Gravel Vacumn no water change

[osolynden]

When time was young (and I was too) a simple squeeze bulb with a wand and fine mesh filter bag was sold to allow you to clean your gravel without buckets and hoses and all the rest. I don't see those around anymore.

Yes, I do partial water changes.

I have looked at the battery operated ones and they seem to be problem plagued and not very strong and I have also seen videos of people making their own using adjustable power heads. I might go that route... or wonder if a new non toxic fuel pump like they sell for kerosene transfer could be rigged as one for under 10 buck...

Any thoughts?

 

[osolynden]

How do you clean gravel when you don't need or want to change any water?

 

[Delapool]

I confess I was thinking of the battery powered ones in lieu of gravity doing the work in a normal change.

I wonder if you could get powerheads on an under gravel filter strong enough to crank it up and 'flush' the gravel. The ugf's I used were only air powered.

 

[osolynden]

Thanks for the reply.

The power heads come in different sizes so I may give it a try. It is only a ten gallon tanks so I can't clean very well on one water change.

 

[Harry Vysekal]

Try under gravel filter, all you need is a bit of brain interaction, drill,some flat pvc,garden hose or PVC pipe, and air pump 3x the size of your tank to have enough power for the biological filtration etc..


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[osolynden]

Darn tootin

I need some brain interaction!

Thanks. Took out an undergravel filter because they are made so cheaply these days... Making one myself would be the only way.

 

[Harry Vysekal]

Yeh, mechanical filter is just a power head that drive the water through the filter media which is very small in all internal filters, my case I have biorb 60l the filter that is integrated sucks,so I build DIY, thick layers of pond wool, I also have plenty carbon media around and hidden in the aquarium ornaments and mechanical filter just to increase the filtration. I recently done and fitted it in.

Here's the base for the gravel filter, sir stone under the base to oxygenated the water beneath, 2 air chambers to make bubbles coming from the ground






I am waiting for 300 APS tetra air pump to run the filter which is currently running on the pump that came with the tank, also I reduced the flow of the mechanical filter by 80% via hose spray bar, as it was making too much water movement. I think so far it's doing great job,



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[osolynden]

Love seeing what you have done. I just have a small 10 gallon and given my age and health it will stay that way.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I confess I was thinking of the battery powered ones in lieu of gravity doing the work in a normal change.

I wonder if you could get powerheads on an under gravel filter strong enough to crank it up and 'flush' the gravel. The ugf's I used were only air powered.

I'm inclined to say no. You can certainly run powerheads on UGF sufficient to maintain the biological filtration, but you still have to gravel vac, as the gravel will still develop dead spots and compact with build up.

I've had better luck with running canister filters on a reverse UGF in small tanks, than with a straight UGF.

 

[Delapool]

I'm inclined to say no. You can certainly run powerheads on UGF sufficient to maintain the biological filtration, but you still have to gravel vac, as the gravel will still develop dead spots and compact with build up.



I've had better luck with running canister filters on a reverse UGF in small tanks, than with a straight UGF.

That looks nice. Is the filter outflow going to ugf and then flowing from bottom of gravel to top (reversed)?

 

[Wy Renegade]

That looks nice. Is the filter outflow going to ugf and then flowing from bottom of gravel to top (reversed)?

Yes, water is pulled out of the tank through the large sponge you see on the right hand side and then sent back through the UGF. Drives the muck upward rather then sucking it down and still provides plenty of space for BB.

 

[Delapool]

That sounds neat. I remember the air-powered ones I had seemed to get choked up after a bit. Plants seemed to love it but then the roots got into the filter slots.

 

[Harry Vysekal]

Am running 300l/h on my UGF, you can develop dead spots and certain areas etc.... Therefore I'd suggest incorporating certain species like Malaysian trumpet snails which burrow into the gravel and disturb it, I don't need to vacuum the gravel as the suction is great and the gravel seems to be cleaning it self so far


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