Can`t Get Vacuum To Work >:(

[toomie]

Is there a trick to this stupid thing? I am ready to move one of my bettas into his newly cycled tank, and want to do a vacuum first, and I can`t get the #%&*$@ thing to work!!!! Does anyone have any pointers, or did I just buy a lame vacuum? It`s one of the kind that you submerge the plastic tube into the water, move it up and down a few times, and the water is SUPPOSED to start draining through. I am keeping the other end lower than the end in the tank, and no, I am NOT going to try to syphon it by mouth ! YUCK!!!

 

[cowboy507]

Is there a trick to this stupid thing? I am ready to move one of my bettas into his newly cycled tank, and want to do a vacuum first, and I can`t get the #%&*$@ thing to work!!!! Does anyone have any pointers, or did I just buy a lame vacuum? It`s one of the kind that you submerge the plastic tube into the water, move it up and down a few times, and the water is SUPPOSED to start draining through. I am keeping the other end lower than the end in the tank, and no, I am NOT going to try to syphon it by mouth ! YUCK!!!

at first i couldnt get the thing to work, i tried the moving it up and down...and nothing. so what i do is i cuff my hand around the small tube and suck, i watch the water and make sure that its flowing down the tube, i never get any water into my mouth, it always goes into the bucket. I know you said that you dont want to do this, but i think it is very clean, do dont suck any water, or touch the tube with your mouth. maybe someone else has another way, but this is mine.

 

[rdd1952]

No need to suck. Simply put the drain end in the bucket. Then put the vacuum end in the tank and get it full of water. Lift it up so that water starts to flow down (from gravity) and then put the vacuum end back in the water so that it fills back up. Once the water starts flowing down after you lift it up, the suction is started. When you stick it back in the tank, it should continue to syphon. If may take you a time or 2 to get the hang of but but it works fine.

 

[toomie]

No need to suck. Simply put the drain end in the bucket. Then put the vacuum end in the tank and get it full of water. Lift it up so that water starts to flow down (from gravity) and then put the vacuum end back in the water so that it fills back up. Once the water starts flowing down after you lift it up, the suction is started. When you stick it back in the tank, it should continue to syphon. If may take you a time or 2 to get the hang of but but it works fine.

Ok, gave this a few tries last night with no luck. It was late, and I was tired and frustrated from a long day at work anyway so I just gave up and went to bed. Tried a few times this morning, still no luck, but I`ll keep trying.

 

[Tolak]

These things have a little valve at the top of the large tube, where the smaller hose connects. Sometimes they leak, letting air & water pass when they shouldn't. Often a piece of debris, small snail, or other object sticks in them. I pry the valve out with a screwdriver.

Submerge the whole device, hose and all, let it fill completely with water. Leaving the large tube in the tank, put your thumb over the end of the hose to create a seal, remove and place it in your bucket. If you need to empty the bucket but aren't done, put your thumb over the end again, and place it back in the tank while you empty the bucket.

If you've ever gone swimming in a lake, pond or any other natural body of water you have gotten basically the same thing in your mouth as tank water, if not worse.

 

[Johng89]

Im with Tolak re the little valve at the joint to teh tube
if they jam it wont work
the other thing I have heard is hold at 45 degrees when initially moving it up and down to start syphon ??

also if you are carefull use your mouth to get it started

 

[rdd1952]

When I say to lift it up, I don't mean way up in the air. All you need to raise it is enough for the water to start flowing out of the vacuum tube down to the bucket. As soon as it starts flowing, put the vacuum back in the water and it should continue to syphon. It's the only way I do it. I tried the direstions on the package about moving it up an down but after I injured a fish that swam by while I was trying to do that, I decided I had to find a better way. That way hardly ever worked anyway.

 

[waterdrop]

Not sure (probably right there and I missed it) of toomie's tank size but I -do- have sympathy with members trying to get the hang of the "dip and flow" siphon start method if they have a small tank and a fairly big gravel siphon. All the plastic and hose can be difficult to move in a small tank without disturbing plants and decorations and without spilling water outside the tank.

I still really advocate a really long siphon hose going down the hall to the nearest tub. That way you can plunk the siphon end in the tank, go back to the tub, suck some air (and you know it'll be air because you are so far away!) and then go right back to the tank to start the gravel cleaning.

I like to place a plastic bucket in the tub for two reasons: firstly to be a safety catch (for my danios who seem to get a great kick out of a ride all the way down the hall in a siphon tube if they can manage to outsmart me ) and secondly so that I'll have a bucket of tank water for cleaning filter media if I need that. After the filter cleaning I empty the dirty bucket in an outside garden.

Then the bathtub end of the siphon just gets hooked up to the bathroom faucet for the refill, refilling the tank in a matter of minutes. The hose gets coiled and stashed back under the same sink for next week.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rdd1952]

That's basically what I do when I use the python on the larger tanks. I actually start the water running to fill the hose, turn the water off, pinch the hose off, disconnect it from the faucet and lay it in the tub. Since the hose is full of water, it starts draining immediately upon releasing it.

 

[OldMan47]

This time of year I like to run the hose out the window to the garden. That is nutrient rich water that the flowers and vegetables will love. If you are doing frequent water changes to control ammonia, the garden plants will really appreciate the free nitrogen boost too. I do drain some to a bucket because I have tomatoes in pots on my back deck the need watering.

 

[waterdrop]

That's basically what I do when I use the python on the larger tanks. I actually start the water running to fill the hose, turn the water off, pinch the hose off, disconnect it from the faucet and lay it in the tub. Since the hose is full of water, it starts draining immediately upon releasing it.

Ah, that's a clever twist RDD, hadn't thought of that one! WD

 

[Zissou]

If there's a 'trick' to the gravel vacuum, it's letting all the air out of the gravel cylinder. Submerge the cylinder completely underwater, tilt it up (but keeping it underwater still) to let the bubbles escape, then turn it completely verticle. At this point it's ok for the back end to come out of the water. Then pump it up and down. It shouldn't take but a few moments to start suction. If it's being stubborn, there's probably a leak where the gravel cylinder meets the tubing.

If pictures speak a thousand words, videos must speak a million.

It's only two minutes:
[URL="http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGU-IQk_xO8"]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGU-IQk_xO8[/URL]

 

[Ozzy Ozborne]

I had a similar problem...............drove me mad for days.
Then I took the thing apart and found a piece of plastic that had not been cut out properly at the top of the tube.
Tried it as advised then and it worked perfect !
this may be a route you could investigate?

Good Luck