How to use a Gravel Vaccum?

[europas_ice]

shud i remove the fish and plants/ornaments b4 cleanin rocks ????

I think no. You might have to re"plant" some of the fake plants if you're stirring up the gravel. But other than that I think you can leave everything in.

[ikon]

Originally Posted by donttaptheglass

Well, for me 20 gal is only about 45% of my water, but as europas_ice says, I do stir up the gravel quite a bit and a lot of stuff does float around the tank, some of which gets sucked up in the filter as I clean and some in the gravel vac (I have a canister filter that I keep running while I'm doing it). Once I've taken out all the water I'm going to, then I just stir up the gravel, let the filter take the rest of it until it all settles . . . stir it up some more, let it settle, stir it up, let it settle . . . just repeat until I'm happier with it, then fill my tank back up.

When I'm all done, I give the filter a rinse out and I'm back in business.

thanxs for the tip on stirring up the rocks ... i didnt think about that .. but then again im just a noob (newbie)

ya but my girlfreind (a major animal rights activist) she wants to remove EVERYTHING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! shes esp worried the gravel vac might suck up the baby fish ( i have a bout 6 baby marble mollys ) we just gonna let " nature take its course " instead of seperating them .....

[7Enigma]

All this work to get a syphon going, and using your mouth! That just turned my stomach.

OK, what I use is a syphon bell. You put it on the end of the tube (opposite side as the gravel vac) and it starts the syphon as you pump on the plastic valve (kind of like a turkey baster). I purchased mine from Big Al's but I'm sure they sell them all over the place (probably Home Depot sells them too in a plumbing section or so). I'll see if I can find the one on Big Al's and post a link.

No mess, no fish poop in your mouth , and its cheap.

As for the gravel vac syphoning too much water too quickly, you might need a smaller one. I had originally bought the large vac (probably 2.5" in diameter) and it sucked out water so quickly I could never get it around the tank to get all the gunk.

I disconnected the gravel vac and now use just the tubing as the vac. What this does is create a much stronger suction so that you can quickly move around the tank and nothing sits at the bottom.

If it is still flowing too fast, raise the tubing off the ground that is going into the bucket. The syphon effect is directly related to the height difference between your tank and the bucket your filling. So if you have the bucket on the floor and the tank on a tank stand (like I do), it will go REALLY fast. Put a box or something under the bucket (or just CAREFULLY aim into the bucket while holding the tube higher). This should give you enough time to easily get a good gravel vac without sucking out more than 50% of the water.

justin

EDIT: Here I found it:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...d1=3347;pcid2=

[Macrosill]

Originally Posted by ikon

im told to only take out about 25 % to 50 % of the tank water .... well my question is ..... b4 im finished cleaning the rocks 50 of the water is already gone and im not finished cleanin the rocks .. what the heck shud i do ????? stop or continue cleaning the rocks ?????/

shud i remove the fish and plants/ornaments b4 cleanin rocks ????

I just vac half the tank at a time. Then next time vac the other side.

[7Enigma]

Are you adding anything special to the water going back into the tank? (i.e. fertilizers, hardness, etc) If not, I'd just add some dechlor to a new batch of water, put that in, then vacuum the rest of the gravel.

[ikon]

Originally Posted by 7Enigma

All this work to get a syphon going, and using your mouth! That just turned my stomach.

OK, what I use is a syphon bell. You put it on the end of the tube (opposite side as the gravel vac) and it starts the syphon as you pump on the plastic valve (kind of like a turkey baster). I purchased mine from Big Al's but I'm sure they sell them all over the place (probably Home Depot sells them too in a plumbing section or so). I'll see if I can find the one on Big Al's and post a link.

No mess, no fish poop in your mouth , and its cheap.

As for the gravel vac syphoning too much water too quickly, you might need a smaller one. I had originally bought the large vac (probably 2.5" in diameter) and it sucked out water so quickly I could never get it around the tank to get all the gunk.

I disconnected the gravel vac and now use just the tubing as the vac. What this does is create a much stronger suction so that you can quickly move around the tank and nothing sits at the bottom.

If it is still flowing too fast, raise the tubing off the ground that is going into the bucket. The syphon effect is directly related to the height difference between your tank and the bucket your filling. So if you have the bucket on the floor and the tank on a tank stand (like I do), it will go REALLY fast. Put a box or something under the bucket (or just CAREFULLY aim into the bucket while holding the tube higher). This should give you enough time to easily get a good gravel vac without sucking out more than 50% of the water.

justin

EDIT: Here I found it:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...d1=3347;pcid2=

ah thats a good idea and its cheap .. ill have to order that on payday !

the gravel vac i have is a small one.. i dunno wut the size is but i can tell ya its pretty small .. i got it free with i got my 30 gal tank (which i got for free also.. )

ya i get tired of tasting the fish water... i have my tank sitting on my dresser only place i have room for it ... a window is next to it (i have curtains so the sun doesnt make the water hot or anting.. so i juss put the tube out the window.. )

[ikon]

Originally Posted by 7Enigma

Are you adding anything special to the water going back into the tank? (i.e. fertilizers, hardness, etc) If not, I'd just add some dechlor to a new batch of water, put that in, then vacuum the rest of the gravel.

only thing i add is the dechlor ...

i add flourish liquird plant food twice a week..

i also add freshwater salt to it ... but i just started that yesterday (which i didnt know i was suppose to ) do yall know much about the fw salt ?? if so how often do i add the stuff ?????

so of the fish i have requires fw salt...