Good Way To Remove Bits From Bottom?

[serbusfish]

I have sand as my substrate so bits show up really badly on it, a simple way to clean up is to use a piece of pipe and siphon it out, but obviously this takes water out too, and I end up doing a 50% water change just trying to clean the bottom! I plan to buy some shrimp to take care of it, but in the mean time is there any simple way to remove dirt and bits without removing much water along with it? I tried using a net but this is too frustrating, I catch stuff and then whilst im trying to get other stuff the things ive already caught fall back out!

 

[dbanner]

You can buy battery operated siphons that don't take out any water. They just suck up the dirt off the bottom and it stays in the middle of the syphon where there is a small net system. it doesnt let any of the dirt back out. You then take the middle part out when your finished, rinse under the tap and its ready to be used when you need it again.

 

[serbusfish]

You can buy battery operated siphons that don't take out any water. They just suck up the dirt off the bottom and it stays in the middle of the syphon where there is a small net system. it doesnt let any of the dirt back out. You then take the middle part out when your finished, rinse under the tap and its ready to be used when you need it again.

Sweet, think I might have to pick one of those up, cheers pal

 

[Essjay]

I plan to buy some shrimp to take care of it

Unless the stuff on the sand is uneaten food shrimps won't take care of it. They'll just add more. There is nothing that will eat fish waste if that is what you are talking about.
If it is uneaten food, don't feed so much

 

[msasa19]

i wouldnt get a battery oporated one, i just got one and already its broke :\ i use a normal siphons and put a sock on the end so all the bits get trapped in the sock and the water runs though clean so i can put it back in the tank!!

 

[the_lock_man]

I clean my substrate as part of my normal water change routine anyway, so it doesn't matter how much water I take out.

 

[adpgt]

You can buy battery operated siphons that don't take out any water. They just suck up the dirt off the bottom and it stays in the middle of the syphon where there is a small net system. it doesnt let any of the dirt back out. You then take the middle part out when your finished, rinse under the tap and its ready to be used when you need it again.

Where can I buy this from? And how much do they go for?

 

[dbanner]

You can buy battery operated siphons that don't take out any water. They just suck up the dirt off the bottom and it stays in the middle of the syphon where there is a small net system. it doesnt let any of the dirt back out. You then take the middle part out when your finished, rinse under the tap and its ready to be used when you need it again.

Where can I buy this from? And how much do they go for?

Iv seen them on various websites online. They go for around £30-£40. A bit on the expensive side but they do work very well. I know a few people that have 1 although I don't yet own 1. I just use a normal syphon for £4 and do a sand vac as part of my weekly water change so it doesn't matter that water comes out of the tank with the unwanted waste. If your tank has sufficient filtration then you shouldn't need to do anymore than 1 gravel/sand vac per week.

 

[JenJ]

I bought an eheim gravel cleaner from charterhouse aquatics last week for about £45. I was in my local Maidenhead Aquatics yesterday and they had one behind the till area - looked to be the same for £69.99 so shop around.

I like it but my current tanks are only a foot high, and I think it's better for deeper tanks.

 

[LucyB]

I would maybe cut the foot off some tights (clean ones...no chemicals or anything) and fasten them over the end of the tube (The end which goes in the bucket, not the tank) with an elastic band.

Then the water in the bucket has no rubbish in it and you can just pour the water back into your tank.

 

[adpgt]

I tried the filtering thing and used a towel but the water had a light yellow hue. I still put it back in the tank though lol