I was tried of gravity fed sand sifter/vacuum that resulted in throwing away a bunch of water after cleaning the sand and filtering it. I created the powered filter shown below to allow me to clean the sand, filter the detritus and whatever else out of the water and then immediately returning the water to the tank. The pump is plugged into a remote control outlet (can be bought for under $20) so I can control the pump and hence the suction/vacuum..