Cleaning large rock substrate

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charismarl
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:05 pm

Cleaning large rock substrate

by charismarl

So I just started a 55 gallon goldfish tank and I used large river rocks as substrate. I'm having difficulty figuring out how to clean tank debris from the bottom of the tank where it sank through the spaces between the rocks...any ideas?


doomydarkdoom
 
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 4:00 am

by doomydarkdoom

Ghost shrimp. Those guys love cleaning up after goldfish, as there is so very, very much for them to eat. I have a thriving ghost shrimp community in with my goldfish.

You might have to actually move all the rocks to vacuum up the debris if they're that big, unfortunately... then maybe if you add the shrimp they can get a good, clean start, as they probably won't be able to go in-between the rocks down to the bottom. If they can, those are some pretty big rocks.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

I agree, ghost shrimp or olive nerite snails.

I just redesigned my tank with river rock and sandstone (boiling the stone for hours), and the snails graze over the surface of the stone just like they do over the plants and glass.

need to get another pic up on this site with the new pic

hope this helps


charismarl
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:05 pm

by charismarl

OK...so I got some ghost shrimp (and changed my substrate to gravel b/c I ended up hating the large rocks)...and I love these little critters! I even put one happily with my beta! Problem is...them seem to be mysteriously disappearing. I don't think it's likely that they're just all hiding because I put a whopping 32 in my tank over the weekend and now I count like 11. I made sure to provide them with lots of plants and hidey holes for them to hang out in but I guess the goldsifh are eating them? Is this common? Is it worth it to keep re-stocking my tank with shrimp or just give up?


a1k8t31524
 
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 5:10 am

by a1k8t31524

yes...and around here ghosts ate like 1.50 a dozen so really its good food for the fish and cheap too
i used to feed my gold fish host shrimp and guppies

Cleaning large rock substrate

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