Thoughts on electric gravel vacuums?

[tripdad]

This is such an elegant solution. Will try this tomorrow. I wish I hadn't broken down the box on that electric unit.

I'm old, been at this a long time and I have, had, boxes of gear I've bought and tried over the years. At this point I don't want anymore stuff to store, kinda trying to thin out the "stuff" in my life. This just uses stuff I already have laying around.

 

[Joekovar]

Hang a filter sock inside your sump with a clip, put the end of the siphon hose into it and you can vacuum all you want without losing any water. When done, remove the sock with the debris inside it and rinse it out in the sink. Works great, cost very little, can do it as often as you want. One tip, secure the hose into the sock with a clamp so it doesn't pop out while your attention is elsewhere and flood the floor.

Also, watch the level in the sump. I came REALLY close to overflowing my sump the first time I did this. Though, I did hook a small pump to the siphon hose, so that might've had something to do with it.

 

[SaltyBish]

Anyone know if you are able to use Fluval Provac for a sand substrate or perhaps i have a defective product... I used it for the first time today and it literally sucked up all the sand it could pack into the filter. I'm not sure if this is the right product for me. I have the siphon type as well but i feel like if i start with that one.. it will also suck up all my sand.

any thoughts or ideas of how to clean up the bottom of my tank without wasting sand?

 

[dtruitt]

Anyone know if you are able to use Fluval Provac for a sand substrate or perhaps i have a defective product... I used it for the first time today and it literally sucked up all the sand it could pack into the filter. I'm not sure if this is the right product for me. I have the siphon type as well but i feel like if i start with that one.. it will also suck up all my sand.

any thoughts or ideas of how to clean up the bottom of my tank without wasting sand?

My gravel vac is 100% unused since the last time I posted on this thread. I put a waterchange siphon in a filter sock, dial the valve down on the siphon, and clean the sandbed that way. It's still not a perfect solution with 200 micron socks, but it's fairly quick, easy, and effective compared to the gravel vac.

Adding Tiger Conchs fixed most of the sandbed issues for me anyway.

Check and see if your siphon has a valve to set the flow rate.

Also, you don't want to dig into the sand, you want to just barely touch the sand.

 

[SaltyBish]

My gravel vac is 100% unused since the last time I posted on this thread. I put a waterchange siphon in a filter sock, dial the valve down on the siphon, and clean the sandbed that way. It's still not a perfect solution with 200 micron socks, but it's fairly quick, easy, and effective compared to the gravel vac.

Adding Tiger Conchs fixed most of the sandbed issues for me anyway.

Check and see if your siphon has a valve to set the flow rate.

Also, you don't want to dig into the sand, you want to just barely touch the sand.

thanks for the reply! Gotcha, well i was rather pushing it down into the sand so perhaps thats where I went wrong. I'll try it again once my tank settles down from the horrible cloud I caused. I'll just stay off the sand and try to get things that are easily sucked up by the vac on top of the sand. Afterall, it does say gravel vac.. not sand vac. LOL I should say that i was impressed with the suction power until it clogged up with sand.

 

[dtruitt]

thanks for the reply! Gotcha, well i was rather pushing it down into the sand so perhaps thats where I went wrong. I'll try it again once my tank settles down from the horrible cloud I caused. I'll just stay off the sand and try to get things that are easily sucked up by the vac on top of the sand. Afterall, it does say gravel vac.. not sand vac. LOL I should say that i was impressed with the suction power until it clogged up with sand.

The vacuums aren't generally sealed up very well. I think they are designed to collect large debris, more so than the silt and detritus that accumulates in the sand of a normal reef.

 

[eddawse]

Hang a filter sock inside your sump with a clip, put the end of the siphon hose into it and you can vacuum all you want without losing any water. When done, remove the sock with the debris inside it and rinse it out in the sink. Works great, cost very little, can do it as often as you want. One tip, secure the hose into the sock with a clamp so it doesn't pop out while your attention is elsewhere and flood the floor.

Hi tripdad.
I too an using this method during my sand clean.
I am finding though my vacuum syphon is sucking up ALOT of gravel - enough to fill a filter sock.
I am going quite deep in the bed to get to all of it which is probably the problem and dont have a hand squeezy on the hose to slow the flow - which is probably the cause.
I have just been putting the sand back into tank after the clean, but this is obviously silly as im just recycling all the waste back into the tank.
Do you wash the collected sand and keep it, or bin it?
I just think that binning that much sand each time I do a gravel clean Ill be buying sand every visit to LFS!!
Thanks.

 

[DungSl1nger]

I am looking for another solution myself. i tried the hygger vac with my Fiji pink (fine sand) it worked until it clogged; even with being careful. I had it set up to filter and dump water back in to the tank. My next is to find a way to do a pre-filter (pantyhose or something) and try again.

I may just have to get a python.

 

[tripdad]

@eddawse , I use a longer, larger diameter vac so as to reduce the pull on the sand. Any that makes it into the sock I rinse well and put back in the tank.

 

[Drewbacca]

This is such an elegant solution. Will try this tomorrow. I wish I hadn't broken down the box on that electric unit.

I've heard of people doing & suggesting this, and have one major reservation, but I think if it were accurate someone would have experienced a problem by now. I know for sure there can be nasty unwanted built up phosphates & even ammonia in the cloud that can poof from digging up the sandbed. So I really prefer to siphon out and get rid of that water and cloud esp since I am replacing with water change anyway. I have vinyl hose that goes from sw bin and a 123 keychain clicker that can make 3 different outlet box plugs turn on/off so super easy to click and fill while siphoning and never turn off system. Siphon hrough hose that goes out door and into a inconspicuous pipe over side of deck that runs down post into a drywell(ditch with gravel way under grass) or click pump 3vwhich is in drain/fuge chamber of sump and Is plumbed out the back & through floor out to under deck and into same well pipe system. I was interested in the gravel vac for attaching stiff brush at end for scrubbing rocks & potential hair algae.

 

[dadnjesse]

I have the eheim and it’s terrible. I LOVE the FLUVAL one.

Same here my Eheim clogs easily.