Fluval Stratum Questions

[Unactivity]

So I recently got fluvial stratum to replace my current gravel, but I just realized that I really don't know what to do with it...

So I have a few questions:

- Can I vacuum it or no? Some sources say just to keep the vacuum an inch away from it, others say not to do it at all, so what do I do? (I have a fish and three snails in the tank so there is a lot of waste)

- To make it easier to clean should I put gravel on top of it or no? Some sites say it will crush the stratum's what should I do?

- Last of all, do I have to do a full recycle of my tank if I reuse some of the water currently in the tank?

Thank you in advance!

[nabokovfan87]

Yes you can gravel vac it.  You would want to look up a technique similar to how you vacuum sand substrate where you're not necessarily plunging the siphon deep into the gravel, but a lighter technique where you're only cleaning the top couple of inches.  Green aqua has a ton of great maintenance videos as well that I will nudge you towards.

This is another technique that might help you out as well.  In Europe there is a common technique we've seen where they stick a turkey baster in lieu of a chopstick and get the debris up by lightly using air to push the debris into the water ahead of the siphon hose.  This "chopstick" works too!
 

 

On 6/15/2023 at 4:05 PM, Unactivity said:

- To make it easier to clean should I put gravel on top of it or no? Some sites say it will crush the stratum's what should I do?

You can use gravel to make it a bit easier.  Certain caps can be used to help hold plant in as well.  Corvus Oscen (Joel) uses seachem flourite with stratum.  Pecktec does the same thing.  So that's another option if you prefer the darker substrate colors.  The idea being to make sure that your cap is thick enough so that when everything gets siphoned and moved around, that you aren't just mixing the layers.  It will happen over time.  One of my biggest issues with stratum was that it is just so light.  When I tried to cap mine, I didn't have nearly a big enough cap and the filter alone was pushing the sand and things mixed near immediately. 

On 6/15/2023 at 4:05 PM, Unactivity said:

Last of all, do I have to do a full recycle of my tank if I reuse some of the water currently in the tank?

I am not sure what you mean here.  Using "aged water" isn't normally an issue. Just keep in mind that you'll bring along some nitrates and stuff with that water.

[Unactivity]

Okay thank you so much!