Habitat - Indoor :: Cleaning Tank with a wetvac???

[Slats]

Just wondering: I have a wetvac and was thinking about using it to suction up some of the water from my 60 gallon tank when I am doing partial water changes. Is this a bad idea? Are there any consequences I am not considering? Any advice would be great. Of course I would remove the turtles first.

Thanks!

[Jessica313]

i actually conditered this once but then came across a better idea. lol

at any pet store they sell aquarium vaccums... the good ones range from about 10-20 bucks, depending where you get it.. but i assure you, its money WELL spent...

this is what im talking about...


http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Product_R_875_PC_productlist_Nav_225_N_24%20135_sku_124621_familyID_5913.aspx


i actually dont recommend that particular one, but it gives u the idea of what im talking about...

i should also add that even though in the add it leads you to believe it just gets the crap out of the gravel , it takes out the water too. its great =)

[jenaero]

This is what I use. I don't know how I'd live without it. It's a bit more expensive but totally worth it.

http://www.pythonproducts.com/nospill.htm

[marisa]

I use a wetvac for my largest set-up. It works really well.

[Jessica313]

ah. you do.
fianlly someone who does lol. i might try it sometime then
good to know

[steve]

I use one for full cleanings, mainly to get the stuff I can't siphon out on the bottom. My vac is only 5 gallons, so it wouldn't be much use during a partial change.

[marisa]

If it's five gallons, it's more like only half of that (the motor and filter takes up a lot of room).

Jessica313, if you're using that wetvac for other types of cleaning, you might want to make sure the hose, nozzle, etc. is clean before sticking it into the tank (my wetvac is only for turtle tank use).

[steve]

Actually, it's more than 5 gallons with the filter removed, though not much larger. My vac is also for turtles only and has a nice squeegee attachment that is unfortunately too big for the tank.

[Slats]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am going to try tomorrow with my wetvac and see how it goes.

[Jessica313]

ah. thanks marisa.. i dont know if i would have thought about that.

[GEMS]

Maybe I am all thumbs - but I looked up the first reference and that looks like what I have. Of course, my teenager got to it first so i don't know if I have all the pieces, or maybe I am just using it wrong. Any advise on using the self-siphoning gravel vaccuum is greatly appreciated

[samandnelly]

My siphon is an undergravel one, but I should probably get a wetvac, since they've gotten so many good comments!:)

[CountryGirl68]

Like Jenaero, I love the Python. They range in price from $25 up, depending on how long a hose you get (they come in 25ft, 50ft, 75ft and 100ft). The length of the hose depends on how far your sink would be from the tank.

I've also bought regular syphoning adapters for mine that fit the Python and allow you to clean out the bottom of the tank and squeegy the glass. But it still takes water out of the tank.

For in-between cleaning, I use a Super Battery Vac that has a cheesecloth-like bag attached so you can clean out the gunk without removing water. It uses D batteries and comes in handy during in-between cleaning.

[marisa]

I have that Super Batter Vac as well. I found it didn't do that much for a larger tank, though.

[Slats]

Thanks everyone. I tried my wetvac but found it too much work - had to drag it full over to the sink and empty it etc...too many times which caused spills and mess. I switched last weekend to the Python and it worked great! I bought one with a long hose that reached my sink and I was able to clean the tank quite easily and quickly. But I was wondering: It says I should only do partial cleanings and never a full one on the instructions. Any comments?