poefox

This is going to be the first major gravel vacuum job since I got the catfish. I would appreciate some advice on how to do it. When I just had Rusty I would scoop him into a small clear plastic container and put him aside, take out the plants and other stuff and just vacuum the tank floor, then do a water change and put the stuff back and put him back in after floating the container for about fifteen minutes. This seemed to work well; the betta would be a bit annoyed but none the worse for wear. Should I do the same with the catfish or just watch out for them with the vacuum?

Gunnie

Just watch out for them with the vacuum. Vacuum a fourth to a half of your gravel each time you do tank maintenance. That way, you don't mess with the bio filter too much!