How to Hook a Vacuum to a Fish Tank

An aquarium vacuum is a valuable piece of equipment that helps to remove hard-to-get dirt and detritus in a quick and efficient manner. The metabolic waste of fish accumulates among the individual grains of aquarium sand or gravel and break down, eventually causing a toxic condition in the tank. Aquarium vacuums clean the substrate by sucking the organic waste from within the gravel bed. Aquarists can keep their aquariums clean and healthy by using a vacuum each time they perform a water change.

Things You'll Need

  • Large rectangular plastic container
  • Hot water
  • Small-diameter tubing
  • Wide-diameter hard plastic pipe with plastic nipple
  • Large towel
  • 10-gallon bucket
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill a large, rectangular-shaped plastic container with hot water. Ensure that the container is clean and that it does not contain any soap or detergent residue. Place the small-diameter vacuum tubing into the large plastic container and straighten it out to remove any kinks.

    • 2

      Make sure that the tubing is not pinched at any point. Use your first finger and thumb to squeeze any pinched area till that section of the tubing regains its shape. The hot water will make the tubing soft enough for you to remove the pinched area.

    • 3

      Push one end of this small-diameter tube over the hard plastic nipple on the large-diameter hard plastic vacuum pipe. The individual pieces of gravel are too heavy to be sucked up the entire length of this wide pipe. Gravel is drawn into the bottom of the pipe, where it is swirled around. Dirt and detritus that accumulate in the gravel are light enough to be drawn up the entire length of the pipe and are removed from the aquarium while the gravel remains behind.

    • 4

      Lay a towel on the floor in front of the aquarium and place a 10-gallon bucket on the towel.

    • 5

      Turn off the heater. As you siphon from the aquarium, the water level will drop and may expose the heater and cause its glass tube to crack.

    • 6

      Rinse your hands and arm to remove any creams and soap residue, which are harmful to your water and the beneficial bacteria in your filter.

    • 7

      Hold the wide-diameter hard plastic tube just above the gravel. Put the free end of the small-diameter tube into your mouth and suck powerfully. Remove the tube from your mouth as soon as water begins to flow into it, or you will get dirty water in your mouth. Hold the free end of the small-diameter tubing over the bucket.

    • 8

      Move the wide-diameter, hard pipe around the aquarium, cleaning as much of the gravel as possible.

    • 9

      Stop the vacuum by lifting the wide-diameter pipe out of the water.