gravel cleaning in cichlid tank?

[fish_chic]

how often should i clean my gravel in my 55 gal cichlid tank? i am just asking bc i have a lot of rock work in it and i don't want to have to break it all down no more than i have too. i have 5 fish in there for the time being (they are about 2 to 3 inches in size). and how often should i clean the gravel when i have about 10 to 12 fish in the tank. i wont be adding other fish for a couple of weeks. until xmas blows over.

 

[IronRyno]

I have a 90g cichlid tank. I vacuum the gravel every time I do a water change (every 2-3 weeks). Just vacuum around all the decoration the best you can. I made the mistake of removing all the rocks once. Moving all that stuff stirs up all the debris, it took like 2 days for the water to clear again. Leave the decoration alone and just vacuum around it.

 

[joker1857]

i agree with IronRyno you dont need to break the whole tank down just to vacuum the gravel.

 

[homebunnyj]

You can also move a couple of the decorations or rocks each time you vacuum the gravel. Of course, this is if the rocks are not all siliconed together into formations of some sort. It's easier than trying to clean under them all at once.

I think changing water once a week is better than every two or three weeks, IMHO. And you should vacuum each time. Built-up gunk in the gravel will only cause water quality problems.

 

[fish_chic]

thanks everyone. and homebunny i do wc weekly and always clean my gravel when i do. just letting ya know.

 

[Lotus]

I'm hoping you have your rockwork resting on the bottom of the tank, not on the gravel. As many cichlids dig, it can cause the rockwork to collapse if it's resting on the gravel.

 

[Big Vine]

As many cichlids dig, it can cause the rockwork to collapse if it's resting on the gravel.

Yikes!

Thanks for pointing that out, Lotus.
I don't have any elaborate rockwork just yet, but I never really thought about the whole digging thing knocking them loose. I am guilty of what you just advised not to do (resting the rocks on the gravel).

I'd like to think I wedge 'stable' enough pieces together, but I never anticipated a fish-led excavation project that could flatten them like pancakes!

Thanks for the tip.
Big Vine