OMG yall, I have to let yall know. If you read my post about taking out my biggest river rocks, I have cleaned my tank 3 times since then. AND it is sooooo clean. Those big river rocks just hold too much waste, Im so happY!!! Had to share it with yall!!!!Im just SHOCKED of, how clean it is!!!!!!!!

u mean it helps to trap those waste at one place that makes cleaning easier for u?

What do you mean? Are those big pebbles river rocks?

I had the BIG river rocks like the size of eggs and then the small 1's size of dimes & smaller, and I could never keep my tank clean.... SO i removed the BIG rocks left the small 1's and maybe 4 or 5 of the big 1's to help hold down the bubble wall etc.... And I have cleaned it 3 times since then and It has stayed VERY clean, The big rocks was causing bad mess to stay trapped under them!!! even though I vac'd every water changed it never got clean y aknow. But now it is superb.

I don't know what it is about big objects in the tank, but even big ornaments trap the most amount of waste. When I do my grav vac, I find almost all the waste trapped under my shipwreck ornament and very little in the rest of the gravel.

anything that trap poop is a bad idea.. first of all, u can't see how much has been trapped at the bottom.. and once they release ammonia, it will be so much that your benefitial bacteria will not be able ot handle it and it will burn your fishes...

I had an experience where I did not arrange my filter properly, and a lot of poop went into the section where I have my coral stone.. I didn't realise it until weeks later when I was having water problem.. so that was the source that release so much ammonia.. luckily I have 3 filters on that tank and the bacteria is able to bring down the ammonia, but the amount of nitrate produce each day is almost equal to 2 weeks worth.. imagine green water n smelly water everyday after 70% change..

so it is a good idea to remove anything that may trap poop..

Yea I ended up putting another filter on mine aswell, the 1 i got with the tank isnt anything to brag about. But this whisper i put on, it is awsome. And with me taking the big river rocks out has made a huge difference, I also found out when I used filter floss instead of the filter sponge, that my water stayed clearer, BUT i had to change water and gravel vac, 2 times a week to keep it clear and the water right. My params have been super fine since the cycle LAST year in feb. So for a year it has stayed normal, I am surprised after all the goop, I always found under those rocks, I guess my 2x weekly water change and gravel vac. is what kept it stable. I might can even get by now with 1x a week water change and gravel vac. Which isnt a problem doing the 2x, But might help out since my old ticker isnt ticking right anymore LOL.Lugging that big heavy 5 gallon bucket gets rough. Even though I truely want a python, I cant invest in 1 just yet. MY sister got 1 with all attachments and everything at the local Goodwill for 5 bucks... MAN ol man If i could ever run across a deal like that LOL.it is the super python the 1 with everything It is awsome. LOL I loved it,as I helped her do a water change with it just to see for myself LOL. She said Im not trying to rub it in or anything BUT MY GOODNESS that was so much easier and faster LOL. I said yea well u r rubbing it in so enough already !LOL, Anyway I just posted it in hopes that someone else may have those in their tank, and even though their so pretty and natural looking They can be a trouble in ur tank without u even knowing it.!!!ON TOP OF that LOL, They looks and IS more room in there LOL, It is just so much bigger looking LOL,my 40 G looked like a 20 to me at times LOL, not anymore LOL Take care allll.......g0ldfishgurl OUTTTTTTT................