I consider a gravel vacuum cleaner to be an essential product for all aquariums even those without gravel! They often do not even manufacture it. An aquarium vacuum cleaner can be quite a helpful tool and can serve you in the following: Regular water changes are an unavoidable part of fishkeeping. It can now be used to clean the gravel and drain water in one go, without the need for buckets. If it is immersed or splashed, water will get inside and cause the gravel vac to stop working. Otherwise it sounds like you have your process all sorted, despite the extra effort needed. gravel siphon You cant have winners without losers. I am open to suggestions. So I wish I bought the Aqueon which is 2/3 cheaper. 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It prevents small pieces of debris from escaping and turning your aquarium water cloudy. siphon In fact, there are just a few models to choose from. Unfortunately i have forgotten what i learned in the physics classes in school so turned out to be a waste of money. If you are going to do any kind of a comparison or review and you are claiming A water changer is essentially a giant gravel vacuum that connects to your faucet, eliminating the need to carry buckets of water back and forth through your home. But the biggest problem was with the mesh vacuum bag. I have the full Python kit and although it is somewhat effective in cleaning gravel it creates such a mess in the process with pails of water it makes one want to give up With that said, I sincerely hope you like the product and that it meets your expectations. It sure beats using a cup or pitcher. I have a second hose which attached to a tap is used to refill the tank. For example, we found that tiny pieces of waste escaped the vacuums bag and clouded up the tank. Glad I am helping those of you on the other side of the pond. It was Pythons quality design that beat out the competition. NICREW is a trademark of SHENZHEN NICAI TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD, COODIA is a trademark of ShenZhen JingShi Technology Co., Ltd. Your reviews seem objective and are certainly thorough. 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I really like your site great for me who is a newbie. If you dont want to submerge your arm up to your shoulder, a deeper aquarium needs a longer vacuum tube. Running on two C-sized batteries, this device failed to offer a reasonable amount of suction. ESPECIALLY when someone is asking you to give it a fair impartial test. At 5 feet (1.5 m), the hose length was shorter than FishLabs top picks. What can I say Eheim knows how to make good aquarium products. So, we purchased four different aquariums and layered them with gravel. After all, aquariums come in all different shapes and sizes, and you dont want to buy a gravel vacuum that is too small or large for your tank. Finally it seems a big waste if you need the tap running, using hundreds of liters or gallons of water, just to remove water from your tank. Yes. I can only comment on the USA models, as that is all that is readily available for me to test. They do not design it. While the ridged hose of the Tera Pump might allow it to bend without kinking, it has a serious drawback. Because water changes are a vital part of keeping your tank clean and healthy. Even if you manage to complete the task without spilling a drop, its a lot of effort especially if you have to go up and down stairs. This inexpensive product will make water changes and aquarium maintenance an easier task leaving you with more free time to stare at your fish. Although, back then, we didnt have the internet. The advantage is that you can spend as long as you want cleaning your gravel you are not limited by the water in your tank. This discussion isnt going to change my mind on the bad reputation nicrew has made for itself. Disclaimer: After testing every major brand of electric gravel vacuum, it is my opinion that the siphon-style is superior in every way. This is why I dont review them. All the above Python Pro-Clean models feature a vacuum tube diameter of 1 inch (2.5 cm) and 6 feet (1.8 m) of hose. reviews can even be trusted. I appreciate that! aquariums altogether. give it a fair evaluation. Unless you do a balancing act and hold the flexible tube. I had high hopes for the Nicrew Rechargeable Automatic Gravel Vacuum. Hello from a UK user. Still, people in your local community have probably faced similar problems to you and may still offer great advice, Im sure some will live in apartments too and have already solved any issues you face. Your email address will not be published. During cleaning, the bag caught on aquarium decorations and driftwood, separating it from the body of the vacuum and releasing gunk throughout the tank. Thanks Ian. When sourcing the products, I found buying gavel vacuums online is the worst. In truth, for this sized tank, I didnt find the attachment to be particularly helpful. siphon The solution? Thanks for your help once again. aquarium cleaner fish I am also happy to state that Lee also manufactures their gravel vacuums here in America. Feel free to let me know how it goes. Of course, this meant I had to reapply the tape each time I swapped out the batteries, but at least it was a solution. The Python Water Changer is essentially a gravel vacuum that connects to your faucet with a long hose. 2 inches is basically the standard width of an opening how large is your tank? And both the self-starter and hose clip failed to impress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0AZUK8H0E&t=303s, Identical to the Canadian version You are not gaining any reputation points yourself. your impartiality. You can clean your substrate and empty your tank at the same time! There are two different types of gravel cleaners commonly used in aquariums. With the help of gravity, a gravel vacuum will continuously drain water from your tank until you remove it from your aquarium. I personally use both a standard-size and a mini-size vacuum. Some hoses, like that of the Python Pro-Clean, were soft and flexible. Required fields are marked *. I suspect that the reason our online Kijiji classified ads are overflowing with people The first is a how to assemble video. aquarium gravel cleaner pump tank fish automatic cart While I love the quality of Python, they dont offer an appropriate product for 10 to 20-gallon aquariums. Each tank was also set up with an appropriately sized aquarium heater, filter outlet and fake plants to recreate obstacles that would be found in a regular tank. The TOM Aquarium Vacuum Cleaner featured an angled neck with a pump bulb incorporated directly into the handle. Well, its actually really simple it all depends on the size of your aquarium. Electric gravel vacuums operate a little differently, and they dont drain your aquarium. We wanted to test each gravel vacuum on an appropriately sized tank. Fortunately, this guide contains everything you need to find the perfect gravel vacuum for your aquarium. Hi Gary, I dont test generic Chinese products. Alternatively, you could always grab a good pair of aquarium gloves to keep your hands and arms dry. Any comments would be welcome but i guess for now im stuck with what i have. siphon Hello Ian, The Small-Tall size has a much longer tube, easily reaching the bottom of most nano-cube tanks. Python has you covered. Let me know in the comments below! Yep, you will never have to carry a bucket of water through your house again! However, if you have a larger tank, you will likely be unimpressed at the rate at which this siphon drains your tank. You see, the mini-gravel vacuums work exceptionally well at precision vacuuming. When using a gravel vacuum, you control the flow of water draining from your aquarium by kinking and unkinking the hose. That sounds like a tricky situation with your water source. Despite being electric, the sound given off by the motor was hardly noticeable. A 5-inch (13-cm) gravel vacuum is too inefficient for a large aquarium, cleaning your gravel would take all day. The Super Battery Powered Gravel Cleaner is a good reason why you should not make purchasing decisions on price alone. Its hose also had a strong chemical smell. siphon I dont know if a water changer would work for me because my kitchen sink is not even close to the tank. The next contender, the TOM Aquarium Mr. Cleaner barely sucked. Penn-Plax offered one of the cheapest electric gravel vacuums on the market. Sorry for the silly question but, what kind of filter floss did you use with the Eheim device? I mean, every gravel vacuum both sucked water and removed sludge from the gravel to some degree. Updated hourly. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Im sure I could find more if I looked harder. its on ebay.. Thats actually an excellent tip! I have not come across one in my time fish keeping. Python makes a wide range of exceptional water changing products. For this you would probably be best speaking to a plumber to determine the size you need I have little experience using a pump with a water changer. Cheap and available in a wide range of sizes, these are a favorite among beginners and experts alike. figure out why it wont work. How far the chopstick protrudes will take a little trial and error as there is some variation in suction depending on the gravel vacuum and tubing used. If you need a Bigger Tube you could go online and research 3 inch Clear Poly Tubing and buy it to length. Besides, your substrate isnt going to clean itself and in my opinion, a gravel vacuum is the easiest way to remove the built-up poop, uneaten fish food, plant debris and other gunk that has fallen between the cracks. By the end of this guide, you will know every essential detail about gravel vacuums, including which is the perfect one for your tank. The hose came clamped, restricting water flow. Are you sure you dont have a counterfeit? Manel. Dont miss valuable advices. It allowed me to adjust the flow of water without kinking the hose. This will determine the ideal size of the opening. Im glad I could help! Best of all, its available in three different sizes. Why? While every other gravel cleaner opted for a round vacuum tube, Marinas Easy Clean Gravel Cleaner went with an oval design. The tube sits inside your aquarium and allows you to both clean your gravel and siphon water out of your tank during weekly water changes. They all look the same in the pictures, the 40 inch tubes look identical to the 10 inch tubes. All told, we spent dozens of hours performing hundreds of water changes. siphon tank fish aquarium water pump vacuum cleaner gravel syphon filter hose lc hand opens Each of the above gravel vacuums features a 2-inch (5-cm) diameter opening on the tube and 6 feet (1.8 m) of hose. I use Pro Aquarium Gravel Cleaner Vacuum Pump that is The Best electric gravel vacuum which you dont have in your lists. I having no gravel but with sand. Unfortunately i live in the Netherlands and many of the products you are mentioning (recommending) are either unavailable or can only be purchased from far away meaning shipping costs are just adding too much to the price. I can locate more than 10 different brands of that same aquarium pump. First, consider the depth of your aquarium. That I dont care about. Anyway I wanted to get a waterchanger and since the Python you recommended is nowhere to be found, i instead bought a JBL Aqua in out. siphon You see, for a large tank, a 20% water change can require at least two or three trips through your house with an overflowing bucket. I would guess that some of the stuff you recommend is manufactured in china as well. I have a very sandy gravel. Unless your tank bottom is sparsely covered, I found this opening to be too large for precise and effective gravel cleaning. Its not the fact that these companies manufacture in China. The standard-sized opening on a gravel vacuum is 1 inches (2.5 cm) and is suitable for aquariums up to 5 gallons. Silicone tape (this one, to be precise). It was a looooong and boring process. fish aquarium siphon tank vacuum cleaning water suction pipe manual gravel syphon cleaner filter pump Want more information? As for noise? Seriously, it smells that bad! Sand substrates are trickier to test as you dont actually put the gravel vacuum tube on sand. You are correct, my review was tested using small to medium sized pebbles. The Nicrew one is just a rebranded generic gravel vac that can be found under a wide range of different names, like this one: Then how can your reviews be considered impartial. If you want a gravel vacuum that is going to easily and reliably clean and drain your tank for years to come, then read on to find the gravel vacuums that performed the best. Best of all, they are manufactured right here in the United States. Unfortunately, the vinyl hose is split into two and requires a pump bulb to attach in between. I need one bigger than 2does nobody make these anymore? Many customers report that their unit died soon after use. aquarium gravel cleaner pump tank fish automatic cart You will soon see that the alternative doesnt compare. Im getting ready to set up my 55G and was hoping theres a vacuum with a hose long enough to empty directly to the outside. Over time, fish poop, uneaten food, plant debris and other waste fall to the bottom of your tank, getting stuck between the gaps in your substrate and quickly forming a thick sludge. Poor design and not worth what I paid for. Once successfully unkinking the hose, the angled tube required me to hold the gravel tube on an angle when cleaning gravel, making it difficult to control in smaller tanks. Once you get to medium-sized aquariums, Python once again outclasses the competition. For the price of a good electric gravel vacuum, you could afford up to five of the siphon-style gravel vacuums. Meanwhile, my local fish store was also kind enough to allow me to test gravel vacs on 60-gallon, 100-gallon and 200-gallon tanks. While this is undoubtedly the best electric gravel vacuum I tested, please be aware that I recommend it with reservations. By placing the tube end of the gravel vac over your substrate, you can vacuum all this gunk away, keeping your tank neat and tidy. Cleaning around plants, decorations and tight corners is nearly impossible with a standard-sized gravel vacuum not so with a mini-gravel vacuum! siphon However, this comes at a cost. While we did like that Aqueon included a clip to help keep the hose end inside the bucket, it didnt make up for the hoses flaws. siphon gravel aquarium cleaner vacuum pump battery tank fish water Once you try out this water changer, gravel vacuums feel clumsy there is no going back. This makes me question whether you have some sort of agenda and if your While we had no issues with reliability during testing, you should be aware that at the time of writing this, over 50% of reviews left on Amazon were 1-star. What would you recommend for fine gravel/sand? Instead, this device automatically pumps water through it, trapping any uneaten food, poop and other gunk in a filter. Like with every automatic gravel vacuum, I recommend adding filter floss to the vacuum chamber. Electric gravel vacuums are often purchased in addition to a siphon-style gravel vacuum. Thank you. Our most popular products based on sales. siphon I understand this does make things difficult, but from my research, fish keeping brands and products on the other side of the pond are vastly different to what we use here in America. As for the water changer, is there a faucet outside the apartment your water changer could reach? Water pressure is normal (at least for my country) so nothing i can do about that. A gravel vacuum is a rigid plastic tube, typically 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, attached to a hose. It works better at sucking water out of aquariums than cleaning gravel. Im based in the U.K. and find your site very helpful. Ive given my thoughts. This offered greater control over the water flow when compared to a thicker, more rigid hose like that of the Aqueon Siphon Vacuum, which resulted in jerkier movement. The tank will be about 3 ft from the front door and the farthest end of the tank is another 4 ft, so I need something with a total length of approximately 8 ft so I can run it directly from the tank out the door and immediately off the deck to the ground. Im now stuck with a long hose and some bits and pieces, costing a minor fortune and pretty much useless so here is what i ended up with (which works). I notice the Aqueon vacuum that is alot cheaper has a coil built in which stops this very kinking problem. I have reviewed plenty of Nicrew stuff in the past, including their last gravel vacuum, which wasnt great. gravel siphon fish aquarium siphon tank vacuum cleaning water suction pipe manual gravel syphon cleaner filter pump aquarium gravel cleaner pump tank fish automatic Ill tell you why it fails badly. siphon Because gravel vacuums (also called aquarium vacuum cleaner) are a fairly inexpensive product, I decided to round up and test all the most commonly used gravel vacuums on the market.