Gravel Vac Nightmare!

[vanvran]

Help me please!!!!! I bought yet another new gravel vac and it worked for a whole two cleanings! Imagine me spending 30 minutes jiggling the hose up and down trying to get suction! I was ready to scream! I tried every scientific method with no success. My poor fish were traumatized from all the attempts to get it to work. I tried running hot water through the hose, tightening the nozzle, still would not work. Any suggestions

 

[smmetz]

I just use a cheap gravel vac that doesn't even attatch to the sink. It has a hose about 5 feet long, about 1/2 inch diameter inside. The attatchment for the gravel is bigger, maybe about 2" wide. I stick the end of the hose in a bucket, at least 2 feet below surface of the water. (the lower the end of the hose is relative to your tank water level, the more the suction will be). I stick in the gravel vac end (into the tank), and let that fill up with water. Then, I point the open end up a bit, and raise it a few inches above water level. Keep the vacume end pointed up! As soon as water is going down the hose, lower the vacume attatchment back into the water, still pointing it up a bit. (when I say pointing up, doesnt have to be straight up, just slanting up) Water should still be going down the hose into the bucket, and now the vacume attatchment is under water. As long as you time it right, the vacume attatment will fill back up with water before all the water goes down the hose. Now, the vacume is under water, it is filled with water again, and water is going down the hose into the bucket. Now you can point the vacume down to the gravel, and get the job done!

The only tricky parts are:
1. keeping the vacume attatchment slanting up until you're done getting it started
2. getting the time right - raise the vacume attatchment above water level, lower it back into the water AS SOON AS WATER STARTS GOING DOWN THE HOSE, while still slanting the vacume attatchment up

Maybe I'll take pics next time and post a step by step tutorial, since there seems to be a ton of threads with using gravel vacs, especially with getting the syphon started. Who know, it could be my first sticky then!

 

[vanvran]

I just use a cheap gravel vac that doesn't even attatch to the sink. It has a hose about 5 feet long, about 1/2 inch diameter inside. The attatchment for the gravel is bigger, maybe about 2" wide. I stick the end of the hose in a bucket, at least 2 feet below surface of the water. (the lower the end of the hose is relative to your tank water level, the more the suction will be). I stick in the gravel vac end (into the tank), and let that fill up with water. Then, I point the open end up a bit, and raise it a few inches above water level. Keep the vacume end pointed up! As soon as water is going down the hose, lower the vacume attatchment back into the water, still pointing it up a bit. (when I say pointing up, doesnt have to be straight up, just slanting up) Water should still be going down the hose into the bucket, and now the vacume attatchment is under water. As long as you time it right, the vacume attatment will fill back up with water before all the water goes down the hose. Now, the vacume is under water, it is filled with water again, and water is going down the hose into the bucket. Now you can point the vacume down to the gravel, and get the job done!

The only tricky parts are:
1. keeping the vacume attatchment slanting up until you're done getting it started
2. getting the time right - raise the vacume attatchment above water level, lower it back into the water AS SOON AS WATER STARTS GOING DOWN THE HOSE, while still slanting the vacume attatchment up

Maybe I'll take pics next time and post a step by step tutorial, since there seems to be a ton of threads with using gravel vacs, especially with getting the syphon started. Who know, it could be my first sticky then!

Sounds like I have the same style as you have. thanks for all the info, I will try it tonight before I return it to the LFS. Will keep you posted, and a sticky on this would be great! I actually did a google search but came up empty.

 

[James007]

If the jiggling method does not work then you can buy a small attachment for the bucket end of the hose that has a rubber ball built in. You then squeeze and release the ball quickly and it pulls the water through. I use this all of the time - minimum effort/time/disruption.

Failing this you can submerge the entire hose in the tank until it fills, put your thumb over the end and over into position over the bucket. Release your thumb and the flow starts.

 

[TF Keeper UK]

I use a Aquarium Systems power gravel cleaner. Mains operated and very easy to use.

 

[Bloo]

You might find this recent thread interesting. I just suck to get the flow going

 

[vanvran]

You might find this recent thread interesting. I just suck to get the flow going

Oh well, I am not planning to do that! Love my fish but my mouth isn't going on that hose! I checked that thread--very helpful, thanks so much! Sucking the hose should make a good poll, don't you think?

 

[juliehainsworth]

Sucking the end of the hose is the easiest method going IMO. It is very rare to end up with water in your mouth as the hose is pretty long and you can see the water inside so you know when to stop sucking! I do it to get rain water out of a barrell to refil my pond in summer, only problem is that its a hose pipe and cant see in it and the amount of spiders that come out when the water flows is gross

 

[millym]

ive been shown hundreds of times how to get our gravel vac going without sucking the end but i just cant do it & end up really annoyed,terrifying the fish, pulling plants up etc etc & always resort to using my mouth, yes you do occasionally get a bit of tank water where you dont want it but it doesnt happen very often & i just find it so much easier.

 

[Dubby]

ive been shown hundreds of times how to get our gravel vac going without sucking the end but i just cant do it & end up really annoyed,terrifying the fish, pulling plants up etc etc & always resort to using my mouth, yes you do occasionally get a bit of tank water where you dont want it but it doesnt happen very often & i just find it so much easier.

I take the gravel vac to the tap, fill it up with water (the whole tube). Then I carry it to the tank and immerse the business end into the water while blocking the smaller end with my finger. Once I have lowered the smaller end to the bucket (where I collect the water) I remove my finger.

This method should work for you..

 

[Dorkhedeos]

suck it!

 

[Trance2006]

Yes, I just give a quick suck and let it rip.

 

[havoc_crazy]

Personally, I much prefer to use this old squeeze-bulb vacuum cleaner that I inherited from my dad. I know a lot of times this might not work with larger chunks of debris and all, but well, mine's never clogged yet, it's a lot faster than jiggling the hose up and down, and it's less risky than sucking the hose
I think however, that my dad got it secondhand because it's kinda... "oddly" colorful. You might have to hunt a bit to find one of these.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

i have 2 of these. just go to a fish shop owned by a asian person, and they are bound to have it(well, every asian owned shop around here has it)

 

[Bryan1957]

I just put the vacuum end in the tank and push in another 12" of hose. I put my thumb or finger over the other end and lower the hose while keeping the end of the hose covered with a finger. When the end of the hose is below the vacuum end and I can see water in the hose over the tank top (it needs to have water in the hose over the tank side) I release my finger and put the end in a bucket. The water is pulled from the tank by gravity. I find it very simple to do this way.
Bryan