# How to avoid sucking up my ghost shrimp in my gravel vac



## OrangeAugust (Jul 26, 2012)

I bought some ghost shrimp a couple weeks ago. They were really tiny and I was afraid to put them in with my female betta fish yet because she might eat them. So I had them in their own little tank for a few weeks. Anyway, I moved my betta to my cycled 5 gallon tank and I decided to put the shrimp in with her. First of all, they practically disappear against the brown gravel. I saw one once yesterday and then it disappeared again and I haven't seen either since. So that makes me realize that when I do my weekly 25% water change, there is a large possibility of them being sucked up in my gravel vac, since I can hardly ever find them unless they're swimming around. Any pointers on how to avoid this?


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## c_gwinner (Mar 23, 2012)

One solution if your just doing water changes with the gravel cleaner is to put some panty hose over the inlet to keep the shrimp from being sucked up by the hose.


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## shrimpedout (Sep 14, 2012)

Yea I put a little bit of filter over the end and just use a rubber band to keep it there.

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Get shrimped out!


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## Unkillable Cat (Sep 4, 2012)

I used this for my 1 gallon while I was isolating an especially angry betta, and it slow but works, air hose! It takes about 2 minutes to drain the full gallon but it's easy to control, and won't easily suck anyone up. Poop fits through just fine as it breaks up.


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

Don't gravel vac. I do not gravel vac any of my tanks that have inverts.... So thats all of them =-)


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## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

sbarbee54 said:


> Don't gravel vac. I do not gravel vac any of my tanks that have inverts.... So thats all of them =-)


Agree


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## KFryman (Sep 4, 2012)

sbarbee54 said:


> Don't gravel vac. I do not gravel vac any of my tanks that have inverts.... So thats all of them =-)


How do you going about changing your water? I don't think you would draining the tanks with an airline lol.


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## dougolasjr (Mar 3, 2010)

KFryman said:


> How do you going about changing your water? I don't think you would draining the tanks with an airline lol.



I was thinking the same thing.


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## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

In one of my tanks I connect the hose with the eheim outlet. 

In the other tank I have a strainer that I don't like much. I used to have a fluval lil sponge like the ones we use in the intakes for that hose.

However, as I'm not getting near the bottom, nobody minds the hose as I keep it close to the surface.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

I vac my soil now days. It keeps the tank cleaner. I keep one hand on the hose and if anyone goes up the uptube I pinch the hose and stop the flow and let them swim out.


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

+1 pejery said On the above almost exactly what I do


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## gmoses (Sep 22, 2012)

i usually use a net...at first i was putting the hose in the net but the last couple of times i drain the tank and keep a net at the other end of the hose so any shrimp that get caught stay in the net and i sift through it to make sure i get what i can...


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 26, 2012)

Ok, cool. Thanks, all.


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## dougolasjr (Mar 3, 2010)

Great Ideas. Thanks.


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