Vacumm Plant Tank

[timmy101]

What you you guys do when you do water changes in a planted tank that has gravel and driftwoods? Do you have to lift up the driftwood and plants to vacumm the gravel? I see people put their plants in the gravel so that take alot of time to put it back tho.

[Chad Hughes]

Depends on what kind of plants. Stem plants I just get close to and clean the best you can. Swords and the like are a different story. They tend to accumulate crap within their leaves, so I makes ure that I actually siphon out the middle of the plant.

Hope this helps!

[Chad Hughes]

Oh, I take the drift wood out and rinse with tap water and then clean the gravel below it.

[Harriett]

When I am planting up a tank or rescaping, I do the layout with future vacuuming in mind. I try to leave a little room around the plants to get at the sand from most all sides and just go as close and deep as I can when I do my weekly cleaning. I also put the tube down into the middle of the plants as I am able, to vacuum. For patches of shorter grass and crypts, I gently lower the tube onto the plants and shake it a bit--the crap will come out of them and go up in the tube pretty well. I used to use a lot of pretty heavy driftwood and junk does collect under there and you need to move the wood occasionally. I recently pulled it all out and am now only using manzanita with suction cups screwed to the end so branches are dangling rather than sitting on the substrate, which is better in the cleaning and hygiene department for my discus. I like the look a lot also. I try to arrange things so the area below the feeding cone is clear and any food that hits bottom can be more easily scarfed. [All food is put in the cone which I made larger holes in--works for pellets and frozen]
Best regards,
Harriett

[Scribbles]

I keep a variety of swords which can easily be vacuumed. Driftwood is moved and vacuumed under with each wc and scrubbed with a stiff brush in a pail of tank water 2-3 times a week. HTH

Chris

[DocB]

Scribbles:"Driftwood is moved and vacuumed under with each wc and scrubbed with a stiff brush in a pail of tank water 2-3 times a week."


WOW
Tell me - What do you do in your free time?

[Scribbles]

Scribbles:"Driftwood is moved and vacuumed under with each wc and scrubbed with a stiff brush in a pail of tank water 2-3 times a week."


WOW
Tell me - What do you do in your free time?

Well...feed them of course.:D LOL. Clean the betta bowls, and bird cages, exercise and train the dogs. My discus are juvies so with heavy feeding comes heavy cleaning but they're worth it.

Chris

[cfi on the fly]

I have one big piece of DW that looks more like a tree stump than a branch. I have yet to move it and clean. I just clean around it and around the plants and all seems to be well.

[Don Trinko]

I clean under the driftwood occasionaly. If you have never cleaned under your driftwood you will be surprized how much gunk is in the sand/gravel.
Don T.