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Easy-to-Start Siphons?


CalmedByFish
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Anyone have experience with a small battery-powered siphon, or a "hand pump" siphon like the one in the link? I'd love a super easy way to get a siphon started. (I'm okay with weak suction. That might help with offering advice.) 

https://smile.amazon.com/Aquarium-Fish-Siphon-Gravel-Cleaner/dp/B06XKGYJHR

Edited by CalmedByFish
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On 8/6/2021 at 8:02 PM, Guppysnail said:

 I have some small qt tanks I would love a pump for. 

This is the low level of use I need. It's my regular tanks, but bare-bottom, and I just want to get the little "dead spots" where grunge collects. The piles are too small to bother with a regular siphon, and too big to get with a turkey baster.

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I only use hand-pump siphons, dirt cheap (made you know where).  Things that I observed with them are

  •  there is a big variation in quality. Among the blue ones (on the photo below),  good copies start very easily and are very convenient to use. Bad copies don't start at all or require a lot more effort.
  • the segmented hoses don't handle pinching the hose technique very well, the tube is a bit too easy to damage this way.
  • some come with protective grid at the end, like the one on your link. Those grids are fine with bare bottom tanks, but extremely frustrating in planted tanks (it's easy to remove them though, so no big issue).
  • the big gray version has a valve, which is very convenient, but the non-segmented hose gets kinked when bent over the tank wall.

Overall, despite some quality issues (which might not be relevant to you) these siphons work great for me.  

siphons.jpg.ee4644d50029d9497fe73073068a42e4.jpg

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On 8/7/2021 at 11:45 AM, CalmedByFish said:

Would it work to siphon tanks that are on the floor? 

Yes, it works fine. 

I forgot another tip about these siphons: if you want to get a particular clump of debris, it is better to squeeze the "pump" thing before submerging the front end of the siphon, and then let go. If you bring the siphon close to the debris, and then squeeze the pump, it will blow your target away, often in a million of pieces that are more difficult to remove. 

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On 8/6/2021 at 5:57 PM, CalmedByFish said:

protip: you can shorten amazon URLs by cutting out the stuff after ref= (inclusive).  infact you don't even need the Aquarium-Fish-Siphon-Gravel-Cleaner bit, just the "dp/<item number>" part.  eg:

https://smile.amazon.com/Aquarium-Fish-Siphon-Gravel-Cleaner/dp/B06XKGYJHR

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On 8/6/2021 at 7:27 PM, CalmedByFish said:

This is the low level of use I need. It's my regular tanks, but bare-bottom, and I just want to get the little "dead spots" where grunge collects. The piles are too small to bother with a regular siphon, and too big to get with a turkey baster.

For the dead spots in bare bottom tanks like you described, I use an oral syringe that had the pole thingy removed and airline tuning over the exit hole. Works like a charm. I don't even need a pump or dunking it in water, I can just use another syringe on the other side for starting it/ clearing solid debris. 

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On 8/6/2021 at 11:39 PM, CT_ said:

you can edit the link but its easiest to just delete it and re paste it.

Ok, I *think* I deleted it and re-pasted. I don't even know how you can tell what I did! 

Everyone, I really will get back to the siphon topic tomorrow. Just trying to look smart first. 🤣 

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I had a hand-pump siphon that my husband got for free with some exercise equipment, and I promptly clogged the bulb with Java moss and plant debris. The hoses weren’t made to come off the bulb, so I had to cut the hoses of to try to clean it. I imagine an aquarium version would be made to come apart for cleaning.

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