JS1987 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hey all another beginners question. Tonight i attempted to clean my gravel a tiny bit and do a water change i was attempting to use an Aquaone "Vac-A-Tank" self siphon. I told my local fish store i have fine gravel (like wet cement when you run your hands through it) and to be honest i think i lost more water out the side then up the shoot of it. I eventually got it going but having a TALL tank and be being a little bit short having to use to chairs to try get it going me on one and the bucket on the other i found it quite difficult. Can anyone recommend to me who has an AR620T tank what they use when the do a water change and cleaned there gravel up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepsnana Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Ah yes, the syphon is a nightmare to start that way. Lower the wide end in sideways, letting it fill with water (like you would fill a long glass / cup). Slowly add more hose into the water, letting the syphon sink to the bottom of the tank. When all of the hose is full of water, put your thumb over the end of the hose, stopping water movement. Lift the hose and the syphon up (keeping the bottom of the syphon in the water) and aim the hose at your bucket. Release your thumb, and watch the water flow. If you fill your bucket, place your thumb back on the end of the hose and swap to a new bucket. When you have vacuumed enough, or if you don't have more than one bucket, simply remove the bottom of the syphon from the water (this will cause a small gush of water from the end of the hose also). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS1987 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Thanks but i think i will try return it for a bigger one i got sold a one for a medium tank one and having this fine gravel is a little bit annoying maybe its just frustration haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepsnana Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 The only difference in sizes is the length of hose, so if it's too short, just raise your bucket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstar99 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 bigger sizes have a longer plastic piece up to 600mm i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Jacob, you might want to research this more on whether you actually need to do a gravel vacuum. One alternate theory is that you let the fish poo and uneaten food fall into the gravel where it decomposes and is dealt with by the bacteria living in the gravel. This also serves as a food source for plants you have rooted in your gravel substrate. If you do a deep vacuum on this micro ecosystem, you do damage it. Perhaps the reason people also suggest only doing a half at a time. So, this theory says you only need to remove water for PWC ( partial water changes ) from the middle of the tank and not disturb the gravel. In that case, just a long bit of plastic tubing works just as well. No need for the expense of a custom shaped plastic. I have a similar issue with deep tanks, but I only use sand in these. And to remove unsightly rubbish and uneaten food etc, I just use a plastic hose ( similar to the one on the vacuum but bought from Bunnings ), and to keep it straight so I can point it to where I want to remove stuff, I put a very long chopstick that I bought inside the hose at the end that goes into the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS1987 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 I didn't vacuum near my plants at all and i probably wont. I like how you use just clear tube i might give it a go next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Doing it this way makes it a lot easier not having to worry about trying to do the impossible ..ie. thoroughly clean the gravel. But until you get more plants to use up some nitrates, you might have to do more PWC using this method as there will be more biological material in your tank resulting in more nitrates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS1987 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Thanks for the tips Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstar99 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi JS. Id also leave you gravel for a couple of months and let your tank fully cycle before using your little vacuum. I tend to go over mine every 4 weeks (every second water change for me at the moment) but dont go to hard out, just a bit of a pump round and i dont stir it up that much. I also hook mine onto a longer hose and run it out side rather than into a bucket. this means i dont have to stop and start as i find that once my water level is down i struggle to get it going again. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Li@m Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Don't vacuum near your plants roots. When you are starting it make sure the end thats in not the tank is below the one in the tank. i just use my mouth to start my siphon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 I have a 620T. I bought a longer piece of clear tubing from Mitre 10 to go onto the end of the Gravel Vac so I can then syphon it out the Window, I then pop the Vac into the Tank and suck on the Hose untill it starts to syphon, simple as, you will get to know how hard to suck before you get a mouthfull of fishy water. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS1987 Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 thanks lindyloo :nfs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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