Carpet plants and weekly cleaning

[FMJnaX]

I don't ever plan on using a carpet plant like moss or glosso, but I just had a thought cross my mind... and that is, how do people clean the gravel with these types of plants planted? I know most people use a netting/mesh of some sort to plant. As a result, do they just lift the plant and gravel vac or do they not use gravel in the first place?

Just a thought that crossed my mind...

 

[AlexPerez]

I only DEEP vacuum the substrate in my planted tank when the mulm builds way up.
1 or 2 times a year. On regular water changes(50% weekly) I just wave the vac over the substrate if I can get to it. In a high-light planted tank there is really no need to vacuum the substrate as the mulm that builds up is a great fertilizer for the pants.

 

[Steve Hampton]

Like Alex, I only do weekly 50-70% water changes and never vacuum the substrate. Occasionally I will hover the Python over thick clumps of Java Fern, Pearl weed, Moss, Riccia, etc. to remove trapped debris from building up. Also, if I'm photographing my tanks I'll suck up as much mulm as possible for the best shots. Other than those times and if doing a major rescape I'll leave the substrate undisturbed.

 

[BrianNY]

Exactly. Gravel vacs aren't needed in heavily planted tanks because the detritus is a source of nutrients for root feeders.

 

[Jchillin]

LOL...my tank is nowhere near heavily planted but I haven't gravel vac'd nearly as much as I did with my 30 gal. Another benefit of the planted tank...mulm is nutrition for plants.

 

[FMJnaX]

Interesting.... take a spin to it and ask: Should I gravel vac then? I do so often enough that I sometimes have water running clean enough through the vac to drink. Should I keep the plant side of my tank un-vac'd and vac the fake plant side? Perhaps this would give a little extra to what little I have.

 

[rubysoho]

you could do something in the middle where you only clean one side at a time. If your levels are still good, then you could do a third at a time, check levels again, then if all is good try going without gravel vacumming.

 

[wabyrd]

I only spot vac the gravel where it's visible. Other than that what gets down in the gravel stays in the gravel.

 

[talloulou]

Me too, I vacumn the gravel around my plants and leave the planted areas unvacumned. Of course my tank isn't that heavily planted and my lighting is low so my plants aren't exactly growing like weeds anyway.

 

[malkore]

I only vac the surface of the gravel, not into it. Substrates like Eco complete and sand are so light you'll suck it out of the tank if you deep vac.

 

[gheitman]

I typically only siphon the surface of the gravel where necessary in my heavily planted tanks (If I can see the surface). I don't want to disturb the root system of my plants.