gravel vacuuming or not in a 24g nano cube?

[randL524]

Running a reef setup - 50 lbs of live rock, 25 lbs of live sand (the good stuff from Tampa Bay Live Rock), and the "package" of cleaners - snails, star, shrimp, loads of hermits. Also have two anemones that came along for the ride. Finally stablized after about 6 weeks. Been doing weekly 4-5 gal changes. So here's my question: Shoud I vacuum my gravel along with the water changes or let the cleaners eat the detritus? If not, would the advice chnage when I add my 11" - 12" (mature size) of fish?

[Fredsreef]

Do not vacuum the live sand. You will remove the helpful fawna growing in your sand. Make sure you have enough current to keep the detritus suspended in the water and removed through skimming or mechanical filtration.

[Doglover_50]

ditto fred, but...ummm...you are putting a 12 inch fish in your nano? Perhaps others could chime in, but I think the largest fish that work for nanos are things like perc clowns and possibly dwarf angels in a 24 gallon. A 12 inch fish is like a tang or angel, and that ain't gonna work for long in a nano!

[Illuminati]

I think he means that when he adds up all the lenghts of the fish he plans to add they will equal 12". Like a clown that is 3", a firefish that is 2", etc.....

[Doglover_50]

Ooooh. Aren't I literal!?

[montanabay]

get ~ 10 nass snails, they turn over the SB nice and clean it up.


Josh