Tool to remove detritus from bare bottom

UK softy bloke · May 29, 2021

Overbrook said:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a gadget to easily remove detritus from the bottom of a tank. A turkey baster or julian’s thing can suck up the pile….but the stuff just falls out when I raise them out of the tank. I feel like I must be missing something obvious. Like a baster with back flow valve. Obviously I could and do manage this with a tube and gravity siphon, but that entails a bucket (no sump) and just seems inefficient. Thanks.

Not sure if you can get it in the US but in the UK you can buy a gravel cleaner attached to a small hang on the back filter. You can clean for as long as you like and lose no water.

Karen00 · May 29, 2021

UK softy bloke said:
Not sure if you can get it in the US but in the UK you can buy a gravel cleaner attached to a small hang on the back filter. You can clean for as long as you like and lose no water.

I haven't seen one of these before (I'm in Canada). Do you have the name? This sounds great!

G Santana · May 29, 2021

GoReefin said:
I use a fighting conch in my sump for detritus and he does an amazing job keeping the bottom clean

A fighting conch on a bare bottom?
I just saw some for sale at my LFS and was intrigued but I thought he might starve on a BB tank.
How long have you had him and do you supplement his feeding?

GoReefin · May 29, 2021

G Santana said:
A fighting conch on a bare bottom?
I just saw some for sale at my LFS and was intrigued but I thought he might starve on a BB tank.
How long have you had him and do you supplement his feeding?

He is in my sump/refugium area. There is plenty of algae/detritus on the bottom for him to eat. I don't supplement. Had him down there for 3 months now. Prior to that he was in my 13.5g evo for about 4 months without supplement food.

Maximitsurugi · Jun 1, 2021

I have a piece of 1/2 inch PVC with a locline and a duckbill nozzle at the end. This is attached to a hose that gets wedged into the little lip thing inside the filter sock ring in my sump's filter sock holder.

The locline is so that I can bend the nozzle to get under places. Might eventually get a piece of scouring pad attached to the underside of the duckbill just for a little scrub for soft algae.