sarah Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 I have a year-old Neo (FR) tank that has eco complete substrate, and I do not vacuum it. I believe that I was taught not to here on this site. But now there is talk on another thread that substrates must be vacuumed. Is this just for active substrate? If I should in fact be vacuuming it, how would I do that without sucking up all my little babies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 No need at all. sarah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0pey Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Use mesh to cover up the siphon... Some people use panty hose... I don't know how safe that is.. Considering they have perfume on them most of the time. I wouldn't vacuum as you will break up the soil. sarah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maylee Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 I also have my FR with eco-complete. When I do a water change and have my siphon close enough to the substrate, you can see it pick up a lot of small particles. The more you see it picks up, the more tempted I am to keep going at it but have to be wary of the shrimplets. sarah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah Posted August 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 What kinds of siphons and mesh are you guys using? I can't imagine how I'm going to suck up the debris and leave behind shrimplets. I do have quite a bit of mulm building up in the front near the food bowl. I assume you guys are not stirring up or going into the substrate at all, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 You only let the water run after you poke the tube/ hose about 1" into the substrate. In this way the baby will not be sucked. Even the baby accidentally took a roller coaster ride and drop into your bucket, it is totally fine for them. You just use need to scoop them back into the tank. For the hose/ tube, if you are having a small tank then use a CO2 tube. They are small and will not suck in substrate plus they are stiff and poke into the substrate easily. If you have large tank, minimally you will need a 12/16mm tube. Protect it with a fine mesh filter bag (cut a piece out) so that that does not suck in substrate. It is easy to tie with wire tie. Gunk building up at the substrate signify over-feeding. You may want to review your feeding regime. A proper regime and healthy substrate should not experience fast gunk build up. sarah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 I never siphon my substrate. Though when performing my seldom water changes I do run the hose over the top of the surface of the substrate if I notice build up of any sort. Just be careful of shrimplets, as notated above you may want to put something over the siphon to eliminate this risk. I also use Petri dishes, so it does help slow down the amount of food that would otherwise normally break down within your substrate. sarah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infamouz23 Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 A white bucket is your best friend when vacuuming the substrate. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk Soothing Shrimp and Amyers22 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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