Is gravel cleaning mandatory?

[lekkiandgas]

with our gravel we clean the surface, it holds certain bacteria the tank needs

 

[xraycer]

with our gravel we clean the surface, it holds certain bacteria the tank needs

BB adheres to the surface areas of gravel/sand. Vacuuming will result in negligible, if any, loss of BB

 

[lekkiandgas]

BB adheres to the surface areas of gravel/sand. Vacuuming will result in negligible, if any, loss of BB

Really? thanks, wasn't aware of that

 

[xraycer]

Really? thanks, wasn't aware of that

Yep. So, go ahead and drive that vacuum tube right down to the bottom of the tank and get rid of all that crud

 

[lekkiandgas]

Yep. So, go ahead and drive that vacuum tube right down to the bottom of the tank and get rid of all that crud

 

[skjl47]

BB adheres to the surface areas of gravel/sand. Vacuuming will result in negligible, if any, loss of BB

Hello; Yes, this is may understanding also. I do not think you need to worry about the bb.

I use one of those gravel vacs with a big tube that necks down to a much smaller tube. Once the siphon starts the big end is jammed down into the gravel. The gravel moves up the tube for a bit and falls back. The waste and other detritus moves on up and out.

 

[pops]

yup, dig that puppy right into the gravel and let it fall out, I move in patterns and use the gravel falling out to fill dug holes. while it is true good BB does live on gravel, its only on the surface that is subject to moving oxygenated water. The stuff deeper is dif bacteria that lives with out oxygen and not good for your fish or tank and does not contribute to the nitrogen cycle. It has been known for folks with deep sand that is never turned for these bacteria to build gasses, then burp a big bubble and poison the fish.

 

[Benno87]

I only got a 3/4 inch layer of sand in my tank but still dig and suck it up with the vacuum every week to keep it clean. It's amazing how dirty a thin layer still gets in only a week and only one 4 inch cichlid in the tank.

 

[lekkiandgas]

yup, dig that puppy right into the gravel and let it fall out, I move in patterns and use the gravel falling out to fill dug holes. while it is true good BB does live on gravel, its only on the surface that is subject to moving oxygenated water. The stuff deeper is dif bacteria that lives with out oxygen and not good for your fish or tank and does not contribute to the nitrogen cycle. It has been known for folks with deep sand that is never turned for these bacteria to build gasses, then burp a big bubble and poison the fish.

thread hijack, but pops love that in your avatar lol

 

[pops]