# Vacuuming in a Shrimp Tank???



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

How do you vacuum a shrimp tank without sucking up shrimp???

The population in my 25g has exploded (YAY!), I vacuumed last weekend and sucked up many shrimp and hopefully rescued all of them except the microscopic ones.

I have a bare bottom 5.5g with java moss and floating plants, how do I vacuum the debris off the bottom without sucking up shrimp?


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Tabatha said:


> How do you vacuum a shrimp tank without sucking up shrimp???
> 
> The population in my 25g has exploded (YAY!), I vacuumed last weekend and sucked up many shrimp and hopefully rescued all of them except the microscopic ones.
> 
> I have a bare bottom 5.5g with java moss and floating plants, how do I vacuum the debris off the bottom without sucking up shrimp?


I use a mini vaccum and vacuum straight into a white bucket anyone who gets sucked up can then go right back in. I've also attached an airstone to airline tubing going directly into a bucket and then no one gets sucked up.


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## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

Can you attach some sort of net or even stockings to the vacuum? Last time one of them got caught but was strong enough to swim against the current. I'm still not sure how many I have.


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## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

Now that I have put some thought about what I said, it kinda defeats the purpose of vacuuming the tank. LOL!


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

gunnerx said:


> Now that I have put some thought about what I said, it kinda defeats the purpose of vacuuming the tank. LOL!


LOL! Yeah, I was thinking about that too.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Katalyst said:


> I use a mini vaccum and vacuum straight into a white bucket anyone who gets sucked up can then go right back in. I've also attached an airstone to airline tubing going directly into a bucket and then no one gets sucked up.


Do you mean air line tubing or something a little larger?


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Tabatha said:


> Do you mean air line tubing or something a little larger?


Air line tubing and an airstone into a bucket...It won't take the mulm off the bottom but I find it only takes a few minutes to do that....In my large shrimp tanks I use a regular old python but the tank is barebottom and I'm pretty used to gravel vaccing them out by now..Some times I do one side of the tank and the shrimp all flock to the other side and then a few days later I'll gravel vac the other side.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2368

I posted a thread with pictures awhile back  I don't have them in photobucket anymore or I'd do a DIY. I'll take some new pics when I clean the tank later this week if I remember.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

I have a similar problem cleaning up my cory fry tank.

I use an air hose as a siphon into a white bucket. To control the hose in the tank I use a plastic spline from a clear plastic presentation folder and have the hose sticking out about 1 1/2 inch. Any fry that get accidentally sucked up can be seen quite readily against the white back ground and can be sucked back into the tube and returned to the tank, no worse for wear.

Cheers.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Katalyst said:


> http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2368
> 
> I posted a thread with pictures awhile back  I don't have them in photobucket anymore or I'd do a DIY. I'll take some new pics when I clean the tank later this week if I remember.



That's a really great idea for water changes in a fry/shrimp tank! Thanks Kate.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

That is a great idea, very simple design.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

A-Ha! I found another idea at http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html, he syphons water from the tank using airline tubing into a bucket but uses a net to catch critters, the water flows through the net (of course) into the bucket.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Tabatha said:


> A-Ha! I found another idea at http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html, he syphons water from the tank using airline tubing into a bucket but uses a net to catch critters, the water flows through the net (of course) into the bucket.


I personally think that's not such a good idea unless you immediately stop siphoning and return the fry to the tank.

When siphoning directly into the bucket, the fry are quite content in there until you suck them up again to put back into the tank. Leaving them in the net while pouring more water over them and possibly bombarding them with crap and their brothers and sisters is quite stressful.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

I've done that with a laundry bag with my goldfish after I am done vaccing. Mind you they are all over 4 inches and I do it while watching the tank.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Cory_Dad said:


> I personally think that's not such a good idea unless you immediately stop siphoning and return the fry to the tank.


You forgot, this is a shrimp tank, not a fry tank.  Also, if the bag were big enough and kept submerged, the fry would be fine. Did you look at the photo on the page?


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Tabatha said:


> You forgot, this is a shrimp tank, not a fry tank.  Also, if the bag were big enough and kept submerged, the fry would be fine. Did you look at the photo on the page?


Yes, I did forget it was a shrimp tank. Sorry.

As for looking at the picture, yes I did and I still wouldn't use it for fry:

1) I'd have to pre-fill the bucket with water from the tank I'm cleaning so the bag would be submerged should any fry get sucked up.

2) Trying to see any sucked up fry in the net when you're done would be a whole heck of a lot harder than in big white bucket. The only way to be sure you didn't miss any is to empty the net into a big white bucket and look for them. Why use the net in the first place.

3) Cleaning out a net is a lot more work than just dumping a bucket.

Where I see the net being useful is when you need to siphon out a lot of water and the fish in the tank are > 1/4".

Your shrimp are obviously much bigger and hardier than my 2 - 14 day old fry.

So I'll shut up now....


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## clock906 (Nov 22, 2007)

I water change my nano by sucking up the water in the HOB filter instead of in the tank directly (you will probably need to use a mini syphon, I use a airline tube (+ syringe) in my nano 3 gallon)

Probably not a good idea if you have a big tank tho


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

I ended up using an airline hose into a white bucket, worked like a charm and I didn't have to worry about sucking anyone up!


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Tabatha said:


> I ended up using an airline hose into a white bucket, worked like a charm and I didn't have to worry about sucking anyone up!


Told you so (he says with an air of know-it-all arrogance)...


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