Is this "non-reefing" tool one of the best tools for aquarium keepers to own?

[Sharkbait19]

Turkey baster is fantastic.

+1. I have a turkey baster, and it works wonders in cleaning the sandbed, cleaning corals, and picking up messes. Much better than my small gravel vac...

 

[Kfactor]

i use the bucket head to clean my sump

 

[jmichaelh7]

If nobody mentioned vacuuming detritus out of the sump , what are you guys using???

 

[Theulli]

I'll start off by saying the answer, in my opinion, is YES!

Yes what? Yes for the shop vac! Yes why? Yes because it loves to eat salt creep. It loves to clean up sumps. It loves to clean sand out of old tanks. It loves to work for us reef keepers! So do you agree?

1. Do you agree that the SHOP VAC one of the best tools for aquarium keepers to own?

2. What are some ways you use a Shop Vac for reefing?

3. What Shop Vac do you use and recommend?

My 2 cents on the shop vac, for those looking at getting one. If you are like me and use the orange Home Depot buckets for storing water, they make a shop vac head that attaches to them and costs about $20.

 

[JaimeIsNew]

I use one of the cheap ones that snap onto a 5 gallon bucket. It comes in handy for cleaning my sump.

Can you snap a pic and post it at some point?

 

[somethingfishyny]

I'll start off by saying the answer, in my opinion, is YES!

Yes what? Yes for the shop vac! Yes why? Yes because it loves to eat salt creep. It loves to clean up sumps. It loves to clean sand out of old tanks. It loves to work for us reef keepers! So do you agree?

1. Do you agree that the SHOP VAC one of the best tools for aquarium keepers to own?

2. What are some ways you use a Shop Vac for reefing?

3. What Shop Vac do you use and recommend?

I use mine every water change for my sump. Anyone who hasn't haven't lived!!!

 

[KTTX]

I use one of the cheap ones that snap onto a 5 gallon bucket. It comes in handy for cleaning my sump.

Trying to picture this...doesn't it suck up all your water as well quickly?

 

[ca1ore]

The Bucket Head has been a part of my maintenance kit for many years. Really only need the head - for some strange reason I always seem to have a bunch of those 5 gallon buckets laying around. Particularly useful for cleaning out QT tanks.

 

[elcapitan1993]

I use one all the time to take out old substrate

 

[intricate_reefer]

Mods please delete, mistaken post

 

[tamanning]

it's a great tool and I do own one but I don't use it on my tank. I syphon more often than not and clean ups are done with my Bissell carpet machine.

 

[Joshua Kerstetter]

After ruining 2 Shop Vac brand shop vacs, I've switched to the Home Depot bucket topper, its easier to empty, has great capacity, and I think will hold up against salt water much better, and is way cheaper than a shop vac.

 

[intricate_reefer]

Mods please delete, mistaken post

 

[chaoticreefer]

This is the Bucket vac:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bucket-...ible-with-5-Gal-Homer-Bucket-BH0100/202017218

It good because you don't have to keep pulling out the air filter if you use your shop vac for other things.

I voted "other", because the only time I use a shop/bucket vac is when I have a major disaster on my carpet and I need to get the water up fast before mold sets in.

For my sump, I just use a MJ 1200 and a 5 micron sock.

 

[jaxteller007]

I do water changes almost exclusively out of my sump now and the shop vac works great for that. Gets the water and the waste, excess food, etc.

 

[Terry Brown]

I use the Home Depot bucket head. Its cheap and I have plenty of 5 gallon buckets. Awesome for cleaning out the sump twice a year...

 

[SPS2020]

I haven't had the need for a shopVac yet (knock on wood). The main reason I do not have one is due to the space it requires; I have a ton of stuff.

As far as pumping liquid, I have found the following two items to be extremely valuable:

This guy is cheap and works great for removing detritus from the sump and refugium. I use it every water change.
From Amazon: TERAPUMP AA Battery-Powered Hand Fuel Pumps

Although I don't use this much, it has been a great help when needed:

Ultra Zero Utility Pump

The Sicce Ultra Zero is a multi-purpose utility pump, perfect for when you just need a sturdy pump to move water from one place to another, such as for pumping freshly mixed saltwater to your tank after a water change, or refilling reservoirs. The Ultra Zero has plenty of power to pump water...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Susan Edwards]

I have this vac for dealing with the sump. Hated the 5 gal bucket vac. Quit working-only sucking up 1-2 gal then stopping. This works great. 12 gals.

 

[Doctorgori]

Shopvac ? Maybe, except when I use it something bad has happened

 

[Mical]

I have a "ROOMBA"