# Debris in water after water change?



## srhea (Jan 24, 2008)

Ok so I have a 29 gallon tank setup with only 3 convict cichlids. Two of which are breeding and the third male who occupies the other half of the tank. When I do a water change I notice there is debris that is brought up when I am pouring the new water it. From the stirring up of the water there is a lot of small debris floating around.

How can I clean this stuff out, and secondly how can I avoid this in the future?

I think it may be from previous overfeeding, but I haven't had much luck cleaning it out.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

are you just changing out water or are you doing gravel vacs as well?


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## Corner (Feb 27, 2007)

Gravel vacs, and if you are pouring the new water directly into the gravel, that won't help. try to make it a fairly gentle stream of water flowing back in, and just have it flow in on the surface of the water.


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## srhea (Jan 24, 2008)

Just a water change, I am using sand mainly. However, there is about 3 lbs of pebbles in various regions in the tank. Mainly to hold down the plants due to the convicts ripping them out of the sand and also because I read that convicts like to have them.

Can I use a gravel vac with the sand and the pebbles? If I had a camera I would take a picture, but my girlfriend currently has it.


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## Corner (Feb 27, 2007)

I have never used sand, but i think that you are supposed to be able to suck the waste off the top of it with a gravel vac... though I am not sure.

By debris do you mean sand or other things?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

yeah, you can still gravel vac with sand, you kinda have to experiment with how close the tip of the vac gets to the sand so that you can pick up junk without sucking up sand


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## srhea (Jan 24, 2008)

Corner said:


> I have never used sand, but i think that you are supposed to be able to suck the waste off the top of it with a gravel vac... though I am not sure.
> 
> By debris do you mean sand or other things?


I mean other things. The sand never really goes anywhere unless the cichlids stir it up or dig in it, which happens often though. There are like white particles of various sizes floating around in the water.

I am using a penguin 150 filter. Do you think a stronger filter would help at all?

And what is the use of an air pump?

I am going to try the gravel vac, but I am going to need to purchase one as I mainly just stir up the sand now and then.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

another filter would help pull stuff out of the water column, but a powerhead might help keep stuff from settling on the bottom


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## AJerman (Nov 7, 2007)

Yeah, you can definitely vacuum sand. I use a python and drag it along the sand, as close to it, and even touching every now and then, and it sucks it all out very easily. Cleaning sand is so easy that I find I have to just leave the python in there to keep draining water or else I don't change enough. Just understand that it's not like gravel that you dig a vacuum into to get all the junk out. All you have to do is drag it across the top.

And I think, to an extent, there is usually junk kicked up after vacuuming and refilling. That's what your filters are for, they'll suck a lot of it up in just a little while.


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