plugging vaccuum to filter

[Rometiklan]

Originally posted by thom336
Why not go for an air powered gravel cleaner? They dont remove the water when they clean the gravel, but they are not as effective, and are slower, than standard gravels cleaners.

Hey yeah, I completely forgot about the air powered vaccuum. I had this product when I first started out in the hobby about 25 years ago, and it did a pretty poor job of cleaning the gravel but that's because I had a very weak air pump ( I was just a little kid, I couldn't afford better). The water and debris would get sucked up a tube, and filtered through a nylon bag and then the water would return to the tank. I would think if you attached the thing to one of the air pumps they have these days, you would get a decent vaccuum going.

 

[Sumpin'fishy]

I bought a Magnum HOT Pro, and I plan to use the vac attachment only when I clean the filter itself. I have a Emp 400 and a HOT on my 55 gallon, so I alternate cleaning the filters themselves every other month. At the end of this month I will use the HOT with the vac for the first time (since I got it recently and haven't had to clean the filter yet). I think this would be a decent idea for "spring cleaning", or right before you clean your filte out.

One thing to be careful of is cleaning your gravel so heavily at the same time of cleaning your filter. I have two filters, each with bio-wheels, on my tank, so there should be little trouble with losing bacteria.

Another thing is that I'm not sure I would worry so much about being so thorough cleaning the gravel (even the surface) of a planted tank. Some of those wastes are good to break down and fertilize your substrate. A decent size water change every week or two should be sufficient for good water quality. If you are having quality problems, you are probably quite overstocked!