We’ve all been there, it’s time for a water change in the fish tank. You have your bucket by your side to catch the discarded water and your gravel syphon poised at the tank’s surface. It’s time to get the water running. You take a big inhale, sucking air through one end of the pipe, when…whoops! You overcommitted! That was a big swig of tank water, yum.
There comes a point where you either accept this process as the new reality, or get convinced to buy a gravel vacuum with all of the bells and whistles that reassures you that you can get the water moving with just a pump or two. The problem here is, the more moving parts, normally the more expensive. And, the more moving parts, the more things that can break. What if I told you that there is another way?
That’s right. You can start a simple gravel syphon (just like the one pictured below) without ever needing to touch it with your mouth. Here’s 2 methods how.
Step by step guide to start an Aquarium Siphon
Option 1 – The quick and dirty way
Have your bucket or container ready to collect the waste and debris generated by fish poop, excess fish food and decaying plant matter. The top of your bucket should be sitting lower than the lowest anticipated water level your tank water will drop to. Two and a half to Five-gallon/10-20 Litre buckets are ideal for collecting and transporting water from the tank due to their size. I recommend white ones, as the colour contrast makes it easier to see if you’ve accidently picked up and small fish or shrimp before you throw the water away.
Next, submerge the whole gravel vacuum in the aquarium, letting all air bubbles escape.
Put your thumb over the thin end of the tube.
4. Now, keeping your thumb over that end, remove it from the tank and hover it over the top of the bucket. Using your other hand to stablise the thick end of the cleaner within the tank water (keep it under the water).
5. When ready, remove your thumb from the thin end and water should start pouring into the bucket.
Option 2 – Less mess but a little more fiddly when learning
Have your bucket or container ready to collect the waste and debris. The top of your bucket should be sitting lower than the lowest anticipated water level your tank water will drop to.
Next, place the thick end of the gravel syphon into the tank water with one hand. With the other hand, hold the thin end of the syphon over your bucket.
3. While holding the thick end in the tank, turn it upside down (open end pointing up) – so that the air can escape and the tube fills with water.
4. The next step requires some timing. While still upside down, lift the thick end of the syphon a little, so that the tank water starts to flow down the syphon pipe. Before all of the water moves into the pipe, place the thumb of your other hand over the thin end of the end of the pipe, by the bucket. Keep your thumb on that end until step 7.
5. Keeping the thick end pointing upwards, lower it back into the tank water so that all of the air can escape again. The thick end should now be filled with water, and there should be some water part way down the pipe too – with ideally no air bubbles in between.
6. Now, turn the thick end around the right way again – so that the opening is facing down towards the gravel. Keep the syphon under water while you do this. If successful, you did this without adding any air bubbles back into the syphon.
7. At this point, you should be able to release your thumb from the end over the bucket, and water should begin to flow out of the pipe from the tank. Congratulations, you did it!
What to do if it did not work?
The three most common reasons for this process not working are:
Too much air was reintroduced into the gravel syphon before it was fully primed/there are air pockets remaining within the tube. Repeat either process from step 2.
There’s a block somewhere in the gravel vacuum. Visually check it’s whole length and remove any blockage found before reattempting.
The bucket and tank are too close together, not providing enough force to pull the water into the bucket. Increase the vertical distance between both and try again.
Next Step – Vacuuming the Aquarium Gravel
Once the siphon is started, it’s time to vacuum the aquarium gravel. Start by slowly moving the siphon head through the gravel or substrate, making sure to cover the entire surface (for smaller tanks) or a 1/4-1/3 at a time for larger tanks. Check out our how-to-guide for gravel cleaning here.
