Okay , Tell the truth, syphon starting poll...

[brewmaster15]

Okay,

Come clean everyone, when you are doing a water change, how do get that syphon going? and if you want to add some personal viewpoints on the risks associated with swallowing dirty(clean) tank water please share them.

-al

[Carol_Roberts]

????? What are you tallkinging about????? Sucking on fish hoses??? YEEECH!!!! :o :o :o

Doesn't everybody fill the clear, hard plastic gravel tube with water and vertically lift it out of the tank? This starts the water flowing down the hose, then quickly lower the clear plastic tube back into the water before the water runs out and the rest of the tank will siphon. . . . Thats not a mechanical siphon . . . . that's gravity 8)

[Pat_in_NC]

Hi Al,

I use the gravel cleaner on the end of the python to start the syphon--just fill it up and lift it up high (out of the tank) and then put back in the tank to get the syphon started. Pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I do use a submersible pump in my storage tank to refill the tanks. Not sure how to answer your poll. No "mouthing" involved either way

8)

Pat

[Pat_in_NC]

Darn Carol you beat me to it!

LOL

pat

[crazy4discus]

i use my mouth lol

[brewmaster15]

Carol,
I'm betting that since the poll is anonymous you'll see a bunch of people admit they start the syphon with their mouth.

I have been to far too many petshops and seen it done for that not to be the case. Its quick and easy. And I'll bet a bunch have even swallowed a mouth ful of tank water doing it. :spit:

As a matter of fact I could name a few if I didn't have this confidentiality thing going.

[mench]

I just open the valve and the water goes down the drain....No fuss no muss

Mench

[susankay1]

Hmmm, confession time huh? Well, yes, I normally fill the hose with water to get suction going but if I'm just doing a small tank (10 gallon), I give a little suck on the end of the tube and away we go. Never have gotten a mouthfull cause I can watch to see when the water gets started and head the tubing into the bucket. Cats seem to like the fish flavored water. When using meds though, they dont get any and neither do I. :wasntme:

[bikhu]

OPkay okay... I admit it.. You caught me. If you must know I do start it with my mouth and unfortunately... yes I have gotten a mouth full on a couple of occasions.... Yecccch is right Carol! But... as soon as I get my pumping station set up I plan to include a syphon pump. Got any suggestions on a good pump to use?
peter

[RandalB]

Sorry Al,

I just plug in my Handy-Dandy Aquatec 550 series Delivery/Demand pump and start cleaning/pumping. It primes through 25' of 5/8" Garden hose. No muss or fuss. The only problem I have is if I stick the PVC cleaning wand to the bottom of the tank or to the side of the sponge filter (sticks like glue from the suction)

I used to use Garden hose to siphon though, so use your imagination about how often I had the fish cocktail.

RandalB

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: AWW, C'MON, years & years of doing the siphon suck method & I'm still here doing it! It's not that much of a biggie!! Way back when, I do recall the mouthful of tank water, hahahahahahahahaha, try it with salt water, arrggghhhhh, hated that! but these days I hook the plastic tube to the window catch,, 1 draw & it siphons after I let it drop into the yard, no water, no problem. (long tube, maybe?) The water thing doesn't scare me! Remember Carol saying tank water for discus should be "good enough to drink"!?? Sooo!! For the feint of heart tip that plastic up, but my method is quick 'n easy! & yes, I did try it, but soon went back to this, hahaha JMO Dottie ;D

[korbi_doc]

;D ;D ;D ;D HEY!! all, that last post # significant?? Naahh!

& Hey Brew!! You're STILL OUT THERE THINKING up things to get us all goin'!! How do you do all you do??????? & we love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks, Dottie 8) 8)

Hmmm...This is about the ONLY time I'll admit...I SUCK!! and Im DAMN good at it!! :o

Call It a "rite of passage" ...ya aint a REAL discus keeper till youve had a mouth fulla fish sh!t 8) I hate it when ya get a turd stuck between your teeth though :-\...and nobody tells ya ???

aint no big thang... ::)

Tony :bandana:

[April]

LOL Tony. ok i saw that fish turd between your teeth when i was at your house....but i didnt want to embarrass you in front of Ed or sponge bob. LMAO.
ok....the best little siphon ever for cleaning bottoms of fry tanks is the little gas siphons you get to siphon gas out of gas tanks. it has a hard plastic tube and a red squeezy dealy on top. one squeeze and away it goes.
i use a magdrive pump on the end of a garden hose. works great. plug it in and away it goes.
but i have had a few mouth fulls over the years..maybe thats half my problem in life? lol.

After having my wife complaining about that, I have made it pretty easy.
I took a ball valve and attached it to the hose. It get's connected to a gardenhose and off you go. Never lost syphon since ;D. Have one for each Tank.
Wife Happy + Fish Happy = Ronald Happy

Ronald

OK and for English idiot's like me:

What is it: Siphon or Syphon

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
Ronald, it's "Psy-fun" ;D J/K It's Siphon. Anyway, I hold the tubing above the tank water level with the rigid tube end in there, suck up water like through a straw, hold my thumb over the end in my mouth and drop it down to the bucket........No chance of swallowing any from the sudden rush as it always wants to flow back down the tube when the vacuum breaks........Used to do the quick suck method--no comments please ;D -- and yes, I have tasted a few tanks in the past.......eeewwwwww.


Steve

[Liz_Streithorst]

Yep, I'm a sucker. Dottie, I can't any large animal enthusiast being afraid of a little bacteria, can you? After all, the world is full of it and like you said, we're still going strong.

Liz

[Dave C]

Why would anyone use the big, oversized gravel siphon? A 1/2" PVC pipe works way better. It can be made any size you need, costs next to nothing so you can have one per tank and gets much faster flow in a smaller area so it really sucks up the crap. The premise of a gravel vacuum is that it spreads out the flow from the small hose over a much larger area so the suction isn't so great at the tank bottom, and won't suck up gravel. But if you're barebottomed that's the last thing you want, you want the good suction. So start sucking and get rid of the vacuum tube... go PVC. And if you're worried about getting a mouthful, just use a longer hose.

[Fish_Fin-atic]

I suck too! :o ;D

After years of practice, it's the fastest, easiest way to get the water flowing. I use a slightly longer tube so minimize the chances of getting a mouthful.

The way I see it, the possibility of getting a mouthful of tank water, is a great incentive to keep the tank as clean as possible ;)

[Discus_KC]

Let's just say I have ate Beefheart, tetra bits, flake, CBW's and red wigglers over the past couple of years. And lots of fish crap !!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, I haven't got sick yet !!!!!!!!

And yes, I doubt I change !!!!!!!!!! LMAO

Jack

[zoids]

Guys,

I'm gulity of using my mouth too :(. Like what Jack said, i had my fair bit of BH, bit food, bloodworms and brineshrimp lol.

Well, I'm still healthy and as round as my fishes hahahaha.

Roy

[limige]

;D
lol, you must be bored again al....

ok as for me, i used to put the whole hose underwater, plug one end and lift out half of the hose put it in the bucket and release my finger.

now instead of doing this inside the tank i do it in my holding tank of clean water and plug the end with my finger and put it into the tank.

like carol said it's gravity. i didn't vote cuz i didn't see where this would apply on the poll.

[Kenny]

Gotta be by mouth, tried the gravity dooda, only thing that done was freaked my fish, if you get a mouthful... :-X

[DarkDiscus]

I have never used any method other than the start-by-mouth way.

Yes, I have swallowed some tank water. Big deal. It's the easiest way I can think of!

John

[fcdiscus]

Yup, always by mouth! what else would you expect from an old salt like me! :o Frank

[darcy]

LMAO!!!! This is great! I too always use the mouth method!! How else am I supposed to get my daily intake of water!! ::) ::)

Darcy

[Pick]

Yep, I'm a guilty sucker too! I've had a few simple auto set-ups for refill water but to actually clean the tank I always use the old fashioned way.

TC

[Tad]

Al,
OK I too use the mouth method ;D
I have had my fair share of Aquarium water when I used my pythons with their manufactured syphon hose along with buckets ???....Too short for me to get out of the way of a mouth full ::)

what I have done for ease since my tanks are spread about our home is to purchase a 40 foot 5/8 clear hose. I attach the python to the long hose and stretch it to my lawn area. I start the first vacuum by mouth sucking and drain the desired amount. I then remove the python and put my thumb over the end of the drain hose and move on to the next tank and attach the next python, let it fill with water and then I just walk the hose out and it starts the next vacuum...

My new approach which I have been using for over a year has never resulted in any water in my mouth from my tanks ;D ;D ;)

Just my approach,
Tad

[April]

ok for the most part we are all uncivilized fish water sucking obsessed over indulging type people. who needs mouthwash when you have tank water?
.
this should be an initiation type ritual to make sure we are all dedicated discus keepers.

[blackghost]

what i usually do is tie one end of pipe in tank connect second end to tap, start the tap let it run till the pipe fill more than half and then remove it from tap this automatically starts the suction of water from tank,
Ok i too use mouth method some times.

[ChloroPhil]

I do it both ways at my house. In my bigger tanks I tend to use Carol's Gravity Method, but with my smaller tanks (1/4" syphon tube) I have to suck. At this point I've had just about every kind of water possible for one to have run down my gullet. Perhaps some Metro would be a good idea to add to my coffee every once in a while..;)

[Very Fishy]

Always start syphon with the mouth. Quick and easy. After many years of practice and a few mouth fulls, it turns into a fine art and skill. I haven't got a mouth full in years.(or was that months, ok maybe weeks.) :P

[Teitelbaum]

Used to suck. Not anymore after visiting a long time hobbyist who taught me lots of new tricks. I now use a $2.00 gasoline pump for car to start the siphoning for the small tanks or siphoning water into carrying bags to sell fish and for the big show tanks and grow up tanks, I put a ball value wiht an on/off switch at the elbow of the main 1/2"PVC pipe directly conected to the drain. Each tank has it's own PVC pipe can be easily connect or dis-connect to the main ball valve. Haven't taste anywater for over a year now. I used to drink it everyday and rinse my mouth with it every morning. ;D
Earl.

[Not2Day]

OK I will admit that I suck.... But I do not swallow!! LOL

[yippy]

Well on my bigger tanks i do what carol does - just hold the plastic vacuum thingy upright and get the water going by gravity.

But i must admit i suck on the smaller syphoners i use on my betta tanks.

and like not2day - i do suck, but dont swallow. :o

Kerry :P

[yippy]

Hey Biotypical, good one about the metro. LOL. If ever i do get betta water in my gullet i should be safe. I always add about 3 drops of methylene blue to their water (theyre in tanks, not bowls), just enough for a slightly blue tinge to make the water look nice - hope i dont start flaring at myself in the mirror.
Kerry :)

[henryD]

This just happened to me last night.....so for those of you out there beware.......

I moved all of my fish int a new water system last week. I have been unable to get them new water for awhile. So at 1 am I wanted to do the water change that should have been done 6 days ago. I grab the biggest hose I have 1.5 in ID. I pu the hose on the PVC and wanted to get the water system started. I sucked and sucked and sucked and nothing. Started to get a little scaried that my semi water change system did not work. So I wanted to give it one last try. Took one huge breath and got water all over me. The worst part was getting waters in my lungs. I guess I forgot to turn on one ofthe ball values and my wife who was helping saw that and turned it on. It was perfect timing. And since it was late last night I was not able to see the water coming. I could not plan it even if I wanted to.

I started coughing like crazy. Never drank so much water in my life. Started to puke and cough. Never have gotten water in my lungs before. It burned. I thought I was going to pass out and have to get CPR.

Will I do it the same way again? I am sure I will. I am stupid and stubborn that way. But probably will not do it in the dark. Or at least turn on the ball value.

[April]

LMAO Henry. made my ,morning.... ok Henry is a disaster zone lately. he should not be let loose in public.
please get your mother to cross you next time you cross the street Henry!!
sorry about the almost drowning henry !!

That's a good one Henry!! You must have a big lung capacity to suck the air out of 1.5" hose. Good healthy lungs. Good work!!! ;D Who is the biggest sucker of them all?............ It's Henry.
J.

[henryD]

You mean I did have healthy lungs.

Right now it still burns. I am coughing like crazy.

I also think I got some fish poop or bloodworms stuck in there......

I will let you know if I hack up a bloodworm ball.....

That would definetly be something to see.

[brewmaster15]

Oh Brother!

I am sincerely worried now. Henry is an accident waiting to happen. LMAO :) Though I am sorry it happened to you henry, I have been there more than once ! :)

What really scares me is that I am going to be visiting this accident prone individual Tomarrow and am deathly worried I might have an accident there! :)

-al

[discuskrib]

i'm a sucker.

Henry - too bad your wife didn't have a video camera handy so we all could have watched Henry ....you might have even made some $$$ if it were sent in to one of those "funniest videos" shows on TV.

[April]

Brew....bring something to ward off all evil when you go.
poor Henry...hope you dont get sick. you need someone to turn you upside down and give you a good pounding now..to get all that out of you. Have a great weekend Henry with all your company. we want a full report when you all return.

Henry: Don't worry about it. You can't get Aspirated Pneumonia as long as you can cough. Your epiglottis has stopped the water from going down into your lungs. Otherwise you would have heard bubbling sound when you exhale. That's pulmonary Edema. Then you may need some diuretic to get rid of it along with anti-inflammatory meds. A case of beer will do the job. Tell brew to bring over a case just in case. Oh!! Some Furan II too. Don't blame me if you turn Green ;D ;D Just get yourself ready for Halloween.
Jimmy.

[Barb Newell]

Hi, I used to use the famous suck method, til I lost two tankfuls of discus to these deadly intramuscular nematodes, I swallowed water from those tanks. After seeing these worms crawling out of the gills and mouths of the fish..... I cringed at the thought of swallowing eggs :puke: :scared:

I now use my python for large water changes, for small poop cleanups I use this. It's rigid airline tubing, a gas siphon (thanks for the idea April) and a piece of flexible tubing on the end. All I have to do is pump it once or twice, siphone starts, works great. I have made one for each tank so I don't cross contaminate.

Barb

This one is for a 65 gal tank, I make them shorter for 20's.

[LobsterMobster]

Where are you guys buying the gas siphon bulbs from? What size tubing do they fit?

Thanks,
Kris

[Abercrombie6202]

NASTY BY MOUTH!!!
Mine connects to my kitchen sick or bathroom sink i turn on the faucet and it starts a suction and takes the water from my aquairum nito the drain, how easy!!

[RyanH]

I am also a gravity man. fill the tube. Lift. Repeat. :)

[Jean]

;DI think I use em all... except the pump ::)

bulkhead/gravity, fill tube-plug and lower, and yes, mouth :P
A clear long tube helps to prevent the rinse 'o' da mouth! I admit prob not the best and if see worms like Newell... I think I may just be obstaining! When I start, I start mid-water, no food extras for a snack for me!

I have one of those bulb jobies, but I have yet to use the thing!

Henry! :o Timing is EVERYTHING! ;)

Jean ;D 8)

[Smokey]

A high output flow pump. the only way to go! Sucking fish water has really hampered my social life .. fish breath.

Smokey

[EthanCote.com]

This post was just too funny.

LMAO.


I'll admit it as well, I use the sucking method. Its fast and reliable and now I have hon it into a new art form. Haven't sucked water since I rejoin the hobby. (knock on wood).

But in the past, I have had a few gulp of fresh fish waste in my mouth. And then I learned.

But having read Barb's post, I might think twice about sucking tonight. Perhaps I'll use the gravity method instead.


Cheerio,

Chi.

[Discusgeo]

I don't use any of them. All my tanks have 2" bulkhead fittings and plumbed all the way out to my front yard to water the grass.

[Smokey]

Same here - except the water flows into the sump. I use a pump to remove the aged/old water.

Smokey
I must remember, not everybody has the luxary of drilled tanks. But, I am sure most can afford a pump.

smokey

[mattrox]

I do syphon by mouth. I am basically lazy, the effort it takes to do it another way isn't worth the hassle ;D if the water needs changing and I am there I just do it the quickest way.

I am sure everyone has had something nastier than tank water in their mouths at some stage ;D and lived throught it.

.............Babies eat insects and dirt all the time. And if you ever swim/swam in a river or lake you would have been exposed to more gross things than in a fish tank.

And hands up who has eaten airline food, much worse than a mouth full of tank water. :puke::noway:

[April]

ok... here is a pic of the ones that are sold for gas tank siphoning.
their great. and their perfect for siphoning fry tanks as you can steer them. one squeeze and off it goes.

[Scrappi_tt]

I don't mind using my mouth because by doing daily water changes everyday, the water wouldn't be that dirty or harmfull unless you swallow it. On the other hand, if the're are meds in the tank, I don't use my mouth just in case the water accidently gets to my mouth....

[stir-fry]

I too start the syphon process by mouth, and i have never ever had even a drop of it go into my mouth..
i hold the end up in the air, start sucking, and when the water reaches about halfway down the tube, i cover it with my thumb, point it into the bucket and let gravity take over..
i used to kill myself laughing at my brother when i could hear him gagging on water that he swallowed!
hehehe

[delmore]

I use the lift and dip method from the krib. First time you do it, seams like a miracle :)

http://www.thekrib.com/TankHardware/siphon.html - has illistration

"First, position the end of the tubing to where you want the water to
end up. Like, "not on your carpet".
Then put the gravel vacuum tube of the Python under water and fill it
with water.
Tip the open end up so the water doesn't escape.
Lift it out of the water. The slug of water in the gravel vac will now
start down the tubing.
Once the water is on it's way, put the gravel vac back under water and
immediately fill it again. You will get some air in the line but
don't worry - that slug of water travelling down the tube creates quite
a suction and will continue to pull water through.
Voila! Vacuum on, dude!
I used to worry about breaking the siphon by getting air in the tubing
until I realized that as long as water is moving in the tube, it
continues to pull more water in -- up to a point, of course."

[jaydaman]

ok, i admit it, i suck. i prefer to just use a plain hose instead of one with a gravel vac on the end when cleaning bare bottom tanks. in deeper tanks i stick a piece of half inch pvc pipe on the hose. but either way i suck! ,jason

[mikeos]

I use whatever seems best for the job in hand ;D usually self start syphons.

With a 30' syphon there is no chance of a mouthful, except from the missus ;), & as its cleaned with chlorinated water immediatly after use I dont feel there is a real problem.

That said, there are parasites & eggs etc that you probably dont want, like tapeworm. With meds NEVER EVER suck, metro is mutagenic (spp) who knows what the others can do...... OK ask Al. ;D