Aquarium Gravel Vacuum Cleaner
An aquarium vacuum is used to remove garbage from your fish tank. Cleaning uneaten food and fish waste will help to keep your Aquarium in balance and remove the strain on your water filtration system. They are designed to remove the unwanted matter while leaving most of your aquarium gravel behind. There are now both manual and battery operated models available.
Manual aquarium gravel vacs use the siphon action of water to suck out the rubbish with the water. A vacuum chamber wider than the hose stops the majority of the gravel from also being sucked out. Gravel rises a short way before falling back to the substrate. The particles of unwanted matter are separated and funneled away.
The siphon action is started in one of two ways. Siphons with no hand pump are submerged and filled with tank water. A thumb is then placed over the clear hose before moving the end of the hose over a bucket and releasing. Other siphons are made with a pump that is squeezed in and out to prime the siphon and start the water flow. The drawback of the pump start siphons is the one way flow valve can become gunked up and require unblocking.
Battery operated aquarium vacuums are only really useful for removing solid waste like uneaten food. The water is returned to the aquarium and fine particles like fish feces will often pass right through and back into the water.
Overall I see the siphon gravel vacs without the pump as the best choice. They remove the detritus completely from the aquarium and do not easily block during use. They have a large clear acrylic vacuum chamber and are made in a number of sizes for different aquarium heights.
