Cleaning a heavily planted tank?

[Gingimaru]

hi all

this might seem like a dumb question but you dont learn if you dont ask.

say you have a heavily planted tank with large pieces of bogwood, various live and silk plants etc how would you go about cleaning your tank?

a few videos/people have said (or i have seen) hoover the front of their tank. what about the rest of the tank? the bits under the bogwood where detritus could settle? or under/on plants etc. or would your BB make sure any left over waste in the tank is "dealt with" in that any ammonia it releases is eaten away even though the detritus hasnt actually made it to the filter? or is leaving a bit or fish poo in the tank a good thing? especially when you have live plants?

 

[Fishy Aston]

Take everything out and clean it all out.

Do that every 6 months and then just leave it alone for another 6 months.

Do a few water tests though just to check on the levels espicaly if fish are dieing.

 

[jcolon]

Good Question.

I just gravel vac in areas where I don't have live plants ... so by my DW stones, and back corners. I don't lift DW to get underneath ... my gravel vac has a strong enough suction that just hovering on top of the gravel by DW can suck up debris.

Any food or fish waste that lands by your plants will eventually break down into ammonia and then used up by substrate BB and the plants themselves.

 

[Coursair]

Take everything out and clean it all out.

Do that every 6 months and then just leave it alone for another 6 months.

Do a few water tests though just to check on the levels espicaly if fish are dieing.

Oh heck NO !!

I rarely gravel vac. Hovering above the sand. You can stir up the top layer a bit before a PWC.

My tanks are Heavily planted ! I can't remove everything. My tank has been up a year. I do remove big dead leaves. My Shrimp and Snails snack on the small bits.

I do PWCs weekly or as needed. When or if I remove a large plant or change the 'scape, then I'll take the opportunity to do some extra cleaning. I pull my water out via my HOB filter do I don't suck out baby Shrimp.

I have SS grade CRS. Sensitive shrimp. if my lack of vacuuming was an issue, all my Shrimp and my Scarlet Badis would be dead.

 

[Gingimaru]

Oh heck NO !!

I rarely gravel vac. Hovering above the sand. You can stir up the top layer a bit before a PWC.

My tanks are Heavily planted ! I can't remove everything. My tank has been up a year. I do remove big dead leaves. My Shrimp and Snails snack on the small bits.

I do PWCs weekly or as needed. When or if I remove a large plant or change the 'scape, then I'll take the opportunity to do some extra cleaning. I pull my water out via my HOB filter do I don't suck out baby Shrimp.

I have SS grade CRS. Sensitive shrimp. if my lack of vacuuming was an issue, all my Shrimp and my Scarlet Badis would be dead.

brill thanks for that my tank isnt heavily planted (i.e. Co2 systems multiple layers of ubstrate) however a piece of bogwood takes up 1/3 of the tank at least and moving that around to get under it is a pain. do shrimp and snails actually eat fish poo?? i'm sure i've seen them do it just unsure if its normal or if its beneficial to them. also if they do eat it, it means less cleaning on my part as such although that doesnt mean i wont vac up a lil round the areas i can

 

[Coursair]

brill thanks for that my tank isnt heavily planted (i.e. Co2 systems multiple layers of ubstrate) however a piece of bogwood takes up 1/3 of the tank at least and moving that around to get under it is a pain. do shrimp and snails actually eat fish poo?? i'm sure i've seen them do it just unsure if its normal or if its beneficial to them. also if they do eat it, it means less cleaning on my part as such although that doesnt mean i wont vac up a lil round the areas i can

No they don't eat poop. But they do help stir things around. The plants appreciate detritus.

 

[Gingimaru]

cool thanks so long as theres some fishy crap in my tank my plants will get something wicked

 

[mohican]

Same as always. Just vacuum (or hover) over and around plants best you can and try to move plant leaves aside to get into nooks the best you can. Letting too much detrius laying around will eventually polute your water. If your tank is established, and it sound like it is, your plants are getting plenty of nutrients from waste. I try to get evry last bit in my tank knowing there is always something behind. Its very difficult to get every single piece of detrius in your tank; people on here will say otherwise tho.