Gravel Cleaning Help!!

[jlgeorge]

I have been using the Python and other siphon products for years. I'm experiencing a bit of a problem with my new tank though, it is 350 gallons and the water depth is 36inches and i'm not getting a good vacuum with either product. I have two python units, and a siphon cleaner, no luck with any of them. I even went and made a longer, larger diameter cleaning tube, same results. Anyone have any experience cleaning larger tanks that could offer some suggestions? I guess my next option is to buy a pump to attach to the hose to pull enough vacuum to get the job done. Its getting cleaned now, but the water coming out is just a trickle and it takes forever.


Thanks,

[mewickham]

If you're not getting enough suction, the most likely cause is the strength of water flow at the tap. Slow flow can be a result of plumbing runs that are undersized, overly long, or old and clogged with minerals. Check also the aerator screen on the faucet. It may be clogged with minerals and bits of debris.

I had a new faucet put on our kitchen sink and I noticed that the flow was dramatically reduced from the previous faucet. Perhaps the plumber gobbed up a connection somewhere with too much plumber's putty or teflon tape. Or maybe the valve design in the faucet is just more restrictive. Are they trying to make new faucets "green" by restricting their output? Maybe that's it.

You said you changed the size of the intake tube. Changing the length of the large tube shouldn't affect anything, but if you made the tube diameter larger, that will DEFINITELY slow the flow through the tube and reduce the suction.

I've always found Pythons and other brands of fill-and-drain devices to be slow. And they waste a lot of water. (For those unfamiliar, water from the faucet drives the suction using a Venturi effect. They waste several gallons of tap water for each gallon siphoned from the aquarium.) I have a Python, but I tend to use a standard gravel vacuum and bucket to remove the mulm. then I hook up a powerhead to the Python hose to pump the water out the door or into the toilet. Then I finally hook the Python to the sink for refilling.

[Jackielee]

I just use the old hand operated suck the water down your throat siphon hoses most of the time on my big tanks. I get good flow and drain it into a water barrel on wheels then pump or dump it out of the barrel. Kind of another step but it works. I have used a small in line pump with some success to do this so as to not have to use the barrel in cold weather. The in line pumps are not cheap but work well. Good luck and let us know what you do. Jack

[sskruzr]

Well if it's a real problem I'll be more than happy to take the tank off your hands!!!!

[jlgeorge]

Well if it's a real problem I'll be more than happy to take the tank off your hands!!!!

Lol, not that big of a problem...

[snakeskinner]

Mike is right but it probably isn't fixable using the faucet. The suction is created by the flow of the faucet but I doubt you will ever get enough flow out of your faucet (unless you have some unreal pressure and flow to your faucet) to get a really good suction going. You may have to create your own siphon to really get a good vacuum cleaning like you would with a python in a smaller tank. The larger the diameter of the hose you use, the more flow you can get, which will result in more suction. You might be able to get enough flow out of your outside faucets to get a good suction but I doubt the Python or other companies adapters will allow the flow so you'd need to creat your own siphon as well. If you have the ability, I would just create a big siphon tube and allow the waste water to flow outside into some flower-beds or something (free fertilizer) or into a bucket or barrel as mentioned earlier. Just make sure you have a large and long enough pickup tube as not to suck all the gravel out Kyle

[jlgeorge]

I picked up some 3/4 inch hose from work yesterday, gonna try that out today just siphon out the front door. If that doesn't do it, I picked up a magnum 350 yesterday, may try to use that, lol.