Reddit reviews EHEIM Quick Vac Pro Automatic Gravel Cleaner and Sludge Extractor- PetOverstock

No no no, don't add a pleco. They are bad for goldfish as they find their slime coat quite tasty. Plus, goldies are cold water and basically every other fish type is warm water. With the shrimp and crayfish you are just going to be throwing your money away, they will die pretty quickly in a goldfish tank. It's a common misconception that fish like Cory's or Pleco's eat poop, but Cory's eat what the other fish miss that floats to the bottom and Pleco's eat algae and plants. You WILL get an algae bloom eventually, don't go buy a pleco, just work on scrubbing it off and taking care with water changes because pleco's are hard to take care of properly and don't belong with goldfish.

Add your second filter right now, and if you can, get some cycled filter media out of your current one to put into the new one, to help get the bacteria growing properly. That EX70 is definitely not big enough. You are going to need to be cycling 300+ gallons an hour, so you are probably going to need to get a third one or just invest in something in the 110 size or larger. Seriously, goldfish are a mess in small tanks. You might get something like the Quick Vac to help get the poop out in between water changes. I love my cleaner, it really helps (I do have a pleco, he's such a poop machine, I have to clean out his home a few times a week.)

The eheim is a vacuum that recirculates the water, so you can clean all the junk off the substrate between water changes. I would have never spend the money is cichlids weren't such nasty critters, lol,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003C5U2SU/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1506288299&sr=8-3&keywords=eheim+gravel+vac&dpPl=1&dpID=31cLttovLeL&ref=plSrch

Buy this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003C5U2SU?cache=96fab02d9701f6a90f7c7a080f6bb7ef&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&qid=1407456721&sr=8-5#ref=mp_s_a_1_5 Basically what you asked for, right? Or am I not getting the idea?

Pricy but probably what you are looking for

I use one of these bad boys.

Just put a gallon jug or bucket on the floor and start the siphon. Then just mix up the top 1/2 inch or so of the sand with the wide end and all of the crap down there gets sucked up. First though, I clean off the glass really well, and use a turkey baster to blow all the detritus and other junk off of (and out of) the rock in my tank, then give it 10 minutes or so to settle with all pumps off. THEN I do the siphoning. Helps get a LOT of gunk out in a pretty efficient way.

It can take 15 minutes total if you want to be quick about it, or two hours if you want a really deep clean of your tank (mine is 9 gallon, so YMMV)....which I recommend every couple months if your inhabitants aren't the kind to stress out over it too badly.

I also use a motorized pump version of a siphon to clean out the water more thoroughly and save a little time:

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Gravel-Cleaner-Sludge-Extractor/dp/B003C5U2SU/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1473442810&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=eheim+electric+siphon

My issue was the siphon was just too big of a diameter for my tank. I am investing in one of these which I think will serve me a lot better.

And I do think I've been overfeeding. I was doing about 3 pellets in the morning before work and then 2-3 more later that night after I got home. I called a local pet store (well an hour away in the next town) and they said they feed every other day. So I'll just cut back to once a day from now on.

I'll try that with the next cartridge. I had already thrown the old one out when I changed the other night. But I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for the response!

Something like this might be what you're looking for.

http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Gravel-Cleaner-Sludge-Extractor/dp/B003C5U2SU I just saw this the other day at petsmart too.

It should only be powerful enough to lift a little bit of gravel at a time, if the gravel makes it to the top of the chamber then it's too strong. I've never run a tank with anything other than sand so I have no personal experience vacuuming a tank. You also shouldn't have to remove anything unless you want to, but I would recommend it(at least a couple times a year) because a lot of waste collects near decorations because they disturb the water flow and let it sit without be cleaned away by the filter. A lot of people stir up their gravel or sand a little bit before siphoning, that way since you've only got a little bit of water to siphon, most of the crap will be ready and waiting at the top of the gravel.

Also with filtration, carbon is only necessary to clean meds out of the water, but it can extend your water between changes. I used use carbon 24/7 but it has to be replaced pretty often, now I go without and just do more water changes, the water smells and looks just as good. So in the long run only use it if you need it for sure.

About using gloves, if that makes you more comfortable handling decorations and such then go for it, but honestly I'd be worried about the gloves leeching something nasty into the water, I just rinse and dry my hands and arms before handling anything in the tank.

The thing is with fish is that they prefer consistent conditions over ideal conditions, so if your levels are way out of range for your fish, you can shock them by correcting it too quickly, so just do whatever you can not to stress the fish.

If you decide to go with catfish or algae eaters, then use less salt than what I recommended, about half a dose because catfish are irritated by it more so than most fish. I think I may have killed both of my candycane plecos with salt. And to be clear, never use iodized table salt. Salts are going to keep your fish free from ick and parasites and fungus better.

Found a good deal for my fellow aquarists:

http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Gravel-Cleaner-Sludge-Extractor/dp/B003C5U2SU

Amazon link with information: http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Gravel-Cleaner-Sludge-Extractor/dp/B003C5U2SU

That is a neat tool. Thanks for the video.

Not from requested regions, but this is what I could think of:

1. To remove solid waste, using recirculating gravel cleaner, with a bag, that could be replaced by 50 micron pad, shaped to a bag. Discard after use. Mesh of Eheim gravel cleaner pulverizes poop too much. This one looks even better, custom mechanical media could be added.
   
   
2. Floating plants to remove nitrates. Discard excess of them from time to time.
   
   
3. Disposable filter floss in the filter, changed frequently.
   
   
4. Granulated activated carbon should absorb excreted substances that can't be tested. Changed frequently too. It requires pre-washing, but this could be done in limited amount of water.
   
   
5. If something has to be siphoned out, thin rigid tubing with airline, attached to it, would reduce amount of removed water.
   
   
6. See if Chihiros Doctor device could help with general tank health.

You can use something like this to suck up debris but just redirect water back into the tank:

https://www.amazon.com/Koller-Products-Aquarium-Cleaner-Operated/dp/B003OYOPNW

I use that one because it's battery-powered so it's more convenient to take around multiple tanks or without needing to find an outlet. But there are ones that you can plug in too (I haven't used these though):

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Gravel-Cleaner-Sludge-Extractor/dp/B003C5U2SU/

https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Automatic-Cleaner-Electric-Aquarium/dp/B07K6CSY9P

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Gravel-Cleaner-Sludge-Extractor/dp/B003C5U2SU

I use this daily and love it. I only change water twice a month in my big tank so this helps keep it looking clean every day.

If you have powerful mechanical filtration, dislodging sediment from moss by using powerhead (or turkey baster at small scale) should help.

There are motorized gravel cleaners, like Eheim, but they do not have enough pulling power.

Strong enough powerhead in your hand and micron sock as mechanical filtration (collector) should do the trick.