Substrate Choice

Grady

Grady

Here fishie fishie
Apr 17, 2006
24
0
1
47
Corvallis, OR
All,
Is there a substrate (or possible filter choice) that does not need to be vacuumed on a routine basis? I have gravel currently. I am a believer in frequent water changes but the weekly vacuuming to clean out the gravel is a real disruption to the establishment of my plants.

I would like to set up my next tank with a substrate/plant choice that does not require frequent vacuuming. Folks with sand bottom FW, how is the maintenance of the substrate?

Thanks for the advice.
 
I use eco complete in my heavily planted 10g, I hardly ever vacuum, just kind of run the syphon over the top of the substrate to pick up anything that's settled. I have regular gravel in my planted 55, and I vacuum that down to the glass and doesn't seem to have any adverse affect on my plants. I just go around the stems.
 
I have sand (regular play sand). All the stuff settles on top so I do what sploke does, just skim the top. Since you have plants you may want to go with a substrate made specifically for plants though so you'll have more nutrients though. Unless you meant fake plants then it doesn't matter.
 
If the tank is going to be planted, then something like Eco Complete might be a better choice. You don't vac it like you do gravel, as it has alot of small pieces, just hover over the top to get up any "stuff" that has settled. Many times though, I just take water out and don't need to vac anything up. :)

Another option is sand, if your tank isn't going to be very planted. You just have to hover over it as well and vac up the nasties.
 
I have gravel and some plants. It's not super-heavily planted, but there are some. I vac thoroughly in the unplanted areas, and let the malaysian trumpet snails take care of stirring up the gravel in the planted areas. Works great.
 
Most people don't vacuum the substrate in planted tanks. I know I didn't when I was running planted tanks. If the tank is planted heavily with root feeders (swords/crypts), then this is especially true.
Schools of Corys and/or loaches should help keep the very top layer clean of uneaten food. All in all, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
try a reverse flow undergravel filter
Click to expand...
I probably wouldn't do that in a planted tank.

I'm just going to put in another recommendation for Eco Complete plant substrate. It's nice and black, so you don't see the detritus on top of it, but it's like a mixture of gravel and sand (sort of) so you don't have to really gravel vac, just get the detritus off the top. My 55 is heavily planted with 40 lbs Eco and 20 lbs natural colored gravel (sounds tacky but I assure you it RULES), and I have no doubt that the Eco is a big part of the reason that I'm having so much success with the plants in there.
 
Thanks all, I plan on a fairly heavy planted tank. Sounds like I will have pretty good luck with the plant specific or Eco Complete. I can't wait until early Oct to set it up.
 
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