MingDak Aquarium Gravel Cleaner Vacuum Siphon Pump - Siphon Gravel Washer/Water Changer with Flow Controller, Long Nozzle and Tank Clip for Water Changing and Gravel Cleaning-BPA Free

Bueno

After draining a saltwater aquarium with my $30 pump from a local pet store, I purchased this replacement. It was the biggest one I could find on Amazon and when I got it I was worried because it was less than half the size and not nearly as heavy or bulky as the one I had for over a year. Still, I tried this one because I was concerned the saltwater in the larger heavier (and much more expensive) unit would not rinse out completely and thus would possibly damage my freshwater fish or their habitat.I was SO PLEASED with this! Definitely was not disappointed! This is a great little unit!!! Although looking at it, I was doubtful because it looked different from the one that I previously had, I decided to use it and see what it was all about.Things I noticed:1. There is a detachable threaded "filter" nozzle that can be used to prevent accidental suck up of fish while changing their water (initially I did not know what this part was for but once we figured out that the nozzle on the suction end came off, we discovered that this was (as per instructions that I did not read) designed to be interchangeable.2. The item comes with a longer nozzle pre attached, but this is easily screwed off to use the shorter nozzle with the filtration design explained above, if desired (I have never "sucked up" fish while cleaning their gravel or changing their water, but it is nice to know that this will prevent that from happening)3. Although the device seems flimsy and insubstantial, it works to QUICKLY suck up water at an impressive rate4. Given that I only use this every two weeks I can expect the $10 spent to be well invested. Plastic takes 500 to 1,000 years to decompose, so unless a seam splits which appears to be unlikely from my 1st use, then I will have this a long time (or at least until I have to get it dirty using it for something else, in which case it is inexpensive enough to replace).All in all I wish I had purchased two of these in the first place so that I have one for fresh water and another for salt water. Maybe a third for the aquarium at work.The suction rivals the (much larger and heavier and more expensive) pump.It arrived quickly, was packed well, obviously was brand new, and to my surprise (since it looked so small compared to the deluxe version I paid twice as much for at the pet store) . this beause I have

I purchased this because my other siphon accidentally sucked up my betta fish. He's such a nosy fish and is always checking out what I'm doing in his tank. I turned my head for a second because the hose slipped out of its bracket and when I looked back poor Finn was being sucked up. I'm sure that stressed him out! This kind of accident can't happen with this pump because there are 2 types of nozzle pieces; one has a perforated cap on the end so only the smallest of debris can get suctioned up. The hose is a lightweight plastic and very pliable. I like it better than the standard hoses which are just stiff plastic tubes. There's also a plastic piece that slides along the hose and you can compress the hose into the clip to slow the water flow. I have a 5 gallon aquarium as well, but this pump is a bit too powerful to use on that size of a tank. It would suck out the entire 5 gallons in 5 minutes. So I would recommend this pump for 10 gallon plus aquariums.

I was disappointed in the material and what I would view as a lack of quality. If the water line gets below the neck of the end cleaning filter piece and the hose, forget having any suction power. I don't see this set up lasting more than maybe a couple months max. I bought a similar set up at a pet box store and the long clear hose was rubber and the pieces much higher quality plastic. You get what you pay for.

Didn’t come with the clearest instructions but other than that it was an amazing investment for my fish tank. My only dislike was the nozzle on the end wouldn’t suck up the bigger stuff

Works well enough for what we need it to do

Very simple to use and very effective, you can't go wrong. It makes cleaning the fish tank a easy to do project, my two younger Sons actually enjoyed using it. You put one end in your fish tank and one end into a five gallon bucket or so then there's an inflated part of the siphoning hose you just simply squeeze five to seven times and there you go all the magic happens right in front of your eyes. With an excellent gravel trap that allows the debris to still go through but not the rocks.

Does not do to well with sucking up the waste but it does help with empty out the tank it sucks up all the water