# Difficulty in cleaning rock-work tank?



## huskertsd (Apr 9, 2013)

New to cichlids, got a 55-gallon tank in April stocked with Mbuna. At the time of setup, I used old décor. Plenty of hiding spots, but it's faux logs and roots. I'm thinking of going to a more traditional Mbuna tank with rockwork.

One question I have is maintenance. I vacuum gravel about once a week with partial water change, and with the décor right now, it's easy to move a piece and vaccum under/around it. What do you folks do for a cichlid tank with a lot of rockwork? I imagine it would be a pain to remove/move, clean, and then resite rockwork, but then I also can imagine you'd get a lot of junk building up in and around the rockwork.

Thoughts? We have some beautiful pinkish-red Sioux Quartzite around here, think it would make for nice rockwork with a Mbuna tank.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Many people use a powerhead, strategically placed, to help prevent debris from becoming trapped in the rock work. Others are using a python-type water change hose and use that to flush out debris between the rocks. This is normally done when doing water changes, be sure to add any water conditioner at the same time if you have chlorine/chloramine in your source water.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Put your decor in first and then the substrate. That way nothing underneath. The Python can suction around. Use a turkey baster to blast out the rocks during the water change so your Python can remove what gets dislodged.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Another approach combines the advice of the previous posters. I have a lot of rock in my tropheus 125, so I place it first, then add SAND, not gravel around it. Sand is denser, so not as much *stuff* gets down into it. By strategically placing filter intakes and outlets, detritus only settles in a couple spots. I use a gravel vacuum roughly every other or every third water change and get up next to the front rocks. About once a year, I take all the rock out, clean the substrate, and re-scape. This keeps the tank in good shape and allows me to indulge in changes once in a while.


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## Sparrow19 (May 31, 2013)

About once a week or so I do a partial water change and I vacuum the gravel that is exposed. That gets a lot of what naturally rests on the bottom. Then about once a month I take all the rock out and do a full water change, down to just a few inches. Usually at this point I want to change up my rock design, so it keeps it fresh and something different. I switch from Texas holey rock to Cinnamon river rock.


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