The dreaded shop-vac as a pond vac thread

[tbendl]

Thanks Moonshadow, that shop-vac site was a little confusing since they all say they have built in motors.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

https://www.shopvac.com/product/shop-vac-14-gallon-6-0-peak-hp-wet-dry-pump-vac-catnum:5825411
Ok so this one looks like it has a built in motor that will pump out. It's a 6 Hp model so it would work?

That is a good model but I really think for your purposes the smaller 10 gallon model would be more suitable. Compare the air flow (CFM) between the tow models. The 14 gallon model generates 2.5 times the suction as the 10 gallon. (135 cfm compared to 56 cfm.) 56 cfm will be less of an issue if you are concerned about the fish but still powerful enough to pick-up pond sediment. Fish normally avoid vacuums as it is foreign to their environment.
https://www.shopvac.com/product/shop-vac-10-gallon-5-0-peak-hp-wet-dry-pump-vac-catnum:5821027

 

[tbendl]

That's the one I originally was looking at but it's out of stock at Wal-Mart. There's no huge rush so I'll look around some more and see if I can find the smaller vac. That pond snot is pretty heavy nasty stuff though. Lol
Thanks Meyer, you are always so helpful.

 

[cas]

any special attachments to make sure you didn't suck up the fish?

I have never vacuumed up a fish with my pond vac and the fish love to be right where I have the nozzle.

 

[tbendl]

Cas what do you have? That makes me feel better although would it make a difference if my pond vac was "suckier" than yours? Lol

 

[cas]

I have a Oase Pondovac 2 pond vacuum that I bought in 2005. It still works really well for what I need it for. I don't know if a shop vac has more suction or not.

 

[tbendl]

Thanks Cas, I hate to say it but my fish are pretty.... dumb. Maybe sheltered is a better word, so I'm not sure if I should be worried or not about vacuuming them up.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I have a shark steam mop and I love it. It cleans really well and no chemicals needed (which is great since I have asthma and the chemical smells can really bother me at times)

I got a pond vac for christmas but haven't been able to use it just yet due to winter weather (very soon though) I have used a shop vac to clean the bottom of my pond a few times (pond is three feet deep and the vac sucked up the gunk very well) the main problem was that I had to dump the vac as it filled with water and gunk and that wasn't fun. Every time I used the shop vac I drained the pond as far down as I could and then used the shop vac to clean the bottom of the pond (put fish in a holding tank) keep in mind that my pond is fairly small and only about 500 gallons. Oh also, I removed the filter from inside the shop vac before sucking up any water (first time I used it I forgot and ruined it)

Oh, forgot to add that I would and do worry about fish getting sucked up in the vacuum. I haven't had it happen with the pond fish but it has happened with my aquarium fish : (

 

[tbendl]

Oh vay. Thanks Maria! I guess I'll just have to be super careful.

 

[urglik]

why do we clean up the bottom of the pond? with a stream feeding my pond, i imagine my buildup of whatever will be faster than without one. i imagine decaying matter isn't always good, though i wonder if a layer of sediment isn't beneficial in a lined pond.

 

[MitchM]

why do we clean up the bottom of the pond? with a stream feeding my pond, i imagine my buildup of whatever will be faster than without one. i imagine decaying matter isn't always good, though i wonder if a layer of sediment isn't beneficial in a lined pond.

If organic matter is allowed to accumulate at the bottom of a pond, as it decomposes it will degrade water quality and contribute to algae growth.

.

 

[tbendl]

why do we clean up the bottom of the pond? with a stream feeding my pond, i imagine my buildup of whatever will be faster than without one. i imagine decaying matter isn't always good, though i wonder if a layer of sediment isn't beneficial in a lined pond.

I get a think nasty layer of "snot" during our hot summer months. It floats up during the day and then sinks at night. I can net the debris but this stuff is hard to remove.

 

[cas]

Do you have a skimmer @tbendl ? I have a lot of loose algae that accumulates over the winter and once I start my pump it all gets sucked up into my skimmer and the filter catches it. It sounds like it might work for your 'snot algae'.

 

[tbendl]

No. I mean I AM the skimmer..... Lol
Besides it's so thick and there's gobs of it throughout the summer.

 

[tbendl]

That is a good model but I really think for your purposes the smaller 10 gallon model would be more suitable. Compare the air flow (CFM) between the tow models. The 14 gallon model generates 2.5 times the suction as the 10 gallon. (135 cfm compared to 56 cfm.) 56 cfm will be less of an issue if you are concerned about the fish but still powerful enough to pick-up pond sediment. Fish normally avoid vacuums as it is foreign to their environment.
https://www.shopvac.com/product/shop-vac-10-gallon-5-0-peak-hp-wet-dry-pump-vac-catnum:5821027

@Meyer Jordan so the smaller version is still out of stock and the larger one, shown below is available. I know you said it's a bit larger than what I might need but we are getting ready to hit "snot season" and I'm ready to buy. Do you still think this larger version would work? Maybe put a large screen over the sucky part to keep the fish out?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shop-Vac-14-Gallon-6-Peak-HP-Shop-Vacuum/999998030