Gravel Vac

[stevencross]

Can anyone recommend what gravel vacuum to use (been looking around and seen battery operated, siphone type, small, big........ too many choices?!)

My tank is 125ltrs with approx 1.5 - 2" of gravel.

Would appreciate some advice, otherwise at this rate I'll be getting the dyson out!

 

[Luke_e]

I think the good old siphone ones are fine, i use on myself, plenty of sucktion and it works on gravity, no need for batteries. As size goes, the diameter of mine is the same as a 10pence piece.

 

[Bloo]

From my experience, forget the battery operated "poo removers". Waste of money.
Just buy a bog standard syphon from your lfs or DIY your own Python.

 

[stevencross]

Thanks folks - as always the advice is appreciated.

 

[yvez9]

i was using syphons when i just had 2 or 3 tanks

when i moved in with my girlfriend, my tanks and her tanks put us to 6, plus we're buying a 90 gallon in the coming weeks so that would be too many gallons to change, we got a python.

If only for a small tank like yours, a syphon and a bucket is perfect. When MTS strikes, think about getting a python

 

[stevencross]

That's a lot of tanks yvez9! Saw an article on a DIY python (good article). I think I can manage with my jug and bucket at the moment!

On the subject of the gravel vac, this may sound like a silly question but how much water gets siphoned out when you are using a siphone gravel vac? And what do you do with the water? I presume you do the gravel vac/siphone during a routine partial water change?

Could someone please steer me in the right direction?

Many thanks.

 

[Jules H-T]

On the subject of the gravel vac, this may sound like a silly question but how much water gets siphoned out when you are using a siphone gravel vac? And what do you do with the water? I presume you do the gravel vac/siphone during a routine partial water change?

Precisely. Suck all the crap out of the gravel into a bucket, and either down the sink or water your plants (plenty of nutrients in it). You may also want to lightly rinse your filter media in it from time to time.

My vac is a foot long 2" diameter tube (which goes into the gravel) connected to 3 or 4 feet of 3/4" pipe. It looks like it might have an alternative use for gentlemen who God wasn't kind to, as female visitors to my house that don't know better delight in pointing out.

How fast the water comes out is directly related to the diameter of the narrowest part of the tube, the volume and depth of water, and the height difference between the top level of the water and the top level in the bucket.

 

[yvez9]

basically, larger syphons will syphon out quicker.

if your tank is small, you should get a smaller vac so you have time to clean the gravel before your bucket overloads!

 

[stevencross]

LOL - Cheers Jules H-T. Great - a multi purpose tool! Hours of fun to be had!

Thanks for the help yvez9

I'll most probably go for the smaller version to give me enough time to siphone out the debris before I've managed to empty the whole tank!