This can be good, and it can be “bad”—while widespread roots can find more waste, they can also make it so you won’t be able to vacuum the substrate without uprooting the plant. Gravel is one of the most popular types of aquarium substrate and it is also easy to clean – all you have to do is use a gravel vacuum to remove accumulated waste. As such, most aquarium hobbyists will plan their gravel cleaning day alongside their weekly partial water changes. Some people like to scrub off the algae and clean the filter beforehand, so that all the excess particles in the water have a … Steps . You don’t need to replace the gravel in your aquarium very often. Plug in all the electrical equipment. It’s not something you can eliminate. With under gravel filters, it just looks dark. How often should you clean a small aquarium? Small white/clear balls on gravel and plants?? Put all the gravel back into the tank, mixing together the dirty and clean gravel. I have Sand and Gravel inside my Freshwater Aquarium with Aquarium Plants! FAST AND EASY! If you’ve got a 5 or 10-gallon tank then the answer is definitely at least once a week. The routine you set up will be determined by a couple of things with the first one obviously being your schedule. Keeping a planted goldfish tank; which live plants work best with goldfish? You might need to do it more often if your aquarium water becomes cloudy very quickly. That allows the cleaning to concentrate on one area. How long should I leave my aquarium lights on for? The filter has to be cleaned and changed in a timely manner. If you need to clean decorations more than once every six months or so… the tank is imbalanced, and that should be addressed rather than letting it go on. Whereas, some large cichlids have this frustrating habit of chewing up, spitting out, and chewing up again and again. Weekly water changes are good, 20-30% and never clean all your gravel at once, a lot of bacteria live there. But, just because that natural process takes places, doesn’t mean you should ignore an excessive build up of fish poop and other detritus in your aquarium’s gravel or substrate.eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'coolfish_network-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',111,'0','0'])); So, in this article we’re going to talk about when you should be using a gravel vacuum on your aquarium’s substrate. Aquarium siphon (also known as a gravel vacuum) (As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, and commissions may be earned from the link above.) Instead of removing your betta from the tank to clean it, you should be aiming to be as non-intrusive as possible. Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Aquarium Decorations. Cheaper options tend to give up sooner, so make sure you purchase high-quality gravel. How Often Should I Clean Aquarium Gravel You should clean the aquarium gravel at least once every two weeks. Parts of the substrate supporting rocks or other decorations also tend to accumulate waste materials. Rather, it creates a siphon which will drain the water out of your aquarium and down into a bucket, a drain, or maybe right onto a flowerbed in your backyard! i would not clean ur graval every water change see and look at your plants if they are healthy looking then clean the graval lightly so you dont desturb ur plants you have to kinna monitor things keep a diary write what you have done and see how things improve or changes and you will get a better understanding..... when your interested in anything people have there own ways and what works for someone might not work for someone else ... confused get ideas from people way things up and keep a diary. I heard that I may be destroying some bacteria that lives in the gravel ? Sorry for the error. FAST AND EASY! 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