Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner 1" or 1.5" W?

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

FoxChase

Fish Fanatic
Joined
Jan 22, 2022
Messages
135
Reaction score
77
Location
Springtown TX
Do the 1" wide tube gravel siphons work well?
Have heard mixed reviews - lack of suction.
Tank is 5 gal MarineLand Portrait
11.81" L x 11.62" W x 17.05" H
My selections below are for a planted tank:
Mini - tube 5" L x 1" W
Med - tube 5" L x 1.5" W
Which would be a better choice?
20220126_205050.jpg
Or neither, go wider?
Thought the 1" would be easier to use around the plants.
 
I never vacuum my gravel, I just leave it alone, so the fish poop goes down and fertilizers the plants. Did I mention I don't use fertilizers either.
 
That's a good point. I guess either would work well in that capacity.
I guess I got goldfish on the brain. My last tank, herd of fancy GF - they poop alot!!😏
 
Get a 2 inch diameter tube and the tube should be about 12 inches long.

The 1 inch diameter tubes aren't that good unless you have a really skinny tank. And the short tubes (less than 8 inches long) doesn't give the gravel enough time to separate from the gunk and you suck both out.
 
Worried I eventually won't be able to get between plants.
Would the 2" have too much suction?
The 12" is too long to manage in my small tank (couldn't flip it over)
I had the 12" for my goldfish tank, it worked very well.
 
How big is the tank (what are the dimensions)?

If you have lots of live plants in the tank, just gravel clean around them and leave 1-2 inches of undisturbed gravel by their base. You can hoover the gunk out from among the leaves of the plants but you don't need to gravel clean where their roots are (usually within 1-2 inches of the stem).

Maybe look for a 6-8 inch gravel cleaner if the 12 inch is too long. If you can't find a shorter one with the right diameter, get a hacksaw and cut the longer one down. Use a fine tooth blade on the hacksaw so it cuts through the plastic and doesn't crack it.

A two inch diameter gravel cleaner allows water to go up but generally won't suck up gravel. narrower tubes are more prone to sucking up the gravel. if you are concerned, get a 1.5 inch diameter tube :)
 
How big is the tank (what are the dimensions)?

If you have lots of live plants in the tank, just gravel clean around them and leave 1-2 inches of undisturbed gravel by their base. You can hoover the gunk out from among the leaves of the plants but you don't need to gravel clean where their roots are (usually within 1-2 inches of the stem).

Maybe look for a 6-8 inch gravel cleaner if the 12 inch is too long. If you can't find a shorter one with the right diameter, get a hacksaw and cut the longer one down. Use a fine tooth blade on the hacksaw so it cuts through the plastic and doesn't crack it.

A two inch diameter gravel cleaner allows water to go up but generally won't suck up gravel. narrower tubes are more prone to sucking up the gravel. if you are concerned, get a 1.5 inch diameter tube :)
Tank is 5 gal MarineLand Portrait
11.81" L x 11.62" W x 17.05" H
Thanks for the info!
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top