this topic is to share my ideas on the water current
inside the tanks. my main objective of this topic is
to share the ideas on minimizing dirt accumulation inside
the tank without frequent vacuuming the substrates.

i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo308/PAULHD...tercurrentintank.jpg
the concept is to show how water current help me delivers
all dirt to the lowest point, then suck by the pump going
to the filtering box, media catching all the dirt, processed
by good bacteria to lessen the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrites,
water flowing back to the tank, agitating the surface for
oxygenation, keeping my water clear and clean. the box above
is where i used to put some plants for rooting, intended for
propagation in my garden. this is also where i've learned
that those rooting plants keep my water parameters under
control with minimal replacement.

just my 2 cents ideas. (25 gal tank; 250LPH powerhead, 9 fantail gf)

Hi Paul, some current is always going to be a good thing as it moves water around and as said sends the poo to the filter. But having said that I still prefer to vac. removing the poo has got to be better than having it in the filter. The filter will break it down but the end product will be nitrates that need a water change to remove. to completely remove all the poo is never going to happen so this is where the current comes in for me. another member mentioned they fit there vac to there filter and use it like a power vac. a good idea again but poo is still to be broken down. If i could I would vac everyday but this will send me mad. I think the fish like a current too.

i agree with marcus. i enjoy vacuuming my tank(i do it twice a week). i take this time to closely examine my fish and look for any anomalies that may be begining to manifest(and so far knock on wood nothing bad has happenned).

yeah, i know the feelings marcus and necro..... i just
want to share the idea for those who have no time for it.
in my case, i used to scrub the inner glass of the tank
as my bonding time with my oscar... plus taking a lot of
pictures every other day.... what i used to do is removed
and replaced the upper layer of the media to remove the
poohs and left over foods.... this way, dissolve waste
will lessen the contamination of water and yet maintain
the good bacteria colony.