That is correct, the head of the gravel vac will suck up the gravel slightly and take out the debre. Just make sure you lift it up after that spot is cleaned and let the cleaned gravel fall back down before moving to the next spot.
Gravel vacuum question
- Thread starter tks4d2
- Start date
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
you could also use zip ties to hold 5-10 bamboo skewers (the bbq type) onto the end of the hose, like a fork or a rake... and use them to comb the gravel. this will release the gasses and debris into the suction.
THEJRC
Third String Messiah?
* smells a diy project.....
did someone say zip ties??????
honestly I use both, I use 1/2" ID tubing for sucking debris off my LR (zip tied screen over it to avoid sucking up goodies). a 3/4 ID chunk of tubing when I need to move a lot of water and the gravel vac. The gravel vac is a good pain in the rear as I use finer substrates and it almost always sucks some up, but the ability to stirr up the dirt so to speak is worth the little bit of trouble. I just sift the sand into a bucket that I keep, when it gets enough in I flush it with some RO and toss it in the fuge. The 1lb per decade of live sand that gets sucked up isnt going to be all that hard to replace.
Though skewers on my gravel vac to rake down beneat is a good idea..
to the batcave
did someone say zip ties??????
honestly I use both, I use 1/2" ID tubing for sucking debris off my LR (zip tied screen over it to avoid sucking up goodies). a 3/4 ID chunk of tubing when I need to move a lot of water and the gravel vac. The gravel vac is a good pain in the rear as I use finer substrates and it almost always sucks some up, but the ability to stirr up the dirt so to speak is worth the little bit of trouble. I just sift the sand into a bucket that I keep, when it gets enough in I flush it with some RO and toss it in the fuge. The 1lb per decade of live sand that gets sucked up isnt going to be all that hard to replace.
Though skewers on my gravel vac to rake down beneat is a good idea..
to the batcave
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
yeah, I've been using skewers since day one. great for airing out the gravel, loosening, getting rid of those bubbles in a new tank... enough to get mulm moving without distrubing much else. I also made a rake, essentially, by zip tying a bunch of skewers together, cut short, and adding 3 long ones as a handle. very usefull for pushing things into the substrate without damage.
THEJRC
Third String Messiah?
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
ooh, I just invented my favorite variation on this so far!!! 1/4" airline hose with 1 skewer attached with rubber bands. it's a micro vac! I just used it to suction out food droppings from in between some delicate stuff, and it worked perfectly!
The stirring aparatus (sp)added to the hose sounds like it might be a reasonable substitute for a gravel vac.
However a gravel vaccuum is definitely better at getting stuff out of the gravel than a plain hose. How it works? The gravel is lifted into the rigid tube , the water/gunk continues up the hose and when you lift the gravel vac the gravel settles back down.
Especially if you have an undergravel filter going it is very important to clean the gravel thoroughly. A gravel vac IMO is very worth buying, not just some gimmick.
However a gravel vaccuum is definitely better at getting stuff out of the gravel than a plain hose. How it works? The gravel is lifted into the rigid tube , the water/gunk continues up the hose and when you lift the gravel vac the gravel settles back down.
Especially if you have an undergravel filter going it is very important to clean the gravel thoroughly. A gravel vac IMO is very worth buying, not just some gimmick.
The gravel is sucked up into it and stirred around for a more thorough cleaning and with a clear one you can watch what you are doing so it wont suck the gravel up to far and into the hose.You can get one to started by filling up the washer by dipping it down into your tank(upside down)like your filling a glass and then raise it up when the water starts running down the tube quickly lower it back into the water and your ready to do some cleaning.No sucking needed.You can also start a siphon on a plain hose by filling up the hose and hold your fingers on both ends,stick one end in your supply water or tank hold the other end lower and take fingers from ends.super easy and no sucking needed.A cheap gravel washer is only around $10 and well worth it!
Suction is great plus it fills the tank directly from the sink- my only regret is I got the 25 foot hose, it only reaches three of my tanks. Worth every penny IMO. It cut my water change time in half.
