank.

I can't even see my substrate and my tanks are just as clean as anyone's also I have always been told not to vacum a planted tank and also my nitrate levels and all that are fine always check I just do a 50% pwc every sunday, I don't have many fish in my tanks I hate it when a lot of people have a heavily planted tank and ruin it with a lot of fish

 

[abrahamavelar]

I can't even see my substrate and my tanks are just as clean as anyone's also I have always been told not to vacum a planted tank and also my nitrate levels and all that are fine always check I just do a 50% pwc every sunday, I don't have many fish in my tanks I hate it when a lot of people have a heavily planted tank and ruin it with a lot of fish

Yeah I was told not to vacuum the sand in a planted tank, and with bigh water changes any of those parameters should be fixed