Vacuuming tank - what's your method?

[weedkiller]

now this has gone from vaccuming tanks to what plants eat in our tanks...
and an effort to diffuse the thread....

what is the best plants to consume the nitrates the fastest and most effectively???

[emc7]

You want plants that like your set up. the best plants in the world won't help if they die. Pick based on amount of light and water chemistry.

Off-track again. The explosive fertilizer is ammonium nitrate(NH4)+(NO3)- Plants need nitrogen and have a variety of ways to get it (air, water, soil, symbiotic pairings with bacteria or fungus, even eating bugs).

Aquatic plants have their own books, magazines, web sites, and so on. I have decades of experience with fish, but am still a beginner with plants. Currently I like hornwort for hard water and elodea for soft. They have a lot of area and make a lot of hiding places for fish.

I use a "gravel-washer" for tanks with substrate (I just use a hose for bare tanks. For just a water change, I siphon into a bucket. But for a major cleaning I attach it to a canister filter's intake and put a micron filter in the filter to catch as much poo and and uneaten food and plant pieces, etc. as I can.

The balance comment is right on. Plants need some nitrate, but how much depends on what else they have (light, CO2, ferts) which determines their growth. Fish make plant food and CO2 but also use minerals. If any thing is off, you may get algae, or dead fish, or sick plants, and on and on. Balance is the trickiest thing.

I stock and filter and water change for fish, and I toss in plants and hope for the best.

Aquatic gardeners optimize the tank for plants (ferts, light, Co2) and throw in a few fish for color/motion.

[Angelclown]

Originally Posted by lohachata well it certainly can't be you betta man..after all , you read a book and talked to a crew member of a guy that has a website..

Oh yes Betta man is the wrong one here. He doesn't research things as much as I do when questioning things that he reads or is told.