Gravel Siphon...or NOT?

[lazluvtoo]

I have been taught both ways and am in the middle of a water change as I write this...been told NOT to siphon clean the gravel and also been told to DO it. I like siphoning the gravel much better as it leaves it nice and clean...but I don't want to disturb my substrate?

Opinions, please!

TIA

 

[drummereef]

If you have crushed coral as your substrate, then yes.

If you have a fine aragonite like Aragamax, then no. Let your cleanup crew stir it for you.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8251969#post8251969 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
If you have crushed coral as your substrate, then yes.

If you have a fine aragonite like Aragamax, then no. Let your cleanup crew stir it for you.

Ditto.

 

[lazluvtoo]

Thanks so much, drummereef! Yes, I have crushed coral, so I will go now and siphon away!

 

[drummereef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8251980#post8251980 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lazluvtoo
Thanks so much, drummereef! Yes, I have crushed coral, so I will go now and siphon away!

Yes! Be diligent about it. I would siphon at every water change or sit back and watch your nitrates shoot throught the roof.

 

[JeffersonReef]

Even with CC, dont siphon deeper than 3/4 of an inch or so. If you siphon too deeply, you will kill alot of the beneficial life in ur sand, which will also help to keep trates, etc in control. I had a 2" cc substrate, and later added 3" or so of sugar-sized sand. the two mixed really well after a few weeks, and now I just let my cleanup crew do all the work. HTH.

-TJ

 

[lazluvtoo]

Thanks...yeah, that makes sense...I think I need to add more CC to my depth...it's getting fairly thin.

 

[ukcats]

I wouldn't suggest putting in more crushed coral. This will allow more stuff to fall deeper into the substract. I sure wouldn't mix the sand and the crushed coral either. This will provide a mixture that the cleanup crew has a had time cleaning and you can't vaccum without sucking out some of the sand. I would remove the CC and just add live sand to the tank and use your cleanup crew to do the dirty work. It is much easier...trust me!!!

 

[lazluvtoo]

Doesn't your live sand get dirty on top? I had that problem before when I had sand.

 

[ukcats]

Not really, the critters do a pretty good job of eating the junk off the top. Sand is just so much easier in my opinion. I had CC for the first 2-3 months. The siphoning of the substract each water change drove me nuts. Just a suggestion though, if you keep the CC then siphon 1/2 of the tank each water change not the whole thing. That keeps the good bacteria from getting disturbed all at once. But change to sand...lol!


Good luck!

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Do you have high nitrates? If so syphon every time you do a water change. If they are low to undetectable I would not syphon the cc.