Can you gravel vac the aquarium with the fish still inside?

Question

I recently inherited a 25 gallon tank from a family member who's moving to a smaller place. There are tetras, a pleco, and a betta. I started to gravel vac but got nervous with the fish inside. Not sure if I'm supposed to take them out or not. Thanks.

And is gravel vaccuming the best way to get out the dirt and feces on the bottom?

Answer 1

Keep the fish in the tank just make sure you don't suck up any. They are usually strong enough to swim away from it but they may wonder what that thing is and try to swim towards it. A good filter will keep all the debris from the water but you need to gravel vac to get what is trapped in the gravel .

I use it every time I do a water change, my gravel is always clean and its a lot easier then scooping buckets of water out. Don't ever take all the water out though, most people do between 10 and 25 percent.

Answer 2

I have had fish for a great deal of my life. and from my experience, I have found that some tanks need to be cleaned more often than others. it seems that bigger tanks need to be cleaned less often. since you will be starting with a 10 gal. tank, you may have to clean it a little more frequently. of course you will need a small vacuum to clean out all the poop that tends to stick to the bottom of the tank. this should be done once a week or every 2 weeks depending on how many fish you have. more fish, more poop. Your filter system will also play a big part. if you are using an external filter that pulls water out and pours it back in, you can count on replacing your filter cartridge quite often. they tend to get clogged and start defeating their own purpose if they aren't replaced often. If you chose an under gravel filter, there will be times you will have to do a tear down and rebuild of your tank, at least every 6 months and vacuuming every 1-3 weeks to refresh the water and collect the wast that has been accumulating under your rocks. I have an under gravel filter in my tank and i find it to be more cost effective. When cleaning this type of filter, I recommend turning off you're pumps and removing one if the stacks and placing the vacuum over the hole. under gravel filters pull the wast under the rocks. so they make it a real quick and easy cleaning. Also you asked if you should treat the water before or after it is in the tank; I always treat the first 2 buckets with a conditioner when filling a new tank. this helps it mix as i'm starting out. that way the conditioner is evenly balanced throughout the tank. but if your just adding water to top off an already established tank, you should add it after. Make sure you read the directions on the bottle and measure accordingly. you may also want to invest in some test strips, you should test your water regularly. you can find these really cheap at Wal-Mart under the Jungle name brand. Good luck with your new tank.

Answer 3

Yes, you can vaccum even with the fish inside, no, you do not have to take out the fish, and yes, gravel vaccuming is the best way to clean out dirt and feces.

I clean my fishtank with the fish still inside it. Just make sure that fish don't swim in or get sucked in. This happened to me once, and the fish got all bent up and it soon died :(

Keeping the fish in saves time, but unless you are doing a super-super major cleanup, which is super rare, taking them out is not neccesary.

Gravel vaccuming is a great way to clean up junk from the gravel. The filter may be running, but it can never stop all objects from falling into the gravel and going deep in. Also, gravel vaccuming can help you do the water changes at the same time, if you use a siphon gravel vaccum, not a "non-siphon" vaccum with a filter or something.

When choosing a gravel vaccum, pick one of a good size, not too big, not too small, considering your tanks "floor" size and your decoration configuration.

Answer 4

Yes, it's fine to leave them in. I do it every week. The fish get use to it, and I think it causes them less stress then if you remove them.

The only time I take my fish out is if I'll be doing a really big water change (50% or more). Gravel vaccuming is the only way your going to get rid of the dirt and feces in the tank without emptying it completely.

Answer 5

sure u can vacuum with the fish inside.you shudnt be doing it more than once a week because it does disturb the surface of the substrate..i find the best way to do this is at my water change because all the yuk is being stirred up..i have a 30 gal tank and the nozzle i use going into the tank is only about half inch wide at the opening so the fish cant go in..just go around the tank really slow and theyll move over for ya..

Answer 6

Yes, you can vacuum with the fish still inside. Yes, vacuum does get out the dirt and feces on bottom. Just perform vacuum monthly 25% water changes to help maintain a healthy aquarium.
Good Luck

Answer 7

Yes. Just do not stir up the gravel too much and mess up the chemical balance of your tank. Also, if you vaccum removes water, do not drain more than 50% of the tank.

Answer 8

Yes and yes you can vac the tank with the fish inside.

Answer 9

To clean the aquarium properly you have to remove the old dirty water....ie the fish must come out but be kept in a smaller temporary tank. You do alot of gravel cleaning with the gravel vac. This will also remove the old dirty water. The aquarium needs to be cleaned with a mild detergent and rinsed very well....until you can not see soap bubbles or smell the soap. The gravel will also need to be rinsed, no soap on it. Clean up any decorative items that are in the tank as well. Once you get everything back in place in the tank you are ready to add the water, then chlorine remover, and then add fish after making sure the water is the proper temperature. If the temperature isn't right the fish can go into shock.

Answer 10

They say it safe for the fish to be in the tank while your doing this. But I would suggest taking them out,I mean either way your are creating stress on the fish. Plus with the fish out you have a better chance on seeing and getting any other "problem" areas cleaned.