Cleaning a planted tank...

[jabce85]

Okay, I just thought of a great question. Suppose you had a 10 gal tank that was a plant tank. This tank has fish in it too. This tank is so planted that the entire tank is green. I want to know how you're supposed to clean this tank. Do you remove the plants every time? Do you clean around them? Do you not clean it at all??? I mean come on... I'm just going to use ryuken168 10 gal. contest tank as an example. How in the heck did he take care of cleaning that thing?! Can someone please fill me in, or just tell me how everyone cleans there tank? PLEASE Thanks for your time! BTW, that is a pic of ryuken168's contest tank.

 

[depthC]

Well you definately dont take out all the plants each time. What im assuming youd do is vacuum through the foreground plants or just leave it. All you really have to do is change out the water. The decaying matter would only be used up by the plants i believe by overall absorbing nitrates.

- depthC

 

[Gomer]

Here is mine:
.

I no longer "gravel vac"....I just let everything say down there as a fertfor the plants. I just do weekly water changes. My cory takes care of food that makes it to the bottom though. when I refil the tank, I stir up the bottom a little bit with the current, and that kicks debre into the water column. ...part settles, and part makes it to the filter

 

[jabce85]

Cool, well, thanks for your input. I was just wondering how everyone cleaned their tanks with all of the plants. Thanks!

 

[fishface]

gomer thats a nice tank

 

[fishysmell]

Ya I want to know how you got it to grow up that fast... 15 days? That seems quick to me. I have 5wpg, flourite, and CO2 and my plants grow at a snails pace except for my dwarf lilys and crinium calanstrum. Theyre huge.

Sorry if thats a little off topic, that question has been plagueing me since I saw his tank on ratemytank a few days ago.

 

[Gomer]

my AH lights have really efficient reflectors, so that might put us on the same playing field light wise, but you have a better substrate. CO2 is probably the same. I guess the big difference is do you add ferts?

 

[fishysmell]

Ya I use Flourish comprehensive supplement and I'm gonna pick up some iron ferts this weekend. I put in about 1.5 ml every week for my 60 gallon.