Reef Tanks Keepers, do you Vacuum Your Substrate as Part of Maintenance?

HowardW · #1 04/12/2007, 04:01 PM

For reef tanks only, do you vacuum your substrate or just water changes?

MTB · #2 04/12/2007, 04:11 PM

I have a diamond goby that keeps it cleaner than I ever could.

USC-fan · #3 04/12/2007, 04:57 PM

yes...

but not for long since i'm going BB

reefD · #4 04/12/2007, 04:57 PM

i never vacume. i have a thriving 2 year old 55 gallon reef tank, packed with corals (soft,lps,and sps) and i never vacumed the substrate since i set it up. i do have lots of inverts and such that stir up the substrates. also my substrate is only 3/4 of an inch deep at most! so gunk really doesnt sink down deep and get trapped.

Sk8r · #5 04/12/2007, 04:59 PM

If I felt the need, I would get a diamond goby.

JM68 · #6 04/12/2007, 05:07 PM

Only occasionally if i feel it is dirtier than normal. My nassarius snails and conches keep it pretty clean, but every now and then i feel like it needs to be done.

Paul B · #7 04/12/2007, 05:12 PM

I not only vacuum, I stir it up and make a typhoon, then suck out everything with a diatom filter. (I am doing it as we speak) I don't have a DSB or bare bottom.
Many of you guys have a very new tank, eventually, you will have to clean it. Two, three or four year old tanks are still pristine, give it ten, twenty or thirty years and see if you have to clean it.

Have a great day.
Paul

corals b 4 bills · #8 04/12/2007, 05:13 PM

I have the Tunze substrate sweeper.

six.line · #9 04/12/2007, 05:27 PM

Occasionally if I feel the urge. Other than that it looks decent enough. I have a lot of flow in the tank so instead of it collecting on the sand bed I have zillions of floaties.

I need to get a filter sock 'er something.

HowardW · #10 04/13/2007, 07:35 AM

bump

lmuller1 · #11 04/13/2007, 07:45 AM

Rarely do I vacuum my display tank. There is only an inch or so of substrate in my display tank so it doesn't build up in there. I rely on all my bottom critters to clean house. If I vacuumed, there wouldn't be anything for them to eat.

hatfielj · #12 04/13/2007, 08:19 AM

I answered no, but I am thinking about starting to vacum off some of my sand as it collects junk and algae. I probably won't do it very often though, only if it gets junked up like it is now.

alan214 · #13 04/13/2007, 08:44 AM

I haven't vacuumed in a while. The last time was a couple of years ago when I had a small diatom bloom that affected parts of my livesand.

CrackerFish · #14 04/13/2007, 11:41 PM

I do occasionally, but only the very top.

Rokdog · #15 04/13/2007, 11:51 PM

I do, but I dont have much in the way of clean up crew at the moment

dc_909 · #16 04/13/2007, 11:58 PM

Once every so often.

Bainic · #17 04/14/2007, 12:50 AM

Yes, but only because I have crushed coral, lots of detrius gets stuck in it.

pnsnowboard · #18 04/14/2007, 01:54 AM

i have a dimond goby he keeps he keeps the sand as white as the day the sand was put in the tank

View Poll Results: Do you vacuum your substrate?
Yes, with every water change	14	21.21%
Only sometimes	14	21.21%
Never, just water changes	38	57.58%
Voters: 66. You may not vote on this poll