My tank has a pool filter sand substrate. I like the look of the sand and my plants have grown well in it. But it seems like fish waste and other plant/algae matter accumulates very quickly. Is this necessarily a bad thing? I try to siphon it out but I end up siphoning out the sand with the waste, and sometimes I accidentally take out some roots.
I change the water every 2-3 days and try to get out as much as possible but it's really difficult. When I add new water I try to let the flow disturb the substrate so the poop can get picked up by the filter. But that just seems to stress out the fish a lot and it usually settles back onto the sand, plants, and driftwood before it ever makes it to the filter intake.
Should I be worried about this or will the plants and filter eat all the nitrates that it produces before it can stress out the fish?
I change the water every 2-3 days and try to get out as much as possible but it's really difficult. When I add new water I try to let the flow disturb the substrate so the poop can get picked up by the filter. But that just seems to stress out the fish a lot and it usually settles back onto the sand, plants, and driftwood before it ever makes it to the filter intake.
Should I be worried about this or will the plants and filter eat all the nitrates that it produces before it can stress out the fish?