Greg Moore
December 23rd, 2001, 06:41 PM
Just a tip for those that have never tried it. If you want to clean out the crude and garbage in your gravel etc but don't want to do a large water change/syphon session, try the following.
A small external pump works best but any small pump or many powerheads could work. I use a 200gph pond pump.
Take a clean terry cloth towel, hand towel size and not one that is washed with fabric softeners etc. Roll it up around something like an empty paper towel roll. Tie one end completly shut with string. Tie the other end to a piece of hose about 6" long.
Attach the other end of that hose to the discharge side of your pump. Attach a long length of hose to the inlet side (soft enough to be pinchable) and on the end of that attach a large diameter clear pipe (like those that come with comercial gravel syphons).
The terry towel doesn't let even the smallest of particals pass through it. You can vacuum off the rocks, in behind and deep into the gravel (this is where you will need to be able to pinch the inlet line to control flow).
This routine will allow extreemly thourough vacuuming (no rushing as most people do when using a syphon) and will remove everything in its path without loosing any water..
Greg Moore
A small external pump works best but any small pump or many powerheads could work. I use a 200gph pond pump.
Take a clean terry cloth towel, hand towel size and not one that is washed with fabric softeners etc. Roll it up around something like an empty paper towel roll. Tie one end completly shut with string. Tie the other end to a piece of hose about 6" long.
Attach the other end of that hose to the discharge side of your pump. Attach a long length of hose to the inlet side (soft enough to be pinchable) and on the end of that attach a large diameter clear pipe (like those that come with comercial gravel syphons).
The terry towel doesn't let even the smallest of particals pass through it. You can vacuum off the rocks, in behind and deep into the gravel (this is where you will need to be able to pinch the inlet line to control flow).
This routine will allow extreemly thourough vacuuming (no rushing as most people do when using a syphon) and will remove everything in its path without loosing any water..
Greg Moore