Filter And Cleaning

[miltiadis_s]

sup. i have a mini internal filter and it originally came with sponge. i want to change it, do i have to use sponge or can i use other materials like FOAM, WOOL etc?

also my tanks height is 24cm, what size gravel cleaner do i require?

thanks

 

[Tolak]

If it fits in you can use anything that's aquarium safe. If this sponge is the only filter media you will have to keep it in the aquarium for 7-10 days to prevent your tank from cycling. You could replace it with a ceramic media for better bio filtration, or floss for better mechanical filtration.

That's a small tank, a really small vac would be needed.

 

[Jozlyn]

Just use a long piece of around 5mm air line tube, hover over your gravel to suck up the bits, if a bit of gravel gets stuck in the end, just give it a tap on an ornament to dislodge it.

Also the lower you have your bucket, that is, the distance from the bottom of the tank to the bottom of the bucket, the higher the suction will be. When I clean my 10lt tank I sit the catching bucket on a stool beside the bench so that the bottom of the bucket is only a few cm's lower than the bottom of my tank, it still sucks up all the waste but the suction is not so great that it sucks up the gravel as well.

Hope this helps. Good luck with finding a teeny tiny gravel vac

 

[miltiadis_s]

i have found a 6 inch gravel cleaner is this suitable for my tank?

will it take out alot of water really quick??

thanks

 

[TerraDreamer]

Hold your thumb over the end of the tube to regulate the water flow.

 

[miltiadis_s]

thanks but is 6inch suitable for a 45cmx25x28 tank? (25lt)

 

[Jozlyn]

so long as you keep the bottom of the bucket on slightltly lower than the bottom of the tank you should be ok.