75 Gallon Tank How to do water change without moving/having to take out planted plants

Hi, I just got more gravel in my tank and have planted my plants in it. If I want to do a water change and have to clean the gravel, how would I do it without accidentally sucking up the plants roots or accidentally removing it from the gravel. I know this might be a dumb question but is there like an actual correct way to do it without moving plants as much as possible? And I have some grass like plants that are very hard to clean around without removing them from the gravel.

 

Leave some distance. And give the plants time to actually take rooting.

 

You can also use a turkey baster to blow debris from around the plants and then get it with your siphon.

 

For me personally, I have patience to slowly use a syringe connected to an airline tubing and slowly siphon whatever mini debris there is. Or you may also make a diy siphon by cutting the tubing of a pipette and connecting it to an airline tubing, but for a 75 gallon I think it would be quite difficult, or maybe just use a stick to gently stir up the substrate so that it's easier to suck up the debris.

 

I agree with what the others have mentioned as well. I use a gravel filter that allows me to clean substrate, with or without removing water. It’s very easy on my plants & I’ve never had any issues with it pulling them up (including my newly planted one) It’s the Fluval ProVac. I highly recommend it for larger tanks.

 

If you have an established, 3 plus inch deep bed of substrate , really no need to regularly gravel vac. during WC's.
Unless you constantly overfeed or keep a severely overstocked tank, the BB present in the substrate should make short work of excess bio gunk.
I rarely gravel vac, just let the siphon hang inside the tank while doing the weekly 50% WC. Never a problem.

 

I didn’t know you could do that :0 I’m going to try that this time. I only have about 3/4 an inch of gravel but I’m going to see if this works. Would cut down the work by ALOT

If you have an established, 3 plus inch deep bed of substrate , really no need to regularly gravel vac. during WC's.
Unless you constantly overfeed or keep a severely overstocked tank, the BB present in the substrate should make short work of excess bio gunk.
I rarely gravel vac, just let the siphon hang inside the tank while doing the weekly 50% WC. Never a problem.