Just vacumed cleaned my 10g need advice

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Wilder said:
Just be careful you can swallow the water, i wouldn't do it anymore if i was you.
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Yeah but life is full of risks, and a tiny bit of dirty tank water which you can spit out isn't really a massive one.

I always pull the water through the tube using my mouth.
 
i really just don't get that. its so much easier and less icky to just slowly feed the tube under the water and then pull it out.

most community fish (unless they've been sucked up in the tube before) get accustomed to the vacuum and learn to ignore it once they figure out its not that dangerous. but everytime you chase the fish all over with a big green net, you enforce a sense of predation and stress them out. i have to say, my guppies are typically so fearless of the vacuum that i have to be extra careful not to suck any of them up! the same was true of my kribensis fry and even my pufferfish will come over to see what's up when i vacuum. but every fish i own is terrified of the net.
 
GirlinWayside said:
houndour said:
I suck my tube :)

:rofl:

You just made me spit all over my screen - thanks for the laugh!

acutally, thats how I get mine started alot of the times too! :hey:
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You mean you can't drink fish water? But it has such a great flavor, especially when it's a little "seasoned". I prefer the "mature tank" vintage myself. :p Well, we'll start a TB ward for those who suck. I'm being really gross and off topic, sorry.
 
I too use my mouth to start the suction... you just have to be careful to stop before the water reaches your mouth. It's easier to me than submerging the tube. It has been years since I've gotten a mouthful of tank water, and honestly, with weekly 25% water changes I'm skeptical about how filthy the water could possibly be :lol:
 
I've always just moved the gravel siphoning part up and down really fast while it's halfway or so in the water. It took some effort to make it work right, but I didn't have to drink fishy water either :lol:

And my fish hate to be moved as well. They barely notice the siphon though.
 
I use a python and on fake planted tanks give the gravel a good digging through every other water change. I've read on message boards more than once of tanks, especially overstocked ones, having a mini-cycle from a too thorough gravel cleaning combined with complete filter cleaning, a large water change and pad or media replacement.
 
I'm into the tube sucking myself.

Don't see why anyone would do it any other way. Hell its the reason I am into keeping fish.
 
:rofl: Thank you colen, you made my day!
I never remove fish when vaccing, at least not intentionally. Once in a while one goes for a ride, 3/4" i.d. tubing will do that sometimes. I just check the 35 gallon can I syphon into before I hit the switch for the pump that drains it.

I only suck on the big tubes. :D Try fitting 5 feet of hose with a couple feet of pvc on one end into a tank to fill without the fish spazzing.

Tolak
 
colen said:
I'm into the tube sucking myself.

Don't see why anyone would do it any other way. Hell its the reason I am into keeping fish.
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:rofl:

Tolak said:
I only suck on the big tubes. :D
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Is that so? :sly: :lol:
 
TBH Durbkat, I think being moved to a new container is going to be a lot more stressful for your fish than inserting a gravel vac.

You don't need to chase them around; just vacuum where they don't happen to be. Have to admit that this is difficult with mine as they all come up to the tube to investigate; they think everything that goes in the tank is going to be food; but I have never noticed them being stressed out by it, quite to the contrary.

It's not the end of the world if you don't get to vaccum the whole tank in any one week, do it next week. I have live plants which I only uproot if they get covered in cyanobacteria or something else that could kill them.

Knowing how stressed my fish have been when I've had to move them, I would never risk a cleaning regime that involved netting them and moving them once a week.

Also, don't go to town on your vacuuming. You want to get the poo up, but not disturb the bacteria in the gravel too much.
 
There was a discussion on the pro's and con's of sucking vacuum tubes to start suction a while ago. I think the conclusion was that no one had died, but it provided a few laughs!

As for Durkbat's question - I wouldn't dump them straight back in the tank. The change in temp (and possibly pH) of the water in the tank and the water in the bucket, would stress them again.
Float them in a plastic bag as if you were introducing new fish; get the reaclimatised.

Having said this, I know this post was yesterday, so its probably all ok anyway, and you can tell me to go stick it.


Go on, y'know you want to..................:)
 
Accidentally swallowing tank water while starting a siphon may or may not be bad for you. What if it goes into your lungs? Could happen. :(
 
morgan said:
Accidentally swallowing tank water while starting a siphon may or may not be bad for you. What if it goes into your lungs? Could happen. :(
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Isn't that the risk you take when you drink some water, or go swimming?
I'm not a biologist, but I think the body has a pretty advanced system about shutting off your windpipe when you are swallowing.
 
Yeah, I'm also a confirmed tube sucker... I just can't help myself!

No really though I just find it easier to suck then to move my arms around too much while I'm balancing on the stepladder I use to get in my tank (it's on a dresser and the combined height of the dresser and tank end up being taller than me). As for the fish, most of them end up trying to eat what they see getting pulled out of the gravel, even though they can't figure out why they keep hitting something clear.... stupid fish lol.


For me I get most of the debris floating around the tank after rinsing the filter cartridge out, when I put it back in it scrapes the gunk from the inside of the filter and when I plug it back in sends it flying out.
 
ncjharris, why don't you just stick it! :p And I only vacum clean this tank once every two months so didn't figure it would really stress them out since its only every two months. :dunno:
 

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