crazyzoo Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 I have one of those big Aquaone syphon/vacuum things but tried to use it today and it sounded like it was sucking in air, but no water......I noticed it has a little valve in it which I moved manually to the open and close position to try to get the thing to suck but still didn't work. Do these things just give up the ghost after a while or can it be fixed? Its had about a years use on 3 tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Yep, my one packed up too. I just use a squeezy thing to get the syphon started now. Was never a fan of shaking the thing up & down to get the syphon started anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Use your mouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Use your mouth yuk been there drunk that :-? lol Ill never put my lips on a siphon again (taken enough taste tests in the past). Not sure how the aquaone works as never seen them but i just use a hose and fill it with water then put one end in tank one out and away it goes.. or place hose on the end of a filter outlet etc hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyzoo Posted April 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 mmmmmm fish water...yum.... Might just buy another one then....it vacuums the gravel really well as it has a nice big mouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Whaaat? Id you actualy get water in your mouth when starting a syphon, your doing it completely wrong :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 i agree, lol. i mean you have gravity on your side. occasionally you will get a mouthful (my god this sounds wrong) but all you need is that initial flow and it gets going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 i agree, lol. i mean you have gravity on your side. occasionally you will get a mouthful (my god this sounds wrong) but all you need is that initial flow and it gets going. I have never liked the idea of shaking a huge piece of plastic around in my tanks so i have been using my mouth to start the siphon since i started fishkeeping, and only once in the past 2 years have i had a mouthfull of fishwater(made me vomit and i hadnt eating in 24 hours) and that was when i used the garden hose :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 it made you vomit? :lol: :lol: :lol: sad stuff :lol: lolz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 I have never liked the idea of shaking a huge piece of plastic around in my tanks so i have been using my mouth to start the siphon since i started fishkeeping, and only once in the past 2 years have i had a mouthfull of fishwater(made me vomit and i hadnt eating in 24 hours) and that was when i used the garden hose :lol: Wait until you suck on the outlet of a cannister filter and get a mouthful of that gunk that always gets spit out from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Use your mouth I used to use my husband for that. He quit after too many mouthfuls of water. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyzoo Posted April 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 I will definitely be getting another one....today! My tanks need a water change and I'm not swallowing the fish waste As for pumping up and down...once you have it figured it only takes a couple of very quick movements to get started....it doesn't bother my fish at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 I use my mouth too. And have never had a mouthful of fish water from the filter either! I must be very skillful. It's way easier. You just need to get the water over the top of the tank, then it just goes from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyzoo Posted April 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 All sorted....someone who worked at Animates was unusually helpful! She suggested I put a bottle brush into the valve to clean out algae round the internal bearings (not that you could see it), but it actually worked...yeh haaa....more money to spend on fish, not appliances :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 I will definitely be getting another one....today! My tanks need a water change and I'm not swallowing the fish waste As for pumping up and down...once you have it figured it only takes a couple of very quick movements to get started....it doesn't bother my fish at all It wasn't the fish that were being bothered, I didn't like the way the pumping/shaking action would disturb all the debris sitting on the gravel. Bit hard to vacuum the stuff up when its floating around the tank! Maybe I was just doing it wrong.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyzoo Posted April 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 ummmm....I don't get any debris being disturbed.....I just move the pump up and down a couple of times near the top of the tank, then once its flowing start vacuuming the bottom. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 all you have to do is put the siphon in your tank at a 45 degree angle or so.. so that the sucky end fills up with water and that fills the chamber. then when its filled up with water, presto the water should start flowing out the pipe into hopefully a bucket or the lawn and not your carpet :lol: if it does not start siphoning at first, you need to shake the pipe gently only to get rid of that trapped air bubble. there should be no dirt being uplifted from the base of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Just man up and suck on it! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 :roll: Eh. I must have been doing it wrong. Oh well. The way I do it now works for me just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze-dragon Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 If you hold the pipe up so one end is in the water and the other is above the water line then suck on the pipe till it is almost full (use a clear pipe ) then put your finger over the end to stop the water rushing back out in to the tank... Then all you do is lower the pipe to your bucket and remove your finger. Water will start flowing Guaranteed to never get a mouth full because gravity is trying to pull the water away from you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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