how do i keep my gravel clean????

Question

my tank has a filter. But what i want to know is how to keep my gravel clean. And also it would be helpfull if you could give my tips on how to keep my tank looking clean and clear. how do the tanks in the pet shops stay so nice and clean. tahanks alot

Answer 1

You have to do weekly partial waterchanges of 25% with a gravel siphon and you will be fine
In my experience, live plants help a lot as well when it comes to cloudiness of the tank, plastic plants always messed my tank up



Hope that helps
Good luck



EB

Answer 2

first of all is your filter one of those ones that hang of the side of the tank with the thing coming down into the water if it is then your not gonna have a good enough filtration to make your tank looking *** clean as pet stores try getting a canister filter those are what pet stores use and get a magnet cleaner for the algae on the front and for keeping the gravel clean simple get a gravel vac and vac your gravel once a week doing a 25% water change then on the fourth week do a 50% water change

Answer 3

Get a gravel vac. You can get a self sarting siphon one or a battery operated one. I got my self starting one at Meijer for only 5 dollars, and it works great. You pulse the siphon through the water a few times, and the water begins to be carried through a tube and into a waiting bucket. There will be specific instructions for the vac depending on which type you buy. With regular water changes and a good filter, your tank should stay clean all by itself. If your tank is not established, it may take longer before the water is clearer, partly becasue beneficial bacteria have not had time to develop.

Many times, pet stores have very high-end filtration systems, especially chain stores. These are not the normal filters most people use. Pet stores also overcorwd their tanks, so I wouldn't rely on the appearance of pet store tanks to judge yours. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

You can get good advice from fish stores. My ex husband I had a salwater tank and we got this little tube looking thing with a hose that you hook up to the filter. You move it around the gravel and it sucks it up partially into the tube and gets all the crud out! It works really good! Looks like someone is having fun giving bad ratings ona bunch of good answers....get a life whoever you may be

Answer 5

While bottom feeders will help, you cannot rely on them to do a completely sufficient job of cleaning all on their own.

Using a siphon is best to keep your gravel clean. There are different types of siphons. Simple ones that need to be started with suction and gravity and ones that get better and better and are battery self-started and have options for attachment to a water tap for refilling purposes.

With regard to keeping the water as clean as the tanks in the stores, you never will. They either have pumping/circulation systems that remove and replace the water several times daily or do manual complete water changes daily. They have paid money, either for equipment, employees or both to keep the tanks looking as clear as they do.

You will do fine, however, by doing regular weekly 20-30% water changes, tank cleaning and substrate siphoning. Do some research on how to do this properly, because, if you clean too thoroughly, you will remove all of the beneficial bacteria and the tank will need to start a new cycle all over again, which results in cloudy water and algae growth as well as toxic water conditions for the fish.

Answer 6

You need a gravel vac. They sell them where you bought your fish. You also need a bucket.

It works like a syphon and it is not mechanical or electrical. YOu just start the vaccum by moving it up and down in the tank. I could explain it further but the pet shop will help you more than i can over YA.

Answer 7

First off I think you should buy an algae eater. They only appear to do nothing during the day but when you're sleeping they come out. I got one for my tank and when i woke up already the tank looked clearer.
Next thing is to not have so much light in it. Try keeping the light off during the day and turn it on around 6:30. If you're not home during the day it's wasted electricity anyway. I'm not sure why too much light can cloud a tank, but we couldn't even see through out tank for about a month and turning off the light fixed it.
You also should get aquarium salt because it's good for the fish too.

Answer 8

well i was reading a book on pets and i think it said that you have to take the fish out and put them into a place where they have water and pour the gravel into a tupawear container and pour some hot water in and shake it .do that a few times and i think that that should do the trick of course you could always look it up.

Answer 9

clean it with a gravel vacum .sometimes it helps if you stir it up move any other objects that are in the way of the gravel

Answer 10

buy a fish that eats algea and try using a gravel vacuum or Siphon