domross Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Hi guys, I'm wondering if I could effectively use a gravel vac attached to the inlet of a cannister filter then the outlet going back into the tank to vacume the gravel without having to dump the water? What I'm hoping to do is give the gravel a good vacume and clean without the need to change water or even switch the pump in my mini reef off. I've got a well stocked tank display tank and they're producing a bit of waste no more than ordinary, I mostly want to do this for asthetic reasons, I've got whie sand and bits of brown poop sitting on the bottom makes it look dirty. I've tried running the gravel vac on a long hose (about 8m) to my bathroom and down the drain; the problem I had there was the fall was too short for the length of the run and I wasn't getting enough suction to remove the poo; it'd only take water. Would I have the same problem by doing this? The cannister filter would be sitting right below the fish tank and I'd use its existing hose so in theory the fall and run will remain the same. The other problem I might have is the poo being pumped through the filter and back into the tank; I figure if I fill the cannister with wool this would solve this problem. Does anyone else do this? What sort of results do they get and what size cannister would I need to do this effectively? Or does anyone have another way of vaccuming the gravel without ditching the water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcloughlin2 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 The issue would be the cannister requiring frequent cleaning which in my opinion is a bigger pain in the bum then having to perform a water change using buckets. You should be able to perform a surface clean using only 20 litres of water at the most on a tank up to a 6x2x2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domross Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 The cannister filter wouldn't be running as the tanks filter; I'd only use it when vacuming, would it still need to be cleaned constantly? I've got a mini reef filter at the moment running the tank very well, I was just looking to vacume waste up more regularly than I would change water; possibly vacuming every 4 days and doing a 25% water change every 7-10 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 We not make/buy an air powered gravel vac? Like this one Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domross Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 Josh did you make that yourself? The only sort I can find to buy online are big electric units that cost $199 bucks. How do you find it if you made it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcloughlin2 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 The cannister would need to be cleaned after every gravel clean beause the water and waste would be turn stagnant very quickly without a fresh flow of water running through it. So in my opinion the cannister idea is a loose-loose situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 It works a treat. I made it out of spare fitting I had after finishing my fish room. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oz_gooner Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Will it work? Yes. It's the best way to do it? Prob not but if you got the parts go for it. Don't know unless you try. The stocking on the air powered vac could be replaced with a filter sock. Age of Aquariums has some for about $20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 You can buy a ready made one for $20. http://www.theaquariumshop.com.au/shopexd....Battery+Powered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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