how often would you suck the crap off the gravel?

and how often and how much would you do a water change please.

thanks susan

Depends if you like the taste or not.

Most people only do it once.

As for water changes, by the time you have used the gravel-vac across all the bottom,

it works out to about 10% weekly if you are being good.

Slip a bit down the scale as the weeks go by without w/changes.

Alan

how often would you suck the crap off the gravel?

and how often and how much would you do a water change please.

thanks susan

I do it Once every 2 weeks and my tank water stays pretty clean.

I try to do it every week when I do my 50% water changes. But...I've gotten a bit slack with the vacuuming. AND I've discovered my cichlid tank's nitrates go way down when I haven't vacuumed it for a while.

I have sand in one of my tanks, so I try to to a small water change and vacuum every 3-4 days.

On this topic, is it possible to do too many water changes?? I do about 20% every 3-4 days, but only clean the canister and other filter out every week or two. :-?

Nope, it's not possible to do too many. Well, assuming that your water going in is the right temp and everything. Unless you get into unrealistic water changes like the water flowing throw the tank being changed so fast the fish get sucked up the intake or something.

Nope, it's not possible to do too many. Well, assuming that your water going in is the right temp and everything. Unless you get into unrealistic water changes like the water flowing throw the tank being changed so fast the fish get sucked up the intake or something.

I reckon that if you change too much water in your tank it will kill the good bacteria that change fish wastes into the good stuff. Ive always been told not to change more than 25% of my water at any time. Ive stuck close to this rule and so far (3 months) I havn't had many problems.

My tanks are lucky to get a water change once every 2 or 3 months.

thanks for your input. i seem to suck about 50% of water when i do a gravel siphon i have a 4 foot tank. is this normal water loss or am i going to slow on the siphon.

Once the tank has settled a good rule is 10% every week or 20% every 2 weeks, i would just suck up as much crud as it take sto do a 10/20% water Change. The gravel should clear up and stay relitavely clean if you do bout 10% a week i think.

just a dumb question......

do you move the siphon up and down on the gravel so as not to disturb anything or just willy nilly moving the gravel around so that when you have finished the tank looks really murky and disgusting?

I prefer to run my fingers thru the gravel with the filtration turned off.

Leave 1/4 hour to settle then use the gravel vac,

plunging it down into the gravel very systematically.

To do this in a 600 x 300 x 300 usually takes a 15lt. bucket out.

Alan

I scrape any algae off the glass then let it settle before I shove the siphon as deeply as I can into the gravel and systematically move across the tank, starting in the front and making my way to the back. By the time I have covered the whole tank I have removed about 60 litres from a 4ft tank.

I Kinda Pat the gravel as i go to lift up and debris.

you can over clean you know !!

dont clean the gravel like you would your house you want some muck in the tank, and the only way you have to do big water changes is if you are breeding , sorry your fish are breeding and you are feeding the babies big time then you do more water changes.

put more cat fish in your tank and plants and then you will not have to touch the bottom of your tank!

as for filters inside filters every week to every two weeks but

canister filter dont need cleaning often and shouldnt be cleaned until the water flow slows down! put a sponge on the intake then you clean that one a week and leave the canister alone, if you have to clean it more than once every 3months you are over feeding out have to many fish in your tank, i havent touched mine for 16months and its working great!

cheers kim, you sound very wise must be the fact that you have ya own fish shop ay.... ha ha

i would like to come and meet you and discuss fishy things if that was alright. could you tell me where your shop is again please.

thanks susan

haha thanks i think susan , but it comes from keeping fish all my life and learning from doing different things.

my shop can be found on the corner of pupuke rd and lydia ave , northcote/birkenhead.

get off m/w at northcote rd off ramp (one to milford)

turn right go past netball courts and the poe keep going , you will see a hill! go up the hill turn right onto pupuke rd then we are the first left! dairy is on the corner then we are a few shops down.

look forward to meeting you

dont spose your working tomorrow, would you mind a visitor

i work 6 to 7 days a week, and yes im in tomorrow and im always happy to put a face to the name.

i have meet a few people off here and its great!

on my planted tank i never shove the vacum into the gravel this will only damage the roots of my plants and remove the nutrients i spend so much on trying to get in there.

i basically hold the syphon about 15 mm's of the gravel and suck up any loose material that it picks up .

and i must be lazy cause i only do monthly water changes

I must be lazy cause i only do monthly water changes

I believe the size of the tank and the filteration equipment in use plays a huge role in the amount of water changes you have to do.

the amount of food you put in has a big part in it and how many fish you have ,

now you have a big filter susan you will find the tank should stay alot cleaner!