I am currently setting up my tank and preparing to cycle. My question is, how should you clean gravel and ornaments from a mature tank, without killing the good bacteria which should help the cycling process? I obtained them from the fish seller, and as far as I know, from a disease-free tank.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Fiona,

The gravel cleaner will suck up any dead plant debree, uneaten fish food, fish poop, etc, untill you put fish in there will be none of this in your gravel. Provided you have rinsed and cleaned the gravel before putting it in your tank, then it will remain clean, same goes for the ornaments, althought you may see a little algae growth which some fish feed on, so a little is not a bad thing.
Leave the tank alone whilst it cycles, add plants so they can get a hold before the fish, you can remove every dead leaves with a net, only use the gravel cleaner when you need to do a water change and clean your gravel at the same
time, the media will grow on the stones you only remove the lose, dead, unwanted matter that will otherwise polute your tank. I hope that helps. di

Fiona you shouldn't have to clean them as you would kill the good bactera off and that is the whole idea of having some mature gravel etc (hopefully the person giving you the gravel etc will have rinsed them in the mature tank water before giving them to you anyway) once the tank is cycled you could use a gravel cleaner like fishy mentioned and give the ornaments a rub if they need it in water taken from the tank.

Thats exactly what i do goldy - just rub off any algae if it starts to get too much. My Venus statue and little amphore pot have a little green on them now and it has added to the character - occasionally the fish go round them and give them a little clean

My gravel / sand cleaner is the best invention i have ever got!