# Is gravel vac necessary?



## uhjkool (Mar 26, 2004)

A long as ammonia levels remain at zero and water changes are done to keep nitrate at zero is it necessary to use a gravel vac or can you just replace water?


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2010)

Gravel vacing is very important. Not only does it remove fish waste, it also removes any trap food particles or plant debris. You would never be able to keep perfect water conditions if you didnt gravel vac. Also you want to keep ammonia and nitrites at 0, nitrates should be between 10-20ppm, if you dont have a nitrate reading then your tank isnt cycled.


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

I never gravel vac my plants and snails do all my dirty work, I have to dose Nitrates otherwise i wouldnt have any !


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

you can still have a cycled tank without nitrates.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Johnny_Zanni said:


> you can still have a cycled tank without nitrates.


How do you figure?

For God sake please stop posting in every thread when you have no clue on what you're talking about.


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

there is planted tanks that have 0 nitrates after a waterchange. nitrates are not the bacteria you can have bacteria without nitrates


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Who said the nitrates were the bacteria.

If a tank is cycled then ammo has been and is being converted to nitrites and if nitrites are being converted as they should then there will be Nitrates.
A planted tank would be the exeption but Id like you to explain why?


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

Just because you have no nitrates does not always mean you tank is not cycled.


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

Just because you have no nitrates does not always mean you tank is not cycled.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

I thought so...

As ksls mentioned gravel vacs are a very important part of keeping a healthy tank


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

Thats true









I do one every water change


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## Greez (Feb 12, 2010)

Feefa said:


> Who said the nitrates were the bacteria.
> 
> If a tank is cycled then ammo has been and is being converted to nitrites and if nitrites are being converted as they should then there will be Nitrates.
> A planted tank would be the exeption but Id like you to explain why?


I dont know this but it is because plants use the nitrates and convert them to something else?


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

Greez said:


> Who said the nitrates were the bacteria.
> 
> If a tank is cycled then ammo has been and is being converted to nitrites and if nitrites are being converted as they should then there will be Nitrates.
> A planted tank would be the exeption but Id like you to explain why?


I dont know this but it is because plants use the nitrates and convert them to something else?
[/quote]

Plants consume mitrates, but even then you would have to have a huge amount of plants and very little ammo to begin with to always have nitrates at zero. After a 50% + water change on a tank like that I could see it possible but dont know for sure


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

uhjkool said:


> A long as ammonia levels remain at zero and water changes are done to keep nitrate at zero is it necessary to use a gravel vac or can you just replace water?


yes and no. You could do fine without them but you would need to do larger moroe frequent water changes to combat any rotting debris. Gravel vacing is to remove food and that that will just rot and mess up your water. Debris is concentrated in your gravel so its easy enough to remove it then rather then having to do a ton of water changes to remove it when its decomposing. If you have a sand bottom tank or planted tank you may not need to, but in a gravel tank you should unless you want to do a ton of water changes


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## uhjkool (Mar 26, 2004)

sean-820 said:


> A long as ammonia levels remain at zero and water changes are done to keep nitrate at zero is it necessary to use a gravel vac or can you just replace water?


yes and no. You could do fine without them but you would need to do larger moroe frequent water changes to combat any rotting debris. Gravel vacing is to remove food and that that will just rot and mess up your water. Debris is concentrated in your gravel so its easy enough to remove it then rather then having to do a ton of water changes to remove it when its decomposing. If you have a sand bottom tank or planted tank you may not need to, but in a gravel tank you should unless you want to do a ton of water changes
[/quote]

So if I had a drip system which changes the water constantly I should be good without doing gravel?


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

uhjkool said:


> A long as ammonia levels remain at zero and water changes are done to keep nitrate at zero is it necessary to use a gravel vac or can you just replace water?


yes and no. You could do fine without them but you would need to do larger moroe frequent water changes to combat any rotting debris. Gravel vacing is to remove food and that that will just rot and mess up your water. Debris is concentrated in your gravel so its easy enough to remove it then rather then having to do a ton of water changes to remove it when its decomposing. If you have a sand bottom tank or planted tank you may not need to, but in a gravel tank you should unless you want to do a ton of water changes
[/quote]

So if I had a drip system which changes the water constantly I should be good without doing gravel?
[/quote]

In theory yes, but gravel vacing is much more practical and will be much cheaper as it removes concentrated crap and not diluted


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## MiGsTeR (Jan 19, 2008)

What if you had a UGF with a powerhead?


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

MiGsTeR said:


> What if you had a UGF with a powerhead?


 ugf can trap waste and cause more harm then good if you dont maintain them well. If you want a low maintenance tank do a bare bottom or get some slate tiles as a bottom


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

Ba20 said:


> I never gravel vac my plants and snails do all my dirty work, I have to dose Nitrates otherwise i wouldnt have any !


If you have fine particle sand Maybe..even then 
its highly doubtful you wouldnt have to vac...
Unless you have an extremely planted tank...


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## MiGsTeR (Jan 19, 2008)

sean-820 said:


> What if you had a UGF with a powerhead?


 ugf can trap waste and cause more harm then good if you dont maintain them well. If you want a low maintenance tank do a bare bottom or get some slate tiles as a bottom
[/quote]

Thats what I have a bare bottom tank


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