Aquarium Vacuum Cleaners
Aquarium vacuum cleaners are an important part of ensuring that your tanks look their best and continue to be a safe environment for your fish and plant life. They help to remove debris (particularly half-eaten food!) from your tank and prevent it from rotting. By routinely vacuuming you will be able to keep your aquarium gravel cleaner and may also be able to change your water on a less regular basis.
Reviews of Best Aquarium Vacuum Cleaners
Below we’ve outlined some our contenders for the best aquarium gravel cleaners:
EHEIM Quick Vac Pro Automatic Gravel Cleaner and Sludge Extractor
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
Check on Amazon.com
The Eheim Quick Vac Pro Automatic aquarium gravel cleaner and sludge extractor is easy to use. You do not have to use any buckets or hoses (unlike some other model). This model is a battery operated electric aquarium vacuum – ensuring that you do not have to worry about electric cables. It also means that it is fully submersible. Although it works well for full vacuums, it is so easy to use that you can also perform spot cleaning if you see a dirty portion of your tank.
By having a electric aquarium vacuum that is easy to use means that you’ll likely use it more frequently – reducing the frequency of required water changes. The only reason that this didn’t get more than 4 stars from us is that some users have had reliability issues. However, no underwater vacuum is every going to be 100% perfect, and we feel this is a good option at a respectable price point.
NICREW Electric Aquarium Cleaner and Sludge Extractor
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
Check on Amazon.com
The NICREW Electric Aquarium Cleaner and Sludge Extractor is great for medium to large aquariums. It is easy to use and can be used for either fully aquarium vacuuming or spot cleaning. This aquarium vacuum can be used up to around 28 inches in depth and is suitable for both saltwater and freshwater aquariums.
Powered by electric (rather than a battery) the Nicrew aquarium cleaner has sufficient suction power. It is nice being able to use in both pure siphon mode and cleaning mode.
Overall a nice product at a moderate price point.
Fluval A370 Gravel Cleaner Kit
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
Check on Amazon.com
The Fluval A370 Gravel Cleaner Kit is perhaps the best quality option on the market today. It does a great job of filtering out dirt and debris. One of the best features is the ability to adjust the flow of the water with your thumb. This gives you the ability to carefully select which areas of the tank you are more or less firm with.
The aquarium cleaner can be used in both salt and fresh water aquariums. There is also a gravel guard that stops dirt getting into the vacuum head and clogging it up. We also found that the Fluval was relatively easy to put together.
Gravel Vacuum for Aquarium – Aquarium Siphon
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
Check on Amazon.com
This siphon aquarium cleaner is a little different to the previous vacuums reviewed so far. Instead of being powered by electricity or connection to use mains it simply uses a siphon. The upside of this is that you don’t have to worry about the electrics (either finding a plug point or running around replacing batteries at times) and it makes the device more reliable in many ways.
The down side, of course, is that you’re going to be siphoning water out of your tank. It is therefore best to use this aquarium cleaner as part of your water change process. It comes with an 8 foot hose of 5/8″ diameter – large enough for the filter to work pretty quickly! Overall a cheap and simple product that works well. If you don’t need (or want) anything fancy for your medium to large aquarium then this aquarium vacuum cleaner may be for you!
Coodia Vacuum Cleaner, Sludge Extractor and Water Changer
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
Check on Amazon.com
The Coodia Vacuum Cleaner, Sludge Extractor and Water Changer has a 3 in 1 design. Instead of having to by (and store and maintain) separate devices you can use this for all 3 tasks. The pump enables you to clean food and other debris from the top of the substrate without disturbing the gravel at the bottom of the tank. Unlike the siphon mentioned previously, this vacuum enables you to return the water in the tank.
We like the fact that the pump can be adjusted to extract sludge or change water. Overall it is a versatile device that works smoothly and won’t break the bank. Perhaps not as high quality as the Fluval A370, but still a decent electric aquarium vacuum for keeping your tank clean and fish happy and healthy.
Fluval Gravel Vacuum Multi Substrate Cleaner Small (50cm)
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
Check on Amazon.com
Simple, cheap and easy. The Fluval Gravel Vacuum Multi Substrate Cleaner Small (50cm) is a good option for small to medium sized tanks. It can be used on tanks up to 20 inches in depth. The siphon is manual rather than being battery or electric power. To start just prime it a couple of times.
One nice feature is the ability to control the flow of the siphon with your thumb. This gives you the ability to treat different parts of your aquarium with more subtlety than others! The pump can be used for both saltwater and freshwater aquariums.
Overall, a simple device, at a good price point, that will do the job for a number of readers.
Best Aquarium Vacuum Cleaners – Conclusion
There are a range of aquarium vacuum cleaners on the market today. Whether you want a simple siphon, battery powered or even an electric aquarium vacuum, hopefully you found a vacuum above that will work well with your tank and price range. Especially since they will help to keep your aquarium gravel cleaner and allow you change your water on a less regular basis.
Some Final Thoughts
The substrate that you use can have an effect on how easy the tank is to vacuum. There are a range of options available – from sand to gravel, light to dark, volcanic or not. If you think you might need to update your substrate you can check out our reviews on some of the best substrates for your planted tank.
Some people find that when keeping turtles, their filter just doesn’t cut it and so they are left using their aquarium vacuum on a regular basis. If this is the case in your tank, you may want to find a specialized turtle tank filter.
Good luck!