Gravel Cleaner Vacum With Dirt Collection Bag

[dpr]

Got a rena 150 which is 21 inches deep but am having trouble finding a Gravel Cleaner vacum with a filter that will reach that deep and also have a dirt collection bag like this one (PGR 1000 Power Gravel Cleaner) http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/catalogue...el-cleaners.asp Does anyony now of ant suitible ones

 

[steve_b21]

Hi, did u find a suitable vacum? I have also got a very deep tank... 28"

 

[nukeonekitty]

This may sound stupid, but do you vac with a syphon vac? Do you actually put the vac down into the substrate to pick up dirt particles?

If not, you need to do that to vacuum up debris that can't float to the top.

 

[steve_b21]

This may sound stupid, but do you vac with a syphon vac? Do you actually put the vac down into the substrate to pick up dirt particles?

If not, you need to do that to vacuum up debris that can't float to the top.

To be honest i dont do either yet, just in the process of setting up my first tank.

Im assuming something like this would be ok....

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...p;rd=1&rd=1

Extends to 23" which would not be too bad

 

[nukeonekitty]

That is similar to what I have, they work nice. Do realize you are going to get a little wet while doing this so don't worry so much about how far it reaches.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

From looking at the picture I think that gravel vac completely misses one of the purposes of gravel vaccing...it puts the water back in the tank. You want to be removing water as well as waste!

If you want something that works well go with the Python No-Spill system.

 

[steve_b21]

From looking at the picture I think that gravel vac completely misses one of the purposes of gravel vaccing...it puts the water back in the tank. You want to be removing water as well as waste!

If you want something that works well go with the Python No-Spill system.

It states... ''Non return valve built into handle to prevent dirty water retuning to aquarium.''.

Should be ok, right?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Hrm...I'm usually observant enough not to miss such things...apparently I'm having an off day eh?

Anyway, still don't understand the point of a "dirt collection bag". Tank water + fish poop = good free plant water and fertilizer.

 

[rdd1952]

Anyway, still don't understand the point of a "dirt collection bag".

I agree. If the water is leaving the tank, then why collect the waste separately. Let it go in the water and down the drain or into the yard.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

No I think what that means is that the dirty water doesn't back flow through the siphon. The water looks like it goes into an over hed compartment which filters a portion of the detrius out. But the main point of a gravel vacuum is to completely remove all water from the tank and dispose of it, and then fill it with fresh tap or RO water. This doesn't look like it does water changes. It's just an extra filter that you can manipulate in a way. Stick with pythons. You can get a python for probably 10 dollars more. And it is 1,000 times better than that.

 

[rdd1952]

It states... ''Non return valve built into handle to prevent dirty water retuning to aquarium.''.

I must be overlooking something because I don't see where anything on the link given states that.

Edit: Sorry, I am looking at the first link from the OP, not the one you linked to. I think the original one is strictly a filter and using it and then washing the filter under tap water could cause issues with the biological filter. Since the filter would be processing water, it would build bacteria.

 

[backtotropical]

I have an electric gravel vac with a 'dirt collection bag' which i find to be very useful. I use it every couple of days just to get rid of the poop on the sand. Purely aesthetic reasons, I admit. I still perform my water changes twice weekly, but my gravel vac lets me clean the sand between changes without having the bother of doing an additional water change, as all it does is remove poop and returns clean water back to the tank.

I would recommend them.

 

[nukeonekitty]

If you don't use the collection bag and return the clean water then you could kill two birds with one stone. I vac AND water change all in one motion. Why do two actions?

 

[SouthernCross]

I am very meticulous about trying to get all the crud out of my gravel - there always seems to be so much of it. If I tried to get it all using the regular syphon vac, I'd be taking out ALL of my water before I was happy with how well I'd cleaned it.

So as it stands, on my weekly/week and a half clean, I usually siphon 50% of my water out while I clean. If it still looks quite dirty to me, THEN I whip out my little battery powered vac with a dirt collection bag which pushes the water through the bag and cleans it further but without the need to remove any more water - there's just no need to remove that much, and living somewhere with regular water restrictions, I can't justify wasting all that water either.

It's not long enough to use when my tank is full ( mine can only be submerged 14 inches or so, my tank is 18 high) so I get around this by removing the amount of water I plan to change so the level is low enough and then I can vac and clean to my heart's content with the other one.

I agree with posters who say you can't use one of these and not a regular siphon vac too. Both, or not at all. The bag one doesn't do nearly as good a job as the other, but like I said, I only use it when I want extra cleaning without wasting all that water.

Hope that made sense. They are worth getting if your reasons are similar to mine.

 

[madgap]

Hrm...I'm usually observant enough not to miss such things...apparently I'm having an off day eh?

Anyway, still don't understand the point of a "dirt collection bag". Tank water + fish poop = good free plant water and fertilizer.

I understand the point, and wouldn't mind a decent vacume type thingy, too.
If, like me, you performed a water change last night, syphoning from the bottom. And tonight, I may see some dirt I concider unsightly. I don't want to do a water change tonght. However, A vacume thingy would be splendid. Lifting the dirt whilst leaving the water.