# What do YOU use to siphon your Nanos?



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I just use a small one of these and a 5 gallon bucket. 

http://www.bigalspets.com/gravel-washer-small.html


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

BruceF said:


> I just use a small one of these and a 5 gallon bucket.
> 
> http://www.bigalspets.com/gravel-washer-small.html


What size/depth tank did you use this in? Or do you mean to say you used it to clean a 5 gallon bucket 'tank'?


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## Qwe (Jul 8, 2013)

In most of my tanks, 3-30 gallon, I use a gravel vac tube, without the big vac attachment. Suck on one end like the airline, just be careful with it and keep your thumb near the outflow to block it off if you get too close to a critter or gravel.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I use it on a 2.5.


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## dru (Mar 9, 2013)

Turkey baster for me on my <5 gallon tanks


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Tom's tank battery powered vac with the extension tube, no attachments. I usually use it to clean the lower parts of the tank. Then I'll vac the surface of any larger debris/leaves that the skimmer doesn't pick up. Hook up the output to a hose and goes direct into the sink. 

Then I put the vac in a bucket and have it pump water back into the tank with a intake filter over the other end of the hose to avoid destroying the scape.








^doing the reverse, filling.


Takes me about 15 minutes to do a 50% change on a 18g.

Tried it on my 1.5g. Gotta be a bit more careful.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

I use this on all my Betta cubes

3ft of hose and a gallon container.

It's self explanatory. 2 Holes on the cap with snug fit tubing. Long hose goes in tank while the shorter hose is used to start siphon. Make sure the cap and hose are both snug fit and simply suck on the short end until water starts to flow.

I used a piece of plastic coat hanger to keep the tubing straight and to stir up the water and gravel a bit.


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## elo500 (Apr 24, 2013)

I use a small fountain pump and tube to remove water to a bucket. I dont worry about cleaning gravel. Then turn it around to pump new water back I to tank.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Thank you for ideas/info so far! Happy to hear more ^^



Qwe said:


> In most of my tanks, 3-30 gallon, I use a gravel vac tube, without the big vac attachment. Suck on one end like the airline, just be careful with it and keep your thumb near the outflow to block it off if you get too close to a critter or gravel.


I have no luck with this, always get gravel/moss/loose flora x.x



dru said:


> Turkey baster for me on my <5 gallon tanks


Haha my husband would not be happy if I took our only working turkey baster for water changes (I swear the stores here seem to hide them in the "off" months).



Down_Shift said:


> Tom's tank battery powered vac with the extension tube, no attachments. I usually use it to clean the lower parts of the tank. Then I'll vac the surface of any larger debris/leaves that the skimmer doesn't pick up. Hook up the output to a hose and goes direct into the sink.
> 
> Then I put the vac in a bucket and have it pump water back into the tank with a intake filter over the other end of the hose to avoid destroying the scape.
> 
> ...


Hmm I'd not considered powdered siphons, how quickly do you go through batteries on those?



AGUILAR3 said:


> I use this on all my Betta cubes
> 
> 3ft of hose and a gallon container.
> 
> ...


Nice DIY. I realized I put "airline tuber" in my first post, but I actually use the wider siphon hose tubing (opps), is your using the narrower airline tube? Like the suction start method you have, better than putting a mouth right on the tube that has tank water go through it (yuck).



elo500 said:


> I use a small fountain pump and tube to remove water to a bucket. I dont worry about cleaning gravel. Then turn it around to pump new water back I to tank.


Interesting... though I'm going to have some messy fish like dwarf puffers in teh 12 long which like to leave snail shells littering the bottom after they suck squishy parts out so need something I can get crap off the bottom without without sucking up all of "the bottom"


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

AquaAurora said:


> Thank you for ideas/info so far! Happy to hear more ^^
> 
> 
> I have no luck with this, always get gravel/moss/loose flora x.x
> ...



I've rub it for 3-4 changes and 2 vacuum/cleanings. Still on the original first set of dollar store batteries. 

I doubt it uses a lot of power. Really just to start the siphon.


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## pucksr (Jan 27, 2011)

Cheap $5 siphon pump from walmart(sold in automotive section. Milk jug


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Oh. just put something under the opening of the tube like a small flat dish.


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## prighello (Aug 19, 2007)

I use the aqueon extender siphon. Seems to work well.

I use a 2 gallon sprayer to refill and it got me thinking that it would make a great siphon if I could just figure out how to make it create a vacuum rather than pressure. When the piston goes down it's pressure so pulling up would be vacuum. Maybe there's one that has a valve that goes both ways or something.


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## frankiefire702 (Dec 18, 2013)

dru said:


> Turkey baster for me on my <5 gallon tanks


Same here.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

> Turkey baster for me on my <5 gallon tanks
> 
> 
> frankiefire702 said:
> ...


Turkey basters for a water change or removal of waste?


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## dru (Mar 9, 2013)

AGUILAR3 said:


> Turkey basters for a water change or removal of waste?


If I am only pulling water out I will use a siphon 

Cleanup I use the baster


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Thank you everyone for your input so far ^^ Cool hearing what others do for cleaning/water changing nanos.


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## Deflected (Jan 12, 2014)

Amazon.com: Python Pro Clean-Mini 1" x 6" Tube with 6 ft. Hose: Pet Supplies


Is what I use. It works well for my 5 gallon tanks.


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## Fletch (Mar 18, 2004)

@ Aguilar3: The Bleach bottle siphon (above, with photo), is truly an ingenious device. Even has a handle. I will make one on the weekend. No more sucking bacteria, planaria and copepods from my nanos. No more running to the sink to spit said creatures out.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

Fletch said:


> No more sucking bacteria, planaria and copepods from my nanos.*No more running to the sink to spit said creatures out.*


:icon_lol:


btw, I used a rinsed 1g Sunny D jug.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Fletch said:


> @ Aguilar3: The Bleach bottle siphon (above, with photo), is truly an ingenious device. Even has a handle. I will make one on the weekend. No more sucking bacteria, planaria and copepods from my nanos. No more running to the sink to spit said creatures out.



Yeh the nasties can make you want to lurch.. I noticed my siphon tube was all nice and clean when I did a water change after a peroxide treatment in the tank though.. at least for one use...



AGUILAR3 said:


> :icon_lol:
> 
> 
> btw, I used a rinsed 1g Sunny D jug.
> ...



I'm thinking of making one out of a milk jug, can see into it in case something does in that shouldn't, and I know when I pulled out 1 gallon (would rather 2-3 trips to the sink with 1g than dragging a 5g bucket x.x my back ugh)


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## cyfan964 (Dec 9, 2009)

I just use airline tubing on anything 5 gallons or less. Goes a lot faster than you would think.


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## chops (Nov 28, 2013)

1/4" bulk plastic tubing from home depot and a small bucket for ~2 bucks. 

1. fill half the tube with water
2. cap one end off with your finger, dip other end into tank, 
3. put bucket below tank
4. take finger thats holding the other end into the bucket and let go. 
5. physics handles the rest and sucks water out of the tank.

to refill i take the thermometer out, measure to desired temp, and cup water into the tank slowly to not disturb the substrate. takes me about 30min to do a water change on my 4G using this method


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## cryofever (Dec 28, 2013)

AGUILAR3 said:


> :icon_lol:
> 
> 
> btw, I used a rinsed 1g Sunny D jug.
> ...


Love this DIY. Perfect for what I want for sure.


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## Flutteri (Aug 11, 2013)

I use this DIY cleaner for anything under 5 Gallons. The idea is the same as in that video posted here...


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