How to clear fish waste?

[ownu4free]

Hi,can anyone teach me a cheap method to clear fish waste? im aware of siphoning them, but when i siphon it, the gravels get sucked out too. Any other easy method?

[hann]

I used the co2 tubing to act as the siphoning tool. Use the theory of gravitational pull by placing one end in the tank and the other to your Pail placed lower than your tank level. Tap gently on your gravel with your forefinger and the waste will float and they will be sucked by the suction.

[seudzar]

I don't clear fish waste. Hahahaha

[ownu4free]

I don't clear fish waste. Hahahaha

Wont they turn harmful?

[freezze]

Wont they turn harmful?

we need the fish waste.. they are nutrient to the plants.

[ownu4free]

we need the fish waste.. they are nutrient to the plants.

I'm keeping crayfish together with some algae eaters and goldfish, guppies etc. I'm using fake plants, hence i do not have any plants in the tank. Will it be harmful overtime?

[Mystikboy]

Do you use filtration? It will break down the waste into the less harmful nitrate, and this can be cleared from the tank during your weekly water change.

[seudzar]

I'm keeping crayfish together with some algae eaters and goldfish, guppies etc. I'm using fake plants, hence i do not have any plants in the tank. Will it be harmful overtime?

It's good to have some floating plants like frogbits or hornworts in your tank. If you do not have plants, you still have to do weekly water changes even you have filter running in your tank. However with plants, you may not have to do water change so often

[ownu4free]

Ya i do use a filter, and do weekly water change Around 2-3 a week. sometime there is still some.big waste which is kinda disturbing

[ownu4free]

It's good to have some floating plants like frogbits or hornworts in your tank. If you do not have plants, you still have to do weekly water changes even you have filter running in your tank. However with plants, you may not have to do water change so often

does the above plants need co2?

[furyprix]

Hornworts are very hardy, co2 is not needed for them to grow well. You can leave them as floaters in your tank since you keep crays, they'll probably uproot any that you plant in the substrate. As for floating plants such as frogbits. The leaves are exposed to the air, they take in co2 directly from the air. No co2 required too but as per the same for any plants, just have some form of lights to sustain their growth!

you can google them to give u a better idea how these plants look like and are used my aquarists

[ownu4free]

Hornworts are very hardy, co2 is not needed for them to grow well. You can leave them as floaters in your tank since you keep crays, they'll probably uproot any that you plant in the substrate. As for floating plants such as frogbits. The leaves are exposed to the air, they take in co2 directly from the air. No co2 required too but as per the same for any plants, just have some form of lights to sustain their growth!

you can google them to give u a better idea how these plants look like and are used my aquarists

where can i get them? does seaview sell them?

[jason_kw]

You can try using a battery operated siphon. Just attach a hose and drain the waste to a pail or you can attach a bag to trap any debris. The probe can be extended to 50 cm to reach the depth. Just lightly stir the surface of the gravel to agitate the waste and the vacuum will suck it out.

[freezze]

I'm keeping crayfish together with some algae eaters and goldfish, guppies etc. I'm using fake plants, hence i do not have any plants in the tank. Will it be harmful overtime?

Oh no... goldfish.. they are the poo master.. they eat and shit non-stop..
You need to physically siphon out the poo.

[ownu4free]

You can try using a battery operated siphon. Just attach a hose and drain the waste to a pail or you can attach a bag to trap any debris. The probe can be extended to 50 cm to reach the depth. Just lightly stir the surface of the gravel to agitate the waste and the vacuum will suck it out.

if i agitate the waste, it wont affect the water or the fishes right?

[jason_kw]

You can do this lightly just above the gravel surface so should not cause too much problems as most of the waste would be sucked out. Just remember to work on one small area (maybe a 5cm square) at a time then move on..

[Urban Aquaria]

Welcome to the world of constant cleaning up after goldfishes... i've done my "tour of duty" before, even with barebottom tank and lots of filtration, i still found myself cleaning the goldfish tank more often than i clean my home.

Like what freezze mentioned, goldfishes are usually the ones which produce the most (and largest) waste in a tank, your other fishes and crayfishes produce way less waste in comparison. So no choice just have to keep up with regular waste removal.

[tetrakid]

When I kept goldfish previously, I used to change the water (100%) every day without fail.
Somehow. my goldfish survived and even laid eggs all over the bundle of Egeria densa early in the morning.

[tetrakid]

Ya i do use a filter, and do weekly water change Around 2-3 a week. sometime there is still some.big waste which is kinda disturbing

I normally use a DIY siphoning tube which is extremely useful for the purpose.
Here is how to make it:
Buy:-
a)1.5m of flexible air tubing,
b)a piece of stiff air tubing (hard plastic, sold in 1m length)

Then attach the flexible tubing to the hard tubing.
The length of the hard tubing must be cut so that it is about 3 inches more than the depth of your tank water.

Use it to siphon the fish poo and dirt out. This must be done regularly so as to maintain a clean tank bottom.
After siphoning, top up the water in the tank. I have used such a tool for many years and will never do without it.

With practice, you will not need to suck to start the siphoning.
Put the hard tubing to the bank bottom to fill it up with water/ Then while holding a finger over the flexible end, lift
up the hard tubing and let the water flow down the flexible tubing. The siphoning action should then start when you
quickly replace the hard tube end in the tank.

[Dscheng]

Recently went to seaview, the sales there recommend to get azoo filter media. The media will convert the fish waste into good bacteria. Therefore, there is no need to clear the fish waste. I am not sure how true is that?