Whats the best way to vacuum the substrate in my tank?
You should vacuum the gravel in your tank as part of the process of removing water during a water change. Use a gravel washer. This is a 2″ diameter tube that fits on a much smaller diameter vinyl siphon hose. Some tank cleaning systems hook directly to a sink and use water pressure to create a vacuum in the hose, allowing you to drain the water from your tank to the sink drain without carrying buckets. You should not vacuum the gravel through a filter and pump that puts water back into your aquarium. Tanks equipped with under gravel filters should always be vacuumed at every water change. The substrate that is visible in reef tanks should be siphoned free of detritus at every water change. Care should be exercised not to disturb root systems when vacuuming substrate in freshwater planted aquariums. Unless you have a reef aquarium or a planted freshwater tank, remove half of the decorations before you remove water from the tank for a water change. Put the other half at on end of the ta
