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the floor of my tank is very dirty and i am constantly trying to clean it, however, when i use the gravel vaccuum to suck up all the junk, it just flows through the filter bag as tiny particles and makes my water extremely cloudy. Then all of those particles eventually all settle back down onto my plants, rocks and into my gravel once again and everything has a brown coat of gunk on it.

I have tried stirring up all the dirt and then doing a water change, but that doesnt work so well. Any ideas?

Hi,
Frankly, your problem is your equipment. I tried one
of those "Gravel Vac" things years ago and it was a
disaster, just as yours is. The problem is that the
mesh (cloth bag) is too porous and allows the smaller
particles to flow right through the bag and back into
the aquarium. If at all possible, I would switch over
to a Python type siphon system that vacuums the gravel
and, at the same time, puts the detritus (muck, dirt)
into the sink drain.
Your other option is to purchase a diatom filter and
run it at the same time that you are vacuuming the gravel.
The diatom filters will filter out particles as small as
one micron, and the water will be crystal clear.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks a lot Frank, I think i'll go out and purchase some sort of a siphon.