Keeping white gravel clean

M

mcybyk

AC Members
Jan 9, 2008
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Cuyahoga Falls, OH
I have a heck of a time keeping my white gravel white. The problem appears to be my water that goes into the tank - it is a 2.0-2.5 in phosphate out of the tap. For the longest time, I had severe diatom/brown algae problems. I added a Phos-Absorb pad, increased my lighting and put it on a timer, and added plants with moderate success. The diatoms kept returning, even after cleaning and after having this tank set up for a year. I added a BN and he has taken care of all of the diatoms on my rocks and decor to great success. The problem is my white gravel substrate. It keeps getting brown algae growth down low where the BN can't get to it. It gets to be a pain trying to get to all the nooks and crannies to get it clean. Is there anything else that I am missing? I am to a point that I am considering switching the substrate to brown sand or river rock to mask the unsightlyness.

BTW - ammonia and nitrites are 0, nitrates are 10-20, ph of 8 and phosphate at 1.0 today, weekly 50% water change, Emperor 400 hob and Rena XP2 canister for filtration. Lights are on about 8 hours per day.
 
maybe mix up the gravel more when you do a vac so that the pleco can get to all of it?
 
What kind of lighting are you using?
 
I don't think lighting matters that much with brown algae. Accept the fact that white gravel is not the best choice and move on to something darker. You can do a portion of the tank at a time if you want. Not even otos are able to clean all of the gravel.
 
efors said:
What kind of lighting are you using?
Click to expand...

AH Supply 2 x 36 watt setup.

Betta - That is pretty much what I have been doing. The problem is in the corners where I have a few plants, making it difficult to really get the gravel turned over.
 
Yeah white gravel will be a pain i would second your opinion on the substrate switch out and do the switch out all the way you will hate the gravel and sand mix and you will have to throw away the new substrate to just get the old out..
 
I agree. I made the white gravel mistake once as well. At least with sand you can usually peel off the sections coated with algae and replace it as needed. It's easily removed with a gravel vac.
 
Thanks all. Now the next question - what is the best way to switch over when I do not have another tank to house my current stock in? My initial thought is as follows:

1. Pull all the decor out and remove the gravel, leaving the fish inside.
2. Run the filters for 15-30 minutes to allow the water to get cleaned up from stirring everything up.
3. Remove 50% of the wate via gravel vacuum, sucking up any fallout on the bottom of the tank.
4. Replace eggcrate and add sand. Turn on filters and wait for sand to settle.
5. Replace all the rockwork, etc.

Once done, I assume I will want to test the water in a day or two to make sure I don't have any spikes of any sort. Am I on the right track?

The only other option would be to pull the fish and put them into temporary housing using buckets, then proceed with doing all of the above.

BTW Afro - I was forced to watch some of the Browns the other night. Not a bad showing, even if it was against the Lions.
 
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Only things I would do differently would be to pre-rinse the sand as well as possible and wait until all but the finest of particles are settled before turning on the filter to avoid messing up your impeller with the larger particles. You can also use a pre-filter sponge to help keep the sand out.
 
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