good vacs?

[srusso]

hey all just a quick question, I am looking for a good vac that will return water back into the tank as you use it but has a filter to catch before the return...

let me add... I have sand...

.... looked at this one http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/images/Categoryimages/larger/lg_27317_36998P_002_siphon.jpg

Doesnt seem to have a name... here is the URL http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15484

[srusso]

wow, and I just found the price! 187.99!! just for the main unit. Plus filters!! Who has money like that! Anyone have a DIY?

[Darrell Ward]

I think Eheim makes a battery powered device called a "sludge extractor" or something like that. I've read about people here on simply saying it worked pretty good. I've never used it myself. I have a couple of very deep tanks, so I just use a piece of 1" pvc hooked to a water hose run out the door, and just siphon crud out.

[Eddie]

I think Eheim makes a battery powered device called a "sludge extractor" or something like that. I've read about people here on simply saying it worked pretty good. I've never used it myself. I have a couple of very deep tanks, so I just use a piece of 1" pvc hooked to a water hose run out the door, and just siphon crud out.

I've read that the Eheim sludge thingy isn't all that great. Guess it does alright with some poo siphoning from the reviews.


Eddie

[nc0gnet0]

I use one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/WAYNE-UTILITY-TRANSFER-PUMP-PC2-LITTLE-GIANT_W0QQitemZ180481534697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_P umps?hash=item2a0589aae9

I have the intake attached to a 1/2 pvc pipe then reduced to a 1/4 inch. Works great for getting in all the nooks and crannys. While I use it when doing water changes, I suppose you could couple it to an omni filter with a 1 micron cartridge and put the water back into the tank......but why?

[mmorris]

I have an Eheim sludge extractor that I never use any more. It just doesn't have any oomph so it takes quite a while to do a half-decent job.

[srusso]

I use one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/WAYNE-UTILITY-TRANSFER-PUMP-PC2-LITTLE-GIANT_W0QQitemZ180481534697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_P umps?hash=item2a0589aae9

I have the intake attached to a 1/2 pvc pipe then reduced to a 1/4 inch. Works great for getting in all the nooks and crannys. While I use it when doing water changes, I suppose you could couple it to an omni filter with a 1 micron cartridge and put the water back into the tank......but why?

The normal way is pulling too much water out... if I could vac the sand and take my time getting everything bit. Then do water changes to clean the water.

[Jhhnn]

You could maybe attach the vac tube to a canister filter, maybe like one of the 350 magnums, which are supposedly self priming... use a polyester sleeve around the polishing filter... I've never dealt with the magnums, be they look to be a good choice for the purpose...

Check Craigslist for a used one- good deals are to be had there from time to time... takes patience...

Keeping discus hasn't been inexpensive so far, at least not for me, but nobody said it would be... It's still cheaper and safer than horses, cocaine, booze, gambling, motorcycles, fast cars or fast women... the last being particularly spendy...

[srusso]

So I created my own. A two foot length of 1/2" PVC converted to 1/2" vinyl tubing creates a siphon into a 5 gallon bucket. Then inside the bucket is a power head with a sponge filter intake tip pumping the sponge filtered water back into the tank. Right now I have to put the bucket on a chair, it helps the power head keep up with the siphon. Also the current design allows me to suck up sand without missing up and pumps etc... the sand just sits at the bottom of the of bucket.

Parts

1 - Painters Five Gallon Bucket ~$2.50
2 - 1/2" Vinyl Tubing 10ft ~ $4.50 each
1 - Power head ~28.00
2 - 2ft PVC Pipe ~1.00 each
2 - Elbow PVC smooth/threaded ~.50 each
2 - PVC to Vinyl Converter ~.50 each

Total DIY Vac Cost = ~$42.50!!

I spent 10 minutes today slowly but easily vacuuming up all the poop! It works well. I want to get some clamps to hold tubes onto the bucket and one another for the outlet back into the tank. I have cut the PVC outlet down to a foot long as well as cut the vinyl tubing for the return line down to 6ft. and it helped the power head work better. I may get a stronger power head later on...

[tcyiu]

So I created my own.

The coincidence is too funny. In my browser, I have typed up a reply to you with a parts list that is really similar. That's what I use for in-between WC poop cleanup.

In my case, the incremental cost was nil because I had a lot of the spare parts.

I hesitated to post because frankly, my contraption is uglier than sin. But it works.

Great minds think alike.

Tim

[srusso]

I hesitated to post because frankly, my contraption is uglier than sin. But it works.

Great minds think alike.

Tim

The funniest thing is... I told my wife when I started this post that I was going to make this. She said "your always walking around here saying how your going to make or invent this and that. I bet you $100 that what ever you make is never going to work." That was all I needed... :D Tim, I am happy to join the vacuum contraption team! $100 Dollars richer!! (She really choose the wrong invention/project to mess with!! Surly the DishBoy Robot Dishwasher would have been a better invention to challenge!!)

...and yes Great minds do think alike!

[nc0gnet0]

The real question is however, how much "Poop" are you really removing from the tank and how much are you merely running through a blender? You would be better of using a micron sock......

[tcyiu]

The real question is however, how much "Poop" are you really removing from the tank and how much are you merely running through a blender? You would be better of using a micron sock......

In my case, the siphon empties out into an discarded hose (washed of course) contributed by the missus. This catches the bigger chunks. The hose sits on top of a bed of polyester fibre (in a plastic container with drain holes) which is replaced regularly. The water that is returned to the tank is clear.

While one leg of a pantyhose is not a micron sock, it's good enough and you can't beat "free."

Tim

[nc0gnet0]

While one leg of a pantyhose is not a micron sock, it's good enough and you can't beat "free."

Well, the polyester micron sock can be used indefinately, merely spray it off, bleach it and re-use.

[srusso]

it just so happens I have an extra!! The pack I got came with 3 and I only needed two. Should I really bleach it? A good wash with tap water would do it right?

[nc0gnet0]

Well I bleach mine overnight and then spray them off and let them dry, then dip in a bucket of tap water/prime. But then again mine are in service for a week and not a few minutes so I imagine that a good spray would suffice and ever so often soak in each water. I would be more concerned with any organic material left in the sock becoming bacteria laden.

[mjs020294]

I am getting a SunSun 280gph canister filter ($38) off eBay to use as a Vac.