On Sun, 23 May 2004 23:59:48 +0100, "steve"
wrote:

Hi I have an aquarium running for 2 months now 36x14x14 inches nitrites 0.
3 adult guppies 7 baby guppies 1 Queen Pleco 5 neon tetra 3 black tetras and
1000 snails. I change 10 litres water a week. I vacuumed the gravel a
month ago and a day later the water went greeny brown so bad I couldn't see
the fish. I had to clear it by using greenaway. The same thing has just
happened again after gravel vacuuming. Is it really necessary to clean the
gravel my tank is well planted. It is fine until I clean the tank. Also
could I keep a clown loach with the fish and size tank .

Hope you guys can help I am still learning.

Steve (UK)


I don't vacuum the bottom, but make 20% weekly water changes in my 5
tanks: 75,29,10,10,10. My tanks age range from18 months to a year.
If I change plants or stir the gravel I get a lot of stuff floating
around until it settles or the filter removes the particles. Nothing
I would call "greeny brown."

For over one year I have kept Clown Loaches in all but one tank. I
have two in one 10 gallon tank without a problem. I keep one runt in
a 10 gallon tank and move him between two 10 gallon tanks to keep
snails down. He was with other Clowns in the beginning, but didn't do
well and wasn't eating. By himself he has grown some, but still
small, but eats well and is boss of either tank.

I know you will get lots of advice about not keeping Clowns by
themselves and not keeping them in small tanks. A year and a half is
not long enough to be giving advice, but it is one measure. I realize
I may one day have to move the clowns to the 75 gallon tank. By then
the smaller fish will be gone, but I am not convinced the growth will
happen. I haven't seen growth in the Clowns for about 6 months and
love everyday I have them. The runt is my favorite. He is quite a
character. I feed my fish only flake food. Maybe the lack of live
food stunts all of them, but that is fine by me.