Cleaning your aquarium substrate, like sand or gravel, is crucial for a healthy tank environment. The primary method involves using a gravel vacuum (also known as a siphon). Here’s how you do it:
Cleaning Aquarium Substrate with a Gravel Vacuum
The video reference, ![Part of a video titled Cleaning aquarium sand, gravel and substrate. - YouTube](), demonstrates the process of using a gravel vacuum effectively. The basic technique can be broken down into the following steps:
- Get the Siphon Going:
- Place one end of the gravel vacuum (the wider tube) into the aquarium substrate.
- Place the other end (the hose) into a bucket below the level of the aquarium.
- Start the siphon by gently moving the wide tube up and down in the water. You may need to manually create a siphon by using your mouth to suck the hose end or use a hand pump on the gravel vacuum, depending on the type you have. The water should now start flowing from the aquarium, through the tube, into your bucket.
- Gravel Cleaning Action:
- Once the siphon is running, carefully move the wider end of the vacuum through the substrate.
- As you move the vacuum, the suction will lift the gravel and debris.
- The gravel will spin around and fall back into place, while the waste will be pulled into the siphon tube and into the bucket.
- It's important to avoid burying the vacuum too deep in the substrate to avoid disturbing beneficial bacteria in the deeper layers.
- Keep the Siphon Going:
- As the video demonstrates, it is important that the siphon continues flowing to the bucket below, so that you are continuously removing waste and water from your tank.
- According to the video, you may have to "shake" the tube to keep the water going.
- Water Changes:
- The water removed during substrate cleaning acts as a partial water change. This helps to maintain healthy water parameters in the aquarium. You should replace the water removed with fresh, dechlorinated water.
- Frequency:
- How often you clean the substrate depends on your aquarium's specifics. A general guideline is to clean it weekly or bi-weekly during regular partial water changes. Be more frequent with high bioload tanks.
- Substrate Type:
- The process is slightly different for different substrates:
- Gravel: The gravel vacuum works well with gravel substrate, easily removing debris trapped between the pebbles.
- Sand: For sand substrate, avoid digging too deep, as this can disturb the sand bed. Instead, hover the vacuum just above the sand to remove waste without pulling too much sand.
- The process is slightly different for different substrates:
Things to Remember:
- Do not do a 100% water change. Substrate cleaning is a part of the partial water change you need to do. Only remove about 25-50% of the total volume of water in your tank at a time.
- Do not clean all the substrate at once as this can remove too much beneficial bacteria. Clean sections of the substrate each cleaning session.
- Ensure that the water you use to refill the tank is temperature-matched and dechlorinated.
- Observe your fish during cleaning.
By following these steps, you can efficiently maintain a clean and healthy aquarium substrate.
