# cleaning substrate in new planted tank



## nblack4 (Feb 23, 2011)

hey, i'm wondering how i clean the substrate now with the siphon/vaccumn. i changed out my substrate from the thick pea sized gravel to the plant healthy kind. well now i'm afraid to clean it with the siphon so i'm not sure how to easily do water changes anymore. I'm pretty new to this stuff with plants and actually taking care of the aquarium the proper way.

i have plant substrate and also a plain sand section of the aquarium that i experimented with for the cory cats. i am going to try to take pictures soon and make a tank thread so i can ask more specific questions there. Thanks!


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

No matter how you go about your gravel please know that if you have to vacuum the gravel your tank is not balanced. Most people in this hobby run their tanks exactly like that. Which does not make it right but it works. It's just more work and more chance of running into problems at some point.

If your biological filtration is working properly your tank will be clean beyond your imagination. And you will not have to do much to maintain it. 

Also remember that a planted tank is a system. You cannot set a few things right and expect it to work perfectly. Get excellent filtration and use too much light for example and you will have a problem. Look at all the factors together.

--Nikolay


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## nblack4 (Feb 23, 2011)

ok thanks niko. that makes sense too. with all the work it takes to sustain a planted aquarium it makes sense that it would payoff in terms of equilibrium. So the fish waste should fertilize the plants. Well I was trimming the plants although I admit I need to read much more on this process itself, and I noticed some of the blades of grass went back down to the bottom. I scooped up all the stuff that floated to the surface, bad leaves, etc that I had cut, but I don't really want to be sticking my hands all over the tank grabbing random small pieces of trimmed plant. Is it ok to let them break down in the aquarium? That's more what I was concerned about in the gravel clean up. Also, how do you change water if you don't use the siphon tube? My method of changing water before was to clean the gravel and in the process the water level would get lower and lower. Doesn't a planted tank still need frequent water changes like any other?

My aquarium is a 29 gallon and I bought it from wal mart a while ago so it came with the filter, heater etc. I've updated the lighting system to a more expensive one with two 24 watt day light bulbs, but the filter is still the same wal mart one. Is this enough, or should I be spending money on a bette filter? I'm new to all this, thanks!


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## Lakeplants (Feb 21, 2011)

You can still use the siphon to do a partial water change, just don't vacuum the gravel. You could also use a small cup or bucket to gently scoop water out into a larger bucket.

If you have leaf fragments sitting on top of the gravel, you could probably remove them with the siphon without disturbing the gravel. Let the siphon hover just over the gravel, and the leaves should lift off into the tube.


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