great cheap poop vac

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
If you get the same suction underwater, then its only long & open-ended like that so its easier to stay dry?

I'm still trying to understand the mechanics of using air to create a vacuum underwater:\
 
Moloch;4547917; said:
So basically, its just a tube with an outlet right in the middle. The airline runs the length of the tube and at the bottom end is somehow attached*. The top end remains open and above the water-line for proper suction? And as the water flows up it only makes it as far as the outlet in the middle where its filtered back into the aquarium.

So how exactly is it attached at the bottom? Can you give a closeup pick of that? It seems like this would be exceedingly easy to recreate, and might come out cheaper that way than paying for shipping assuming it can't be found locally.
Click to expand...

The airline is ported into the tip so as long as you have the air within the plastic portion that the water will flow up you will be fine. If you look at the link I posted and look at the bottom you can see it has a tip kind of like a gravel vac. The air exits the line inside that tip.

The unit is made by marineland I believe so you should be able to get it at your local LFS.

If you wanted to make your own then narrow PVC (more narrow means more suction) with a t joint somewhere in the middle would be easy to make. Put some sort of tip at the bottom and drill a small hole and epoxy in an airline so as to seal it and you woudl be set. But for me taking the time for that work was not worth passing up just shelling out $8....though I was already at the LFS anyway so it worked out for me.
 
Moloch;4547929; said:
If you get the same suction underwater, then its only long & open-ended like that so its easier to stay dry?

I'm still trying to understand the mechanics of using air to create a vacuum underwater:\
Click to expand...


The air simply moves the water as the bubbles rise and thus create a current. You will want to keep the top out of water as much as possible to force the water through the screened opening but there was a time or two I had to dip it into the water. I might have lost a bit of the suction but it still picked up the poop ok for me.
 
Very cool.
I opted for the $12, battery powered vac.
MrCleaner.jpg


Addictive little tool.
 
yeah I was going to go for the base battery one till I did not see it say that it was fully submersible. With my driftwood and the deadspots I need to get into some cranies at times and thus dip it all the way in momentarily
 
Cool that makes sense now. Between 4 different petsmarts a petco and a real LFS (I go to all of them pretty regularly...) I haven't NOTICED this thing on the shelf, but at the same time, I also haven't looked for it. So maybe it is there somewhere. I would rather just go buy the actual product, it'd probably be just as cheap or cheaper than building it myself when all is said and done. Its just a matter of availability.

Granted...if I buy it online, then I'd have a good excuse to throw in an impeller for my emperor400 and see if that filter works :P

I'd assume that my little airpump thats rated for 'up to 20g' wouldn't create enough suction?
 
My tank is 30" deep... can it be modified for deep tanks? Sounds like a must have item!
 
You could simply add some PVC to the to of it to make it taller kDrun. I mean it is simply just a long tube right now. Making it longer would not be detrimental to its abilities.

molock - I can not say about the smaller air pump. Remember the pump is not created suction per say but water movement. So long as you coudl get a steady stream of air I think you woudl be ok. A larger pump just gives you more air and maintains that airflow while under pressure in a deeper tank.
 
Interesting. This will probably be the next purchase in line after my second filter for the 65. I'll probably end up getting it a dedicated pump with a little more power anyways.

Thanks for posting man.
 
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