Need more feedback on gravel siphoning....

[[email protected]]

I posted a message here a while ago about how I needed to know if
gravel siphoning is a total requirement even if you just siphon water
from the tank because I have tanks with a lot of baby fancy guppies and
I don't want to suck any of them up and them dieing because of it. One
solution was to do the siphon but look for the baby guppies in the
bucket after gravel cleaning. I like that idea so much I am planning on
doing that. The reason it took me so long to reach this fruition of
planning is I didn't think it through and come to the conclusion that I
can buy a good gravel vac (gravity powered - I don't like to waste
water with the python - I use that just for water, not gravel waste)
and a good bucket (and I will be sure to buy a clean bucket and hose it
out first) and place 1 incandescent light bulb turned on over the
bucket when done and look for babies and put them back into the tank. I
have buckets already but I will never use them for aquariums because
the buckets used to hold laundry detergent and soaps. Also - I want to
buy a BIG bucket, not just any old bucket. I should be able to get the
clean big bucket at my local hardware store. The siphon I am buying is
a lees python copy and I need it to stay separated from the 2 pythons I
own because one of the pythons is for filling the tank only and the
other is for draining the tank only and because the tank is so big I
need to use that 2nd python to drain from the tanks to outside as I
don't want to waste water and clog the drains at the same time. I will
be able to just carry the bucket (the bucket must have a good handle
too...) outside and dump it after looking for babies.

Summary - what's the consensus among you aquarium experts out there
about me doing the gravel siphoning in the previous paragraph's way, is
it too dangerous for the babies or is that not a problem and gravel
siphoning relieves me and maybe some of you? If I do it the formerly
mentioned manner I will not be worried about disease like I have been
since my last gravel cleaning (which was a disaster because I used a
motorized gravel cleaner and a couple of babies got chewed up and I
decided to never do it exactly that way ever again).

Please - let me know your feedback, it is important to me and my pets,
I need help making this decision. Thanks, later!

[Elaine T]

wrote:
> I posted a message here a while ago about how I needed to know if
> gravel siphoning is a total requirement even if you just siphon water
> from the tank because I have tanks with a lot of baby fancy guppies and
> I don't want to suck any of them up and them dieing because of it. One
> solution was to do the siphon but look for the baby guppies in the
> bucket after gravel cleaning. I like that idea so much I am planning on
> doing that. The reason it took me so long to reach this fruition of
> planning is I didn't think it through and come to the conclusion that I
> can buy a good gravel vac (gravity powered - I don't like to waste
> water with the python - I use that just for water, not gravel waste)
> and a good bucket (and I will be sure to buy a clean bucket and hose it
> out first) and place 1 incandescent light bulb turned on over the
> bucket when done and look for babies and put them back into the tank. I
> have buckets already but I will never use them for aquariums because
> the buckets used to hold laundry detergent and soaps. Also - I want to
> buy a BIG bucket, not just any old bucket. I should be able to get the
> clean big bucket at my local hardware store. The siphon I am buying is
> a lees python copy and I need it to stay separated from the 2 pythons I
> own because one of the pythons is for filling the tank only and the
> other is for draining the tank only and because the tank is so big I
> need to use that 2nd python to drain from the tanks to outside as I
> don't want to waste water and clog the drains at the same time. I will
> be able to just carry the bucket (the bucket must have a good handle
> too...) outside and dump it after looking for babies.
>
> Summary - what's the consensus among you aquarium experts out there
> about me doing the gravel siphoning in the previous paragraph's way, is
> it too dangerous for the babies or is that not a problem and gravel
> siphoning relieves me and maybe some of you? If I do it the formerly
> mentioned manner I will not be worried about disease like I have been
> since my last gravel cleaning (which was a disaster because I used a
> motorized gravel cleaner and a couple of babies got chewed up and I
> decided to never do it exactly that way ever again).
>
> Please - let me know your feedback, it is important to me and my pets,
> I need help making this decision. Thanks, later!
>

You definately need to gravel vacuum. Baby fish requre very clean water
to grow and not be stunted. Your idea of siphoning into a bucket and
then looking for babies will work fine. Going through a regular siphon
hose does not hurt fish in the least. My silly white cloud can confirm
that after Sunday's trip into the water bucket.

Personally, I like keeping babies in a bare bottomed 10 gallon tank with
a sponge filter and some plants. That way, there's no gravel to clean,
and no power filter to eat babies or filter out the food before they can
get to it.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[steve]

As you described, is a fine way to clean gravel. Here's my method in
detail, for cleaning the bottom of my cichlid fry tank:

-get white 5 gallon bucket
-start siphon
-hold the bottom (outlet) end of the hose in the bucket, with my thumb
ready to close the hose end.
-manuver the hoover over the tank bottom, trying to go slow enough to
let the fry get out of the way.
-If a fish accidently gets into the hoover, immediatly stop the siphon
with thumb on lower end of hose.
-allow small fish to swim out the open hoover end
-continue cleaning
-when the bucket is full, look very closely under brilliant light and
check for swimmers.
-if a swimmer is found there are three ways to get it out, in order of
preference
-a-if it's near the top, use a glass or jar to capture it. when the
mouth of the jar is lowered into the buck near the small fish, the
small fish will swish down into the jar with the swirl of water. pour
it all back into the tank
-b-carefully pour out much of the 5 gallon bucket into the sink or
other drain. carefully watch the swimmer, stop pouring when it gets
close to the threshold. Try method -a- now, and if not practical, try
to pour the swimmer into the tank with a small amount of the waste
water.
-c-net the fish as a last resort. Fry are delicate and this can cause
damage.

steve

[Angrie.Woman]

> wrote in message
ups.com...

>
> Summary - what's the consensus among you aquarium experts out there
> about me doing the gravel siphoning in the previous paragraph's way, is
> it too dangerous for the babies or is that not a problem and gravel
> siphoning relieves me and maybe some of you? If I do it the formerly
> mentioned manner I will not be worried about disease like I have been
> since my last gravel cleaning (which was a disaster because I used a
> motorized gravel cleaner and a couple of babies got chewed up and I
> decided to never do it exactly that way ever again).
>
> Please - let me know your feedback, it is important to me and my pets,
> I need help making this decision. Thanks, later!

Ifou're not in a huge hurry to toss the water, you can just cover it for a
little while, allowing the gunk to settle while any babies would still be
swimming, and easy to see.

A

[[email protected]]

Thanks all for the fast answers! Cool! I think I have this problem
whipped now. Your advice relieves me because I know what to do now. I
am going to vacuum the gravel at least every 2 weeks with the gravel
changers, with your all advice/recommendations. I think you all are
experts, in particular - Elain. Elain seems to be a great expert as I
have seen some of her earlier posts too. The gravel vacuums are being
shipped here as of this moment and (I got a big one for the 55 gallon
and a small one for the 15, I will use one of those or something with
the turtle tank) I will be vacuuming as soon as it arrives. I put you
all's answers above the lfss in this area, the one I talked too told me
to not gravel vac because it would disturb the substrate and the fact
that he said gave me doubts before this. Now I realize that he was an
underling and had no credentials especially since he actually worked in
a northwest chain pet store and they wouldn't take my guppies last time
because of store policy (newly adopted - they would only accept
official/authorized shipments from their higher ups) and I had to give
those guppies to a lfs (nui kai). I was perfectly happy to give those
guppies to nui kai though and look forward to lfss coming back in full
force and putting the chains out of business hopefully. Later all - and
thanks, the fancy guppies and other fish I have will feel the love from
us all!