OASE PondoVac Classic Pond Vacuum Cleaner

Quite useful

Why didn't I think of this sooner? I have a great pond filter pump system. However, I get way too much algae. The good kind, not the stringy type. My pond is only 2 1/2 feet deep and about 6 feet wide. It gets a lot of direct sunlight so the algae thrives. My fish love it but there is too much accumulation for my turtle's liking.I have been using a wet / dry vac. However, 5 gallons of water is hard for me to dump. I'm getting older not younger. Also the wet/dry vac sucked up a lot more water and less algae than I would like. It also kicked up the algae. The wet/dry vac also had to be turned on and off repeatedly to be dumped. I did this maybe 5-8 times each time depending on how long my knees and back could take.Then I got this wonderful contraption. I was skeptical at first. The "closed" flap at the end of the draining hose really concerned me. Not any more.There are extensions so that I no longer have to get up and down to suck this stuff out. The one extension that is a clear plastic lets you see the dark stuff you are vacuuming out.I use the smallest attachment end as I only want to get the excess algae that sits on the bottom and sides of the pond. I have a clear water pond but the algae gets kicked up by the turtle and fish then just sits on the bottom. I don't have to turn this on and off. It automatically stops vacuuming and releases it out of the draining hose. I do not use the filter bag or try to run it back into my pond. I use it to water plants. This is not a long process. I'm not talking minutes. It takes seconds for it to do this.I can do this all by myself. (no, I'm not 3 lol) It took me less than an hour (a lot less) to pull it out, set it up where I wanted it, suck the junk out, clean up the unit and put it away.Let me say that "clean up" consisted of a rinse. That's it. I ran the hose water through the hoses of this unit and then sprayed the inside tank with a spray nozzle. I then set it out in the sun to dry. You can dry it off with a towel and then put it away. I am now letting it "dry" out naturally before I put it away. I can fit it all back in its original box to store in my garage.In the hot, longer days of summer I have been using the wet/dry vac every other week. It really could have been done every week. Now I will be using this PondoVac Classic every week during the spring and summer months.

This is the first pond vacuum I've ever owned, so I wasn't willing to splurge on Amazon's more expensive options. Because of the price, I was worried it wouldn't be the most effective option for my pond. Luckily, my worries were unfounded. This vacuum works great! The suction power is good and I appreciate the modularity of its design. Between the four heads and extenders, the nozzle can be used for lots of different situations.Like most people here, I'm not a big fan of the fact that the vacuum has to stop and empty water periodically, but I understand that this is a necessary design element. I would also like it if it were easier to attach the filter bag to… well, anywhere. When I vacuum my pond, I tie the bag to the end of the outtake tube so I can directly put the water back in the pond. I would like a specific, built-in method of attaching the bag to either the outtake tube or inner part of the vacuum.A longer power cord would be nice too, but the functionality is good, so I can't complain too much. My pond is still hopelessly dirty, but I'm slowly chipping away at getting it cleaner with the help of this good vacuum.

Great for cleaning out the fall leaves in the bottom of my pond and green gunk that builds up from my fish over time.I read some reviewers complaining that the vacuum shuts off after only working for about 30 seconds. Well, it does, but it is supposed to do that so it can empty after the tank fills up! Then it automatically starts again until you turn off the switch.The suction is pretty good and it has several length attachments for the suction tube, but I think the longer you make the tube, the less strong the suction is.Also, I just leave the bag off the end of the outflow tube, it is not necessary for the vac to work.This vacuum works great for what I need and I'm glad I bought it.