Eheim Quick Vac Pro + Bare Bottom Tank

[Clawhammer]

Want to spend about 30 minutes less on daily maintenance and still have the cleanest tank around? Go bare bottom and get an eheim quick vac pro. Thats all.

[Kyla]

i love my eheim quick vac and use it all the time for both bare bottom and sanded tanks. i wish it was a bit stronger, and sometimes it will "stall", but overall its a great tool. it doesnt replace water changes, but while i do a wc on one tank i often use the quick vac on the other while ive got a spare moment.

[Bc chick]

Want to spend about 30 minutes less on daily maintenance and still have the cleanest tank around? Go bare bottom and get an eheim quick vac pro. Thats all.

I've used one of those. Doesn't all the debris just come out the net filter part and cloud the water?

[Clawhammer]

I definitely didn't mean to imply that water changes should be reduced, thanks for catching that Kyla!! :)

This is great for cleaning up any leftover food or feces. It takes < 1 minute to vac the whole 55 gallon and doesn't lower the water level.

[Clawhammer]

I've used one of those. Doesn't all the debris just come out the net filter part and cloud the water?

No, the mesh is so fine no visible waste gets through. This was what I was most skeptical about before I tested it, and why I am sharing my positive experience.

[Kyla]

if it were used to do a deep clean of an older gravel bed i suspect the very fine mulm may be expelled thru the mesh as cloudy water, but when used to clean up debris collected recently on the BB floor or sand surface there is no mess because the particles are still fairly solid.

[Jenene]

i love my eheim quick vac and use it all the time for both bare bottom and sanded tanks. i wish it was a bit stronger, and sometimes it will "stall", but overall its a great tool. it doesnt replace water changes, but while i do a wc on one tank i often use the quick vac on the other while ive got a spare moment.

I saw a Youtube review and as he took it apart it looked like there is a smaller tube just inside the bigger one that leads to the mesh. Could you put a smaller tube on to that one to strengthen the suction? With a smaller tube you could get into smaller spaces as well like under driftwood and such. If this is possible I would consider it. Nothing more frustrating than chasing debris around because your suction is too weak. Would love to use this to get uneaten food or poop out before I leave for work and not have to drag syphons and buckets out.

[Phillydubs]

I didn't have the best experience with this tool when I tried it out...

Granted I used it on my low tank that has sand in it... I t was clogging every few seconds and didnt seem to do me anygood...

I sent it back and have stuck to my regular water changes...

It felt to me like I was doing the same motions and process as a siphon only getting part of the work done... Sure you didn't have to exchange water but just felt like I was cheaping out IMO... I can see that it could help if you used it right after feedings or a few times a day, I suppose. But doesn't this go back to the whole DOC convo? Where the worst parts of the water are what you can't see and what is dissolved into the water column. That piece of poop you suck up has already emitted its chemicals into the water, so removing the poop is great but a few hrs later a day later, it has already done its damage. Hence why the water itself needs to be swapped.

Again, I could be totally off here but just my feelings and open to more education from others.

[Clawhammer]

After two months of use, I still endorse it. It definitely does not replace water changes, but is a good supplement to a daily WC regimen. The biggest positive is the convenience, I use it 6 + times a day because its so quick and easy.

I would love to hear more about the DOC issue. I believe removing so much waste and uneaten food quickly is a big positive, but in the process the waste gets broken up and tossed around. I often wonder if it is dispersing contaminants that I cannot see with the bare eye that would have been completely removed with a siphon.

[Kyla]

well sad to report my eheim wont restart. it stalled occasionally, but finally didnt start back up again.

[farebox]

Just keep it simple and do a regular ole siphon of the bare bottom tank of uneaten food/waste.....