How To Clean A Fish Tank With Vacuum

How to Use a Gravel Vacuum to Make clean Your Fish Tank

Routine syphoning of organic waste from your substrate during maintenance is important to the overall health of your aquatic life; this process is usually referred to as gravel vacuuming! Gravel vacuuming helps remove solid waste product from your substrate, and other surfaces, that could potentially cause harmful spikes in ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

A gravel vacuum commonly has a solid rigid tube (imagine a paper towel roll), that has a cap that connects to a longer, thinner, flexible aquarium tube. There are a few widely used methods for achieving the suction needed to allow a gravel vacuum to part properly and they each have their own advantages. Let's become to the bottom of the methods and how to properly attain the syphoning needed to perform a thorough gravel vacuuming!

Faucet Assisted Gravel Vacuums

This version of the gravel vacuum might exist the easiest, merely requires y'all to be as close to your sink as possible to run the hose from your sink to your aquarium. The kit will generally come with a faucet adapter, a rigid tube for collecting the waste and a long flexible tube to transport the water and waste to the sink. The faucet adapter volition have two settings, i for pulling water and waste from the tank and the other for refilling the tank with faucet water. When set to pulling water from the tank, the faucet water will create a vacuum consequence as it rushes water past the opening in the tube that is running to your tank, causing the flow of water to be pulled back towards the faucet through the rigid tube, down the flexible tube and into your sink. To ensure you accept optimal menstruum, turn your faucet all the way on and make certain there are no kinks in your hose.

Python Faucet Assisted Gravel Vacuum

How to Employ a Gravel Vacuum to Clean Your Fish Tank

Pump/Bladder Assisted Gravel Vacuum

A more compact method that uses some of the aforementioned cadre parts as the faucet version; a rigid tube with cap that converts to the smaller flexible tube. Instead of a faucet and sink though, there is an inline pump/bladder which empties into a bucket. Place the rigid tube underwater with i paw and identify the flexible tube'due south end in the saucepan earlier giving the bladder a few pumps to brainstorm h2o flowing from the tank into the bucket. Once yous notice the menses of water has removed all the air from the line, keep the rigid tube underwater and begin advisedly syphoning.

Imagitarium Pump Assisted Gravel Vacuum

How to Use a Gravel Vacuum to Clean Your Fish Tank

Transmission Gravel Vacuums

This version may exist the most intimidating just once you lot get the hang of it, information technology'southward equally easy as the others! Note- y'all should never use your mouth to initiate the menses of a syphon, while rare, some illness can occur when tank h2o reaches your mouth. This version consists of a rigid tube with cap that converts to the softer flexible aquarium tubing; you volition besides need a bucket. Place the end of the soft tube in one paw over the bucket, in a position where you can encompass the end with your pollex when ready. With the other hand property the rigid tube, place information technology parallel to the gravel underwater, tilt it upwardly slowly letting the air out and lift in a scooping movement to capture as much water as possible. Every bit you raise the tube upward and out of the water (if necessary), the water will begin flowing down the tube and into the bucket. Once yous observe this happen, cap the soft tube with your thumb and hold information technology there. With your thumb still covering the soft tube; utilise your other paw to place the rigid tube back underwater parallel to the gravel. Slightly tilt the rigid tube upward while keeping it submerged- the main goal of this is to remove any air trapped in the tube by tilting it upward. Once the air is out of the rigid tube, remove your pollex from the end of the flexible tube over the saucepan; this should get-go a syphon so you tin begin advisedly vacuuming your substrate. If this did not kickoff the syphon, repeat the steps above until enough air has been removed from the line and replaced with h2o to start the syphon.

Imagitarium Pump Assisted Gravel Vacuum

How to Apply a Gravel Vacuum to Make clean Your Fish Tank

At present that you've chosen the best gravel vac for your aquarium and are a pro at starting information technology, the next thing is to ensure that you are syphoning as efficiently as possible to reduce the amount of time in the tank thereby mitigating as much stress as possible to your aquatic life. One time the syphon has started, begin advisedly pressing the gravel vacuum into the substrate until the rigid tube gently touches the bottom of your tank, watching as it tumbles and separates the waste matter, lifting it up and through the tube into the bucket. While this is happening, slowly lift upward to drib the substrate back in place, then move the gravel vac over to clean a new expanse before repeating the process.

Stay alert and focused!

Cleaning may be mundane for some, only for the condom of your aquatic life, it's of import to keep your eyes on a few things while gravel vacuuming.

Make sure you're not shut to any aquatic life; if you lot do happen to capture aquatic life in the rigid tube, do not panic. Intermission the flow of water and asses the least stressful fashion to render your aquatic life to the tank. Watch your aquatic life carefully for the next couple of days to await for signs of injury or distress.
While yous're syphoning the substrate, the more substrate that gets pulled into the rigid tube, the less effective it will exist at removing the waste. Continue to employ the upward and down motion; carefully pressing the tube into the substrate, allowing information technology to pick up the substrate and the waste. Slowly elevator it up to allow the heavier substrate to fall dorsum down and the waste to flow towards the bucket. Try to not let the substrate pass the halfway bespeak of the rigid tube at whatsoever time, thus keeping the syphon working equally optimally as possible.
Keep your eyes on the bucket! Break the syphon a petty before it's at the signal of where you want it to exist, there volition exist a little water left in the tube when you lift it out of the tank. Only fill as much as you tin safely carry. If hooking your gravel vac upward to a sink, also go along watch to make sure your sink is draining at an advisable rate and does not overflow.

Prophylactic reminders when using a gravel vacuum

Never put your mouth on the tube to create a syphon.
Be cautious of inhabitants when using the syphon to clean the substrate, equally serious injury can occur.
Go on a close eye on your sink or bucket when syphoning as they could overflow.
Utilise circumspection effectually water and electric outlets and cords.
Unplug heaters that will be exposed to air xx minutes before conducting a h2o change and/or pumps if applicative to avoid damage.
Try to break the syphon before the saucepan is 75% full, or sooner if the bucket might be too heavy, this will permit you to have room to permit the rest of the water in the tube drain into the bucket as you elevator the tube slowly over your head.
Ever use an aquatic safe water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramine from tap water if applicable.
If possible, try to brand sure the temperature of the added water is exactly, or equally close as possible, to the temperature of the water already in the tank. This will reduce the chances of extra stress during the water alter process.
Keep some towels effectually, merely in example!

At present that you understand how to properly gravel vacuum your aquarium; you tin can help keep it as clean as possible and your aquatic life happy!