Cleaning gravel substrate
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:41 pm
Hi everyone!
I have had a couple shrimp tanks up for a few months. Have been battleing a planaria outbreak for the last couple of weeks in one.
In reading information from others on this site and a couple other sites, the outbreak is due to dirty substrate and over feeding.
I have cut back feeding to every other day but am concerned about vacuuming the gravel bed - scared I will suck up any little shrimplets down in the rocks - goodness knows I have precious few and can't risk losing them.
What is the safest, most effective way to do gravel vacuuming in a ten gallon? I'm going to have to go through the substrate to the bottom in order to clean; I use gravel & a little sand, plants are attached to driftwood or free floating so don't have to worry about that.
Thanks for suggestions!
I have had a couple shrimp tanks up for a few months. Have been battleing a planaria outbreak for the last couple of weeks in one.
In reading information from others on this site and a couple other sites, the outbreak is due to dirty substrate and over feeding.
I have cut back feeding to every other day but am concerned about vacuuming the gravel bed - scared I will suck up any little shrimplets down in the rocks - goodness knows I have precious few and can't risk losing them.
What is the safest, most effective way to do gravel vacuuming in a ten gallon? I'm going to have to go through the substrate to the bottom in order to clean; I use gravel & a little sand, plants are attached to driftwood or free floating so don't have to worry about that.
Thanks for suggestions!