Water change with plants?

I just planted my tank and I'm in for a water change. During water changes I clean all the gravel (gravel vacuum) How do I clean the gravel without harming my plants? Do I just go around them? I'm worried that the gravel under the plants will collect stuff.

 

I have sand so not much settles in underneath it, but I would just clean around them. The stuff that works it's way down to the roots is going to be used by the plant and will probably help your growth. If you are worried about water quality, just keep an eye on your nitrates and if they get to high, yank the plant out, clean, replant, and water change.

 

I have sand so not much settles in underneath it, but I would just clean around them. The stuff that works it's way down to the roots is going to be used by the plant and will probably help your growth. If you are worried about water quality, just keep an eye on your nitrates and if they get to high, yank the plant out, clean, replant, and water change.

Ok sounds good! Thanks!

 

Yep. And the roots growing will prevent too many pockets from forming where the plant is.

 

Hello anna...

The organic material that forms on the bottom of the tank will dissolve in the water and feed your plants. So, you don't want to remove the material by vacuuming, because you'll remove an important source of plant nutrients. Any excess nutrients the plants don't use is removed when you change out the tank water. If you remove half or more of the tank water weekly, you'll maintain a balanced and healthy tank.

Old

 

Old, are you meaning don't get into the gravel with the vacuum? Or don't vacuum at all?

 

I don't know about old, but I don't vacuum my main planted tank at all. Just weekly large waterchanges (with bottom feeders, shrimp, and various strata plants).

 

Hello Wra...

I'm saying you don't need to vacuum a planted tank, ever. The organic material from the fish and plants dissolves in the tank water and nourishes the tank. By changing the water, the tank keeper replenishes trace minerals the plants and fish need that are lost due to the constant filtration process . The frequent water changes remove excess nutrients when you remove the old water and replace it with pure, treated tap water. Nature does the same, the plants lose and replace leaves that dissolve in the water to feed whatever lives in the water and constantly removes old water and replaces it.

Pretty simple.

Old

 

Oldsalt is right. That's not to say that you can't vacuum, I prefer to take most of the dead matter out of my tank for a tidy (arguably less natural) look. Doing this though, I have to dose my tank with ferts and root tabs to make up for what I've removed. Ended up removing a large chunk of Watersprite due to how much I was having to dose nitrates because of how fast it was using it up.

 

I'd agree with a moderately or heavily planted tank, but I was thinking the op only had a few, and I would vacuum the open areas.