The 12 Best Tank Cleaning Vacua (2023 reviews)

If you are currently in the market looking for a reliable vacuum for your daily usage, you cannot go wrong with the laifoo tank cleaning vacuum. This is the first tank syphon that actually works easy and won't suck up the stones and tons of water. It takes forever to pull the water through. There is a screen in the suction cup that prevents poops from coming up. It is easy to use and does drain, but the only issue is that it doesn’t have the suction power to remove the fish waste.

The pump is easy to get started, a few squeezes on the bulb, and the water is flowing. It is great for getting plant debris though.

Why We Like This:

Easy to use and even comes with a storage bag
Great suction and very easy to use
Easy to use and cleans the tank well

Best For Easy Water changes: VIVOSUN Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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If you often find yourself scrambling for appropriate and satisfactory vacuum, vivosun tank cleaning vacuum should be your first option for buying. This aquarium hose works well, feels good quality and is easy to operate. It is made with two nozzles. It comes with two nozzles, a short one and a long one, and the ability to slow down the water flow. It is equipped with a large operation bulb which is sturdy and durable so you can get the water flowing without further pumping. It uses a hand pump to get the suction started. It cleans well with little mess. It comes with a small suction cup that attaches the nozzle to the glass wall of your aquarium for a complete one-hand cleaning operation. It’s a great bottom and gravel cleaner.

Why We Like This:

Works great, suction power is pretty good
Great for beginners or small tank
Good gravel filter at the top to keep gravel out of the tube
Great suction, quiet, and easy to store

Best For Aquarium Water changes: ll products Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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Ll Products has been making great vacuum for years, thanks to a combination of clever design and appropriate materials. You can clean your fish tank with this robust aquarium gravel cleaner at a fraction of the cost as other, making it great value for money. It is great for small tank, up to 60 gallons, and has a shut off valve, and has great suction. The water changer for fish tank has a rigid hose attached to the filter for precise placement, allowing you to spot clean your gravel. The suction is great and the valve at the end is perfect.

The hand pump makes it really quick and easy to use. It cleans up debris nicely additionally it is made with suction tube net. It is easy to use, has a shut off valve, and has great suction. This is very simple to use and does a great job sucking out the fish by products without disturbing the gravel too much.

Why We Like This:

Super easy to take apart and clean
Works well for sucking up water
New and hot release

Best For removing little excess Debris: Aqueon Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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Compared with other vacuum in this category, the aqueon tank cleaning vacuum has a convenient design. It works great on small tanks with minimal gravel. With the tank on a dresser and the bucket on the floor the suction is very strong making the rather small diameter 'gravel cleaning' part not really all that functional as the gravel gets sucked all the way into the tube etc. It doesn't drain all of the water super fast but had the suction needed to clean the gravel and the automatic priming worked phenomenally. The suction is good, too good actually and it constantly clogs.

It takes a few practice runs to learn how to get the siphon going, but the instructions provided are sufficient and accurate. However, it's a great way to siphon things out of the tank without using any electricity or other potentially dangerous methods. It is easy to use and makes clean up fun.

Why We Like This:

Freshwater, saltwater & even reef tanks
Rapid motion does the trick to start siphoning action
Works really well and the one way valve is a nice touch

Best For Betta Fish: Sungrow Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention sungrow tank cleaning vacuum for daily purpose. This gravel cleaner works so much better and doesn't frighten the fish. It comes with a 2.8” wide nozzle, nozzle net, flexible standard tubing, operation/pump bulb and discharge hose. It has a pretty simple “filter” to prevent sucking up most average sized fish. The suction holds really well unless you take the hose out of the tank.

It's easy to maintain suction and has a spill system and the wider nozzle net ensures that the fish do not get affected or even disturbed while it is being used to transfer water. It's the perfect option for starting flow.

Why We Like This:

Works well for gravel, sucks up sand
Perfect for cleaning a large tank
Round tube fits in a water jug, easy way to dump out

Best For One person: Upettools Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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The upettools tank cleaning vacuum's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. It’s really a super super great tool. It measures about 1.73 inches in diameter and screwed onto a base which is about 1.54 inches in diameter. It comes with a long hose for syphoning for water changes. The shower feature is a fantastic aerator, and the vacuum is perfect to clean the bottom for daily water changes.

The suction power is great and this tool can be used as a filter. It’s so fast performing water changes that you have to keep an eye on your water bucket. It is easy to use to pump the water in and out of the fish tank, making the water change for the fish tank very convenient and easy. This will help filter the water so you are not spreading it back in the tank.

Why We Like This:

Good for ponds and hot tubs
Good tool to clean the aquarium, easy to assemble and well made
Good investment for long term

Best For Fish plants: Qzq Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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The qzq tank cleaning vacuum is capable of outshining several other vacuum featured in this list in overall features for the price point. The Siphon vacuum water changer can easily change the water for your fish tank, clean the dirt and change the water regularly, and help the fish tank environment to maintain a dynamic balance. It helps you save time and effort to clean the fish tank and provide a healthier living environment for your cute fish. It is equipped with two internal thickened airbags which can pump the water quickly. The thermometer is perfectly accurate with the temperature readings.

This vacuum is easy to use and does an excellent job cleaning. The net is great for getting out dust and scooping out your fish to move it. The aquarium cleaning tools are securely attached to the aquarium so you can easily release your hands. The filter at the top is very easy to clean.

Why We Like This:

Highly efficient at removing the gravel surface debris
Perfect for a small and large fish tanks
Makes water changes quick and easy
Easy to use and assemble works well

Best For Tank Cleaner: Greenjoy Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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Greenjoy offers a variety of vacuum for personal choice and yet maintaining quality in all the variants. This fish tank cleaning kit has it all to clean and keep your tank looking nice, it comes in a nice big box with all the accessories in it. It includes a fish net, gravel rake, algae scraper, fork, and sponge brush, making it easy to clean your fish tank thoroughly. The gravel washer makes it easy to clean sand and sweep up debris from the bottom of the tank, keeping your aquarium clean and healthy.

The greenjoy aquarium fish tank cleaning kit comes in a convenient storage bag, which makes it easy to keep all the tools organized and in one place. It is perfect for removing algae from the sides of the tank, and the straight and curved razor scrapers are great for getting into hard-to-reach areas. The tools are made of high-quality materials and are designed to last, and the storage bag is a convenient addition. The suction can be adjusted and the accessories are pretty great too.

Why We Like This:

Comes with a bunch of little attachments to clean your fish tank
Adjustable so you can be gentle around plants and sand
Come with a lot of the accessory, and it’s useful
Perfect set for tank cleaning and maintenance

Best For Fish lovers: boxtech Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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Next on the list, we've got yet another vacuum that manages to win our hearts. It's the boxtech tank cleaning vacuum and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient vacuum you can buy. It is great to clean a turtle tank without changing water or with change of water. It has strong suction, it can completely clean the bottom of the tank, and it has many USES. The attachment allows for the water to be filtered back into the tank as well as out of the tank for regular water changes. It can clean under the gravel with ease.

The suction is very strong, it can completely remove impurities and fish feces, and the sound is very small when working. It is quick and efficient and stops all the drips of water on surfaces and furniture that you get when you use a jug. The Handle is adjustable for different water depths. It's also very useful to clean the wall of the water tank.

Why We Like This:

Has good suction and decent build quality
Works great to vacuum debris from aquarium floor
Easy to clean a aquarium, and save time
Fast, strong suction, real time saver

Best For deep Tanks: Hygger Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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The hygger tank cleaning vacuum is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily usage. Its both a blessing and a curse that the suction power of this unit is so good. It is easy to clean gravel at the bottom of a fish tank. The clip to secure to a bucket is a nice feature. They also put a screen where the tube enters the handle, so that just gets clogged and it becomes useless.

The pump gun is very efficient. It does disassemble quickly and easily so not a real draw back but a drawback nonetheless. The only thing for big tanks you will lug around buckets of water, but if you use for just gravel vaccing this works great and fast.

Why We Like This:

Suction amazing and huge time saver
Easy to use and even easier to assemble
Makes cleaning aquarium sand so much easier

Best For American home Use: AQQA Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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Next on the list, we've got yet another vacuum that manages to win our hearts. It's the aqqa tank cleaning vacuum and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient vacuum you can buy. THE ABSOLUTE BEST PART IS THE SUCTION POWER AND TIME SAVING. This pump easily pumps the water 20 feet away into the sink. It reduces suction and prevents water plants or small fish from being sucked up with water. It also includes a booklet on how to put together with a nice storage box once it dries.

The 110v/20w powerful water pump motor can provide the maximum flow of 320gph. It is perfect for the smaller tanks. The brush head helps to clean rocks (1 tank with gravel) and the water intake cleaner can also be used to scrape algae of glass as well. It comes with a longer outlet hose.

Why We Like This:

Super helpful at pulling out the water
Can be done in under 2.5 hours even adding water back to tanks
Makes cleaning a fish tank much easier
Well packed and organized, lots of adapters for different substrate and it works great

Best For Cleaning Fish waste: YCTECH Tank Cleaning Vacuum

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Compared with other vacuum in this category, the yctech tank cleaning vacuum has a convenient design. This little vac makes aquarium maintenance so much easier. Not only can you use this thing as a vacuum (think of it like an instant filter for larger debris), but you can also attach a hose and do a partial water change. It bends too easy and stops the water flow. The longitudinal use of the magnetic brush has the strongest suction. It is easy to change/clean filter, good for gravel too. It will recycle the water just picking up the nasty stuff. It is suitable for daily fish tank cleaning or water change maintenance,suit for freshwater and seawater.

Why We Like This:

Makes cleaning and water changing much easier
Easy to use and works well removing the water
Lot of satisfied buyers