Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tanks and Equipment => Topic started by: Peterhill26 on January 21, 2018, 02:54:22 PM

Title: Vacuum Cleaner for a Tropical Fish Tank
Post by: Peterhill26 on January 21, 2018, 02:54:22 PM
Hi All what is the best Vacuum Cleaner for Gravel Bed for my fish tank one will take all the crap from underneath gravel some you get leaves the water in tank I have seen and read on facebook don't know what to do and buy
Title: Re: Vacuum Cleaner for a Tropical Fish Tank
Post by: Sue on January 21, 2018, 03:04:57 PM
The simplest ones are those that clean the gravel while doing a water change. The ones that leave the water in the tank mean you have to clean the gravel and do a water change separately. Doing them together makes it easier. It is good practice to clean the gravel at every water change.

The exception is for tanks with plants rooted in the substrate where you only clean the gravel away from the plant roots. In heavily planted tanks this means not cleaning the gravel at all as the plants will use the broken down waste as fertiliser. Bacteria and other micro-organisms in the gravel will break down the fish poo etc so the plants can use it.

There are several makes of siphon, they vary slightly in design. This is just one of them (https://www.aquatix-2u.co.uk/inv100-interpet-prime-aquarium-gravel-cleaner-self-priming-syphon-pump-fish-tank-water-.html)

Title: Re: Vacuum Cleaner for a Tropical Fish Tank
Post by: fcmf on January 21, 2018, 03:36:23 PM
I have had about 16 gravel cleaners over my 16 years' fishkeeping, probably because I've never quite been happy with any of them. However, the one I've stuck with the longest has been this https://www.jbl.de/en/products/group/4035/gravel-cleaning - I use the smallest one - as I find, with the optional black 'grid' removed from the wide end, it gives exactly the right amount of sturdiness and suction strength that I like. I've found that other brands' tubes are either too flexible (and kink/block easily) or too inflexible (difficult to navigate round the tank), the portion attached to the tube either too short or too long (and makes for clumsy use), and suction too weak or too strong. This is entirely personal choice, of course, but is definitely the one I've got on with the best.