Water Change vs. Vacuum

Fishy Lee · 02-16-2006, 02:54 AM

So when everybody is talking about weekly water changes, are most of you referring to vacuuming the substrate as well? I weekly take out 25% of the water, and monthly to a tad more than monthly compolete vacuum out the substrate. Am I understanding the difference? Or are more people vacuuming everyweek???

ron v · 02-16-2006, 06:33 AM

I think the idea is to vacuum the gravel AS you change water. You can't vacuum too much. In fry tanks I vacuum every day, or at least I try to.

craftyflalady · 02-16-2006, 06:49 AM

I agree Ron, why not kill 2 birds with one stone. I vacuum everytime I change the water. The cleaner to keep the tank, the healthier your fish in the long run.

Kathy

mrmoby · 02-16-2006, 10:51 AM

Yes, vacuum the gravel. I have skipped it a time or two, and you would be surprised how stuff builds up. You are draining the water anyway, so why waste the opportunity.

leveldrummer · 02-16-2006, 02:46 PM

me too, same as above, if your suckin out water, why not just use the vac, and take out crud with it? it would only help.

MaryPa · 02-16-2006, 03:23 PM

You do your water changes by vacuuming all the waste out of the gravel. Vacuum until all the waste is gone from under the gravel. Usually you`ll take out about 20% of the water weekly. So water changes and vacuuming is the same thing. If you try just removing some of the water your tank will be right nasty,you`ll be letting the fish live in their own waste.

Niki2105 · 02-16-2006, 06:06 PM

I vaccume half the gravel one week and then do the other side the next week with the water changes in my 60 gallon. But in my smaller (10 and 15) tanks i do a complete gravel vaccume when i change the water.

fishfreaks · 02-16-2006, 09:43 PM

Whenever we do a water change, you can always find us with the vac doing the substrate!

LittlePuff · 02-17-2006, 08:53 AM

I agree with Nicki about vac-ing half the tank at a time. If you do it all at once, you lose alot of the good bacteria and might cause a mini-cycle.

Kim

Fishy Lee · 02-17-2006, 10:56 AM

Wow....SUPER good help. MUCH MUCH appreciated. I feel like a bad fish daddy.

Fishy Lee · 02-17-2006, 11:12 AM

Oh another quick question regarding vacuum vs. water change. My cichlid tank has a lot of rocks, and I built lots of caves and such for them to hide in and what not. Anyways, it's really hard, no wait it's impossible to get underneath in the caves and stuff and vacuum, and it's almost equally as impossible to take out all the rocks and build up all I have going again. So my concern is if there is a lot of build up underneath the rocks I have to take care of, how often should I break down, vacuum, and build up all these caves and such? Wouldn't this cause WAY too much stress for the fish???

ron v · 02-17-2006, 11:15 AM

Next time you set-up a tank, place the rocks FIRST. Not only will you not need to worry about crud in the sand under the rocks, but the cichlids can't dig under the rocks and undercut.

02-16-2006, 02:54 AM	#1
Fishy Lee Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Age: 27 Posts: 86	Water Change vs. Vacuum So when everybody is talking about weekly water changes, are most of you referring to vacuuming the substrate as well? I weekly take out 25% of the water, and monthly to a tad more than monthly compolete vacuum out the substrate. Am I understanding the difference? Or are more people vacuuming everyweek???

02-16-2006, 10:51 AM	#4
mrmoby Devout Heathen Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Waterville, ME Age: 36 Posts: 531	Yes, vacuum the gravel. I have skipped it a time or two, and you would be surprised how stuff builds up. You are draining the water anyway, so why waste the opportunity. __________________ Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.- Siddhartha Gautama

02-16-2006, 03:23 PM	#6
MaryPa Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Glenville,Pa. Age: 58 Posts: 272	You do your water changes by vacuuming all the waste out of the gravel. Vacuum until all the waste is gone from under the gravel. Usually you`ll take out about 20% of the water weekly. So water changes and vacuuming is the same thing. If you try just removing some of the water your tank will be right nasty,you`ll be letting the fish live in their own waste. __________________ 125 gal. 5 Clown Loaches 4 Phantom Tetras 8 Hyphessobrycon vilmae tetras 1 SAE 1 ABN Pleco 5 Bronze Cory 9 Gold barbs 55gal 1 Angelicus 1 Clown Pleco 1 ABN Pleco 12 cories 2 Discus 55 gal Severum, Blood Parrot 55 1 Threadfin Rainbow 4 cherry Barbs CT Betta 2 Bumble Bee Catfish1 Swordtail Guppy Male 29 gal Platies 29gal Cories 29gal Endlers and RCS 10 Swordtail guppy females and fry

02-16-2006, 06:06 PM	#7
Niki2105 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: PEI, Canada Age: 24 Posts: 196	I vaccume half the gravel one week and then do the other side the next week with the water changes in my 60 gallon. But in my smaller (10 and 15) tanks i do a complete gravel vaccume when i change the water. __________________ 10 Gallon 60 Gallon Tank

02-16-2006, 09:43 PM	#8
fishfreaks M&F Couple Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: PA Age: 21 Posts: 4,303	Whenever we do a water change, you can always find us with the vac doing the substrate! __________________ VOTE FOR FISH FORUMS

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02-16-2006, 06:33 AM	#2
ron v Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Alabama Age: 61 Posts: 1,123	I think the idea is to vacuum the gravel AS you change water. You can't vacuum too much. In fry tanks I vacuum every day, or at least I try to.

02-16-2006, 06:49 AM	#3
craftyflalady Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Age: 50 Posts: 397	I agree Ron, why not kill 2 birds with one stone. I vacuum everytime I change the water. The cleaner to keep the tank, the healthier your fish in the long run. Kathy

02-16-2006, 02:46 PM	#5
leveldrummer something like a pimp Join Date: May 2005 Location: atlanta Age: 29 Posts: 1,933	me too, same as above, if your suckin out water, why not just use the vac, and take out crud with it? it would only help.

02-17-2006, 08:53 AM	#9
LittlePuff Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Central Illinois Age: 40 Posts: 70	I agree with Nicki about vac-ing half the tank at a time. If you do it all at once, you lose alot of the good bacteria and might cause a mini-cycle. Kim

02-17-2006, 10:56 AM	#10
Fishy Lee Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Age: 27 Posts: 86	Wow....SUPER good help. MUCH MUCH appreciated. I feel like a bad fish daddy.

02-17-2006, 11:12 AM	#11
Fishy Lee Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Age: 27 Posts: 86	Oh another quick question regarding vacuum vs. water change. My cichlid tank has a lot of rocks, and I built lots of caves and such for them to hide in and what not. Anyways, it's really hard, no wait it's impossible to get underneath in the caves and stuff and vacuum, and it's almost equally as impossible to take out all the rocks and build up all I have going again. So my concern is if there is a lot of build up underneath the rocks I have to take care of, how often should I break down, vacuum, and build up all these caves and such? Wouldn't this cause WAY too much stress for the fish???

02-17-2006, 11:15 AM	#12
ron v Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Alabama Age: 61 Posts: 1,123	Next time you set-up a tank, place the rocks FIRST. Not only will you not need to worry about crud in the sand under the rocks, but the cichlids can't dig under the rocks and undercut.

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