Need suggestions guys

Hi all,

Im going away for 4 weeks and will leave my 4 adult L002 in bare bottom 6 footer, 4 x L134, 5 x L133 juvies in a barebottom 5ft, breeding trio of Pepps in barebottom 3ftr.

There will be no water change during this time, but someone will feed them twice a week. I will put additional sponge filter on each tank.

Now the question.. because of no water change for 4 weeks, do I need to put gravel in tank so I will have more beneficial bacteria and somehow keep the water more stable?

Cheers in advance.


Ace

For 4 weeks you probably need a water change or 2. Filters will only filter ammonia & nitrite and these are the result of feeding. If you keep the feeding low, the amount will be reduced but over 4 weeks there will need to be feedings. The nitrates though won't be reduced by the filters and over time will cause problems. Again, this is related to how much you feed. however, no additional filters or gravel can reduce the nitrates in the tank, only really water changes and/or live plants.