Gravel Vac

[r6mason]

What is the general rule for gravel vac-ing the aquarium?

 

[talloulou]

I'd say that depends on alot of different things....First I assume your asking how often?
I think this would depend on whether or not your prone to overfeeding. I personally gravel vac my tanks gravel once a week. This might seem like too much to some but I have a planted tank and I gravel vac around the plants. So while I gravel vac the tank weekly there are areas of my tanks that never ever get touched. I also feed my fish alot.

 

[talloulou]

Oh, and I forgot to add that I would avoid gravel vac if your tank is new and still cycling.

 

[Meredith]

Oh, and I forgot to add that I would avoid gravel vac if your tank is new and still cycling.

I agree. In general though, I vac with every water change. I don't like the idea of detritus just sitting there in the tank.

 

[megladonsharky]

I vac with every change one to three times a week... I do one area per time

 

[r6mason]

no My tank is not still cycling. I have a 300 gal tank with 2 oscars and 2 fronts all about 4-5"

 

[talloulou]

300 gallons, good heavens. I'm up to my armpits vacuming my 55 gal. LOL.

 

[Jchillin]

For the 30 gal - Weekly and deep.

For the 75 gal planted - Weekly...just skimming surfaces I can get at. I'll even skip a week depending on test results for NO3, etc.

 

[Jchillin]

no My tank is not still cycling. I have a 300 gal tank with 2 oscars and 2 fronts all about 4-5"

I would love to see a pic of that tank!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

As the others have stated, I also gravel vac weekly. Since I have all sand tanks, it's just surface vacing. I can't stand to see the fish waste.

 

[greenmaji]

They make longer gravel vac tubes for bigger tanks.. If its not planted I deep vac the hole thing every water change.. at worst thats weekly and most of the time it dictates how big of a pwc % I will end up changing.. sometimes getting all the gravel vacumed I have to chang 50-75% of the water in the process with the smaller tanks.. I would think with a 300gal you could get all the gravel vac-ed with a 25% change..

 

[Guest]

I would think with a 300gal you could get all the gravel vac-ed with a 25% change..

God, thats 75 gallons a week. What a monster of a tank!

 

[greenmaji]

Yea, with a tank that big I would look into doing some alternate filtration to remove NO3, PO4 and the like..
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=31994

 

[Resurgent]

Gravel one side each time not both